ECPA members who have UK sales invited to encourage authors who’d like to help the UK Christian Booktrade to get involved with Christian Bookshops week, taking place next month.
UK Christian bookshops are joining the Booksellers Association @BooksAreMyBag social media campaign around Christian Bookshop Week. This runs from Saturday 22nd October 2022 through to Christian Bookshop Day on Saturday 29th October. We would be so grateful for the support of authors and publishers in this campaign! We are hoping that authors and publishers will help to champion local Christian bookshops on social media and in any other way they can during the vital trading period up to Christmas.
How can you help?
- We are looking for a number of authors to create brief ‘Choose Christian Bookshops’ videos.
- The key message we are looking to get over is #ChooseBookshops #ChooseChristianBookshops. If you can also ‘tag’ @booksaremybag as well, this will be amplified as part of the BA social media campaign.
- Remember your video may go to a wide audience so try to promote Christian bookshops in general, rather than just one particular one, but feel free to mention a local Christian bookshop that you visit, or you have benefitted from, or worked in, or where they have particularly nice scones & coffee…
- If you’re an author, talk about your book(s)! Maybe your latest? Have it in your hand and wave it about! Mention that it will be available from their local Christian bookshop or can be ordered from them.
- If you talk about the price, please mention the recommended retail price- then the bookseller can show a special price if they wish as they tag or share your post.
- And please, please try to avoid mentioning the dreaded words, ‘also available from Amazon’…..
- Keep the videos short- 2 minutes maximum, 1 minute is much better!
- Landscape format is generally best.
- These should be posted onto your own social media page, with a short accompanying text, and also the tag/hashtags @BooksAreMyBag #ChooseBookshops #ChooseChristianBookshops.
- There has also been an ‘open’ Facebook page created where you can upload your video. This ‘open’ page acts as a library of promotional material for Christian bookshops to share and use on their own social media pages. You are welcome to apply to join and upload your video there, with the same hashtags – https://www.facebook.com/groups/choosechristianbookshops
Other ideas-
- Please add the tags @booksaremybag and use the hashtags #ChooseBookshops #ChooseChristianBookshop in your general social media posts- the Booksellers Association are amplifying these posts on behalf of bookshops.
- Use the hashtag #ChristianBookshopWeek #ChristianBookshopDay if posting from Saturday 22nd to Saturday 29th October.
- Write a blog post, or add a social media post, championing your local Christian bookshop (or Christian bookshops in general).
- You might be able to call into your local Christian bookshop to say ‘Hello’- great photo opportunity!
- Be open to taking part in a local Bookshop author event over the crucial October/November trading period, either in person or remotely.
If you have any further questions you would like to ask about this campaign on behalf of The Christian Booksellers Group of the Booksellers Association (BA-CBG), please contact Andrew Lacey e- alacey@glo-europe.org t – 01698 275343.
