Linghams Booksellers
Our March Bookshop of the Month is Linghams Booksellers, who are based in Heswall on the Wirral. They offer a wide range of books from children’s and young adult to adult fiction and non-fiction. The shop holds many events, where everyone is welcome. We catch up with them and chat about what a day in the life of Linghams is like, what’s currently selling and what the future holds. Read on to find out!
1. Linghams Booksellers is an established bookshop in Heswall, known for its events and very much part of the local community. Give us a taste of what a normal day is like; do you have a favourite (and least favourite) part?
Doors open at 9, computers on, lights and action so to speak! Check for our resident ghost who has been spotted on CCTV on the odd occasion. Check what’s on today, event, author visit, school visit, book club? Prep relevant areas and put signs out if there is an author event. Emails will be in thick and fast from online orders to replies to Sue for events, this usually involves lots of happy bookseller dances to be honest! Least favourite decking and chairs in the rain!
2. What’s it like running a shop on the Wirral?
We have a real community surrounding Linghams who have supported us through thick and thin. Author events have helped increase our reach to customers outside our region and introduce new readers to authors. Book clubbers are also a big hit, so much so we have opened a second slot to accommodate everyone. Our school visits are extremely popular and of course visiting reading ambassadors to choose some new books for the library. We also offer a wish list for schools, and this has been taken up by several recently. Working and curating lists with schools is a real favourite with Sue and Jane.
3. Tell us more about Letterbox Linghams, your book subscription service. What’s the criteria for the specially selected book each month?
This is a lovely service for both adults and children. The customer can choose a 3, 6 or 12 month service. Completing our questionnaire, our booksellers will choose some fabulous books for you each month with a note and some extra goodies! We are also looking at book hampers to compliment this service! Lily and Jane have some fabulous books up their sleeves.
4. What kind of books are your customers buying, is there a particular trend?
At the moment lots of cosy crime and romance. Marian Keyes is a big favourite! Sporting books always sell well too, and Everton’s Big Dunc has taken A LOT of pre orders! The LAMB by Lucy Rose has been read by all of us and we are hand selling this like mad! One to watch for little readers is Gozzle which Sue cannot talk about without tears in her eyes! Our local author Michael Barritt is a BIG seller with his history book Nelson’s Pathfinders.
5. And finally, do you have any exciting plans for the shop in the coming months that you would like to share with us?
Lots of exciting events booked in which is very exciting and some lovely children’s events during Easter too. Is it too early to mention Christmas? Yes, well just watch our website!