From studying for a degree in illustration, through bookselling and publicising children’s books, to heading up campaigns at the Booksellers Association, Emma Bradshaw sure knows a thing or two about the publishing world, and from multiple perspectives.

Emma’s passion for authors, illustrators, stories and independent booksellers is nothing but infectious - read on to be informed and inspired.

Can you share what your current role as Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association involves? Describe your typical working day (if such a thing exists!)

I head up the team that looks after all of the Booksellers Association’s consumer-facing campaigns, encouraging people to do their book-shopping with bookshops. 

These days I am splitting my time between working in the office in London and working from home in Bristol. Wherever I am there are always lots of meetings in my calendar, usually with the in-house team, with booksellers or with publishers.

Throughout the year there are always opportunities to get away from my laptop and go and visit our members, or attend conferences. It’s been especially nice to get back to this side of things in the last few months.  

I’m very lucky that I often get invited to industry events too. In the last few weeks I’ve been to the award ceremony for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the announcement of the new Waterstones Children’s Laureate. I’m thrilled that Joseph Coelho has taken on the role. He’s going to do an amazing job.

What was your route into publishing? Did you always want to work in the world of books?

I did always want to work in the world of books, but originally I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. I did a degree in illustration, but on graduating realised I wasn’t quite brave enough to go freelance. 

I started working in the children’s department of my local Ottakar’s and worked my way up to Assistant Manager over the three years I was there. During that time, I took on the running of all of the schools and in-store events for children, and really enjoyed it. I got to meet lots of children’s publicists through that side of the job and decided that that was what I wanted to try next. 

After two years with HarperCollins and eleven years with Bloomsbury I was ready for another change. In 2018 the newly created role of Head of Campaigns came up at the Booksellers Association. It seemed like the perfect role for me; I could apply my publishing and bookselling experience and get to do some of my favourite bits of both jobs.

What drew you to publicity and campaigns as opposed to, for example, the editorial field?

I think it was largely about being hands on in terms of connecting books and authors with their readers. It’s what I enjoyed about bookselling too; helping a reader to find the right book at the right time. 

What changes have you seen in the worlds of publishing and bookselling through your career?

I’ve worked in the book industry for 20 years, there isn’t much that hasn’t changed!

When I was a bookseller I used to review books for Publishing News, a trade publication that sadly no longer exists. And of course, Ottakar’s no longer exists either. So many high street retailers have closed over the years, a real loss to the industry, but it’s great to see the number of bookshops in the independent sector rising again. There are over 1000 independents currently in Booksellers Association membership.  

What are your career highlights to date? Which campaigns are you most proud of having worked on?

Strangely enough I think some of my proudest moments have been during the last few years. Ensuring our campaigns kept going during lockdowns and social distancing restrictions meant we were dealing with challenge after challenge. It was nothing compared to what our members were dealing with of course, and I am continuously blown away by what a resourceful, creative, kind and hardworking groups of people booksellers are. 

What are you currently working on for the BA?

We’ve just wrapped up Independent Bookshop Week and now it’s all go on autumn campaigns. I’m simultaneously working on Bookshop Day (Saturday 8th October), Irish Book Week (15 – 22 October), and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards (shortlist announced 6 October, winners announced 8 November) as well as a few other things. 

Do you have a favourite bookshop? What local bookshops do you love?

I couldn’t pick one! They’re all wonderful in their own individual and unique ways. 

I am lucky enough to have the most brilliant independent bookshop within walking distance of my front door though. Storysmith on North Street in Bristol is a beautiful space, and they run fantastic events. Emily and Dan have achieved so much in the four years they’ve been open. I’m very partial to a cuddle with Roy the bookshop dog when I visit.

Which authors (living or otherwise) would you invite to your dream literary dinner party?

This is the hardest question of the lot! How big is this dinner party? 

I’d invite Katie Webber, Katherine Woodfine and Anna James because they are friends as well as authors.

I’d invite Katherine Rundell, Emily MacKenzie, Sophy Henn, Sarah Crossan and Debi Gliori as I haven’t seen them nearly enough since I stopped being their publicist.

I’d invite Catherine Rayner, Joseph Coelho, Alex T. Smith, Catherine Doyle, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and Dapo Adeola because I love their work.

I could go on…

Basically, I’d invite as many children’s authors, illustrators and poets as you’d let me get away with. And the emphasis would be more on the party, and less on the dinner.

Which books do you return to most often? Given your background in children’s books, are there any beloved books from childhood you return to, or remember with particular fondness?

Do you know there’s only one book I’ve ever read twice, and that’s A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly? It’s pretty much the perfect book for any occasion; comforting, empowering, thrilling and mysterious. Jennifer is a wonderful writer. 

Dogger by Shirley Hughes and Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl were two real favourites of mine as a child. Shirley’s work was definitely part of the reason I fell in love with illustration. 

I have very fond memories of my mum reading Enid Blyton’s The Barney Mysteries to me and my sister when we were little, and Who Is Frances Rain? by Margaret Buffie is a book that really stuck with me. I think I must have enjoyed mystery writing from quite a young age!

Who are your all-time favourite authors?

Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie. I love a good crime or thriller read, and these two ladies are absolute queens of the genre. I’m also a big fan of the time period they were writing in, largely the early-mid 1900s. I dream of living in an Art Deco home worthy of Poirot, or a house that looks like it would be a good setting for a Miss Marple murder.

What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year?

I really enjoyed both of the Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club books, cosy crime at its finest, with a big heart and fully formed characters. Ingrid Persaud’s Love After Love was utterly heart-breaking and had me in floods of tears.  

What are you currently reading? Do you have a teetering to-be-read pile?

I’ve just started a proof copy of Marple, which is publishing in September with HarperCollins. Twelve contemporary writers have written short stories about Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. It’s fascinating to see where each of the writers have taken the character. Some have taken a very traditional route, others have taken a really unexpected one. Who’d ever have thought Miss Marple would travel to New York!

And yes, there’s always a to-be-read mountain. Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden and Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles are pretty close to the top at the moment.

Tell us a secret about books.

Reading printed books is a more sustainable way of reading than using an e-reader.

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