Created from Target: Booka Bookshop
Type: Bookshop
Fit: Possible Fit
Region: Oswestry / North West-adjacent / West Midlands border, UK
Contact route: Use official website Contact Us route linked from events page.
Website: https://www.bookabookshop.co.uk/
Contact: Carrie Morris and Tim Morris,
Email:
Submission / target notes:
Pitch only if author can travel or if there is a strong regional tie/event partner. Suggest a small romcom/friendship-themed evening or inclusion in a broader commercial-fiction panel. Use contact page; do not assume event acceptance.
I could not find a formal author submission or event proposal policy. The practical route is to send a concise, bookseller-friendly pitch to , ideally with a clear reason the book is right for their customers, events programme or book clubs.
What they do:
Booka runs a regular programme of author talks, book signings and themed events, and says it aims to bring “bestselling authors and some of the best new writers” to Oswestry. They also use outside venues for larger events and provide bookselling services for festivals and shows.
Book club opportunity:
Very useful. Booka currently runs eleven adult book clubs across Oswestry and Bridgnorth, plus children’s and young people’s clubs in Oswestry. Adult clubs include general fiction, thrillers, cosy reading and speculative/fantasy-leaning groups, so commercial fiction could fit if it has strong discussion hooks.
Best fit for a novelist:
Good for authors with one or more of these:
Local or regional link to Shropshire, the Welsh borders, West Midlands, Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Cheshire or mid-Wales
Strong event-readiness
Commercial fiction with book club appeal
A signed-copy or pre-order campaign
A launch event that can realistically draw people
A school/library/festival angle
A novel with conversation hooks around friendship, family, grief, reinvention, identity or relationships
Fit for indie authors:
Possible, but you need to look trade-ready. Booka is a respected indie with a strong events reputation, so I would only pitch if the book has proper distribution, a professional cover, clear metadata, retail terms and a credible reason for their customers to care. For a small press or indie-published novelist, the strongest route is usually local author + event + signed stock, not “please stock my book”.
Likely approach:
Pitch as one of these:
“Local / regional author event”
“Signed copies / pre-order support”
“Book club discussion title”
“Author talk around the themes of the novel”
“Joint event with another compatible author”
“Bookseller support for a local festival or literary appearance”
Tone to use:
Warm, professional and bookseller-aware. Keep it human. Avoid anything that sounds like a mass PR blast. Bookshops get a lot of “please stock me” emails, so the pitch needs to show why this book suits their customers and how you’ll help bring an audience.
Suggested subject line:
Author event / signed stock idea: [Title] by [Author]
Suggested opening:
I’m a UK book publicist representing [Author], whose new novel [Title] is published by [Publisher] on [date]. I wondered whether it might be a fit for Booka’s events programme, signed stock, or one of your book clubs, particularly because [specific local/theme/customer fit].
What to include:
Book title, author name, publisher/imprint, publication date, ISBN, format, RRP, distributor, short blurb, author bio, local/regional link, event availability, audience draw, press sheet, cover image, and whether signed copies or proofs are available.
Internal notes:
For Lisa Doyle Is Absolutely Fine specifically:
This is a worthwhile regional bookshop prospect, but only if you frame it carefully. The Manchester setting is not the obvious hook for Booka. I’d lean into Midlands author, commercial fiction, friendship, romantic chaos, pressure to pretend life is fine, and book-club-friendly discussion. A “romcom with emotional bite” event, possibly paired with another commercial women’s fiction author, would be stronger than a solo cold stock request.
Suggested pitch angle:
“Midlands novelist Mo Fanning on friendship, fakery and the pressure to be absolutely fine.”