Tamika Barnes, associate dean, Perimeter College Library Services, Georgia State University, is 2026-2027 president-elect of the American Library Association. Barnes received 3,827 votes, while Becky Calzada, district library coordinator, Leander [Tex.] Independent School District, received 2,742 votes.

Tamika Barnes

"I am deeply honored by the trust ALA members have placed in me," Barnes said. "Throughout this campaign, I have listened to members across library types and career stages, and I will continue to lead with that same commitment to connection, transparency, and responsiveness. Together, we will foster an ALA that is bold in its advocacy, clear in its purpose, and prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead."

Barnes currently serves as the Georgia Library Association president. She is also a member of the Freedom to Read Foundation, the Lois Ann Gregory-Ward Fellows Program committee, and the EBSCO Information Services Library Staff Development Award committee. Barnes served on the GLA executive board from 2013 to 2021.

She was on the ALA executive board from 2018 to 2021 and the ALA Council 2015-2018 and 2019-2021. She is a member of the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Black Caucus of ALA. Barnes has served on numerous ALA committees and groups and is a 1998 Spectrum Scholar.

Among her many honors are the GLA Bob Richardson Award and the Black Caucus of ALA Library Advocacy Award. She is also recognized as a Library Senior Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Leading Change Institute Fellow. Barnes holds a BA in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MLS from North Carolina Central University in Durham.

The future home of Wildbird Bookshop.

Wildbird Bookshop will open this spring as part of the Homestead at Hog Mountain development, which is currently under construction in Mulberry, Ga. What Now Atlanta reported that co-owners Jamie and Kristi Cain, who launched their business last summer as an online operation, "have been looking to open their own bookstore for a long time. Now, they will finally realize that dream."

Jamie Cain said they are targeting Mother's Day weekend in May for the opening, adding that the store's name was inspired by Wendell Berry's story "The Wild Birds," which discusses membership in a community. "We think books foster conversation, connection and community. Wildbird is born out of that."

The 1,400-square-foot shop will feature a curated collection of books that the Cains recommend or would like to read, along with a dedicated children's area. Other offerings will include gifts, stationery, puzzles, and games. Hosting events like book groups is also part of the plan.

"We want to bring people together around books and ideas," Cain noted. "We did a few pop-ups in the fall and got to meet a lot of people who are excited to have a bookstore in the community. We look forward to having people wander in, spend time and have good conversations."

Novel Book Bar & Cafe in Portland, Maine, will close on April 17 after more than two years in business, but "a business disagreement between the two partners could mean its closure will also end up in court," the Portland Press Herald reported.

"The major reason that we're closing is primarily because of money. Money, stress and pressure. I've done as much as I can to make it functional," said co-owner Joshua Ames, who runs Novel's day-to-day operations and also holds a full-time job outside the business. Money issues and a health scare in March persuaded him it was time to step away. He added that attempts to sell the business--a combination bookstore/cafe/cocktail bar--have failed.

Nate Donovan, the other co-owner, said Ames shut down his own attempts to sell: "If we can't keep it operational, it needs to be sold at a reasonable price to someone who can.... It's been a struggle since Day 1." He cited city regulations, the joint impacts of ICE's Operation Catch of the Day raids in Maine, tariffs, and general economic uncertainty, along with the rising price of Green coffee beans, as some of the contributing factors.

Donovan owns 49% of the venue and Ames 51%. Both men put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the business, and Donovan expects the dispute will end up in court.

"We started this to build community in our local area, and I've been so grateful and appreciative of the community that has come out, the lifelong friendships and connections that have been made at Novel," he added. "I know the community. A lot of those connections are going to continue on."

At the Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves, Mo., Fill Your Tank cards have been a popular new addition, owner Holland Saltsman reported. They can be found on Faire, Saltsman noted, and each deck features questions meant to prompt deep conversations on different themes. Other new additions include a "cute new onesie" from Gladfolk that says "Published 2026"; Love Your Lenses glasses cases from IF; and Smells Like Resistance candles from Archd.

Asked about perennial favorites, Saltsman mentioned Kei and Molly tea towels, which the store has carried for 10 years. They've also carried Frostbeard Studio candles "since the beginning"; Saltsman added that the store has worked with them to create a custom Novel Neighbor scent. On the subject of locally made sidelines, Saltsman said the store does very well with gifts from local artists, and she also pointed to Big Heart Tea Co., which is based in nearby St. Louis. 

Touching on tariffs, Saltsman said the store has been more affected by things like a local chocolate supplier passing credit card fees "on to us, which we feel we can't pass on to customers." With tariffs, the store has adjusted by trying to find other sources.

Jill Stephanovich, owner of bbgb books in Richmond, Va., reported that "anything Richard Scarry" is selling exceptionally well right now. That includes tote bags and bookmarks, as well as prints that customers can buy from an Inciardi Prints vending machine. The machine stands about 3.5-feet tall and one print costs $1. Stephanovich recalled having to apply for the machine, and once the store got it, everyone was surprised by how much of a draw it has proven to be. "People collect and trade them," she said. "We've had people drive from three hours away."

Recently, bbgb brought in some Pizza and Taco plush made by Merrymakers, and Stephanovich said the store recently preordered several new jigsaw puzzles from Le Puzz. Asked about perennial favorites, Stephanovich said that aside from store-branded totes and bookmarks, the store does "tons" of Lego. However, because there is a toy store next door, bbgb tends to stick to Lego products like the 5-Minute Builds from Sourcebooks. Stephanovich added that there is "almost always" something from Klutz in stock.

In Seattle, Wash., Ada's Technical Books & Cafe is doing very well with puzzles and art supplies, said purchasing manager Mara Wrede. When it comes to sourcing puzzles, Wrede said she uses Chronicle "quite a bit" due to their "super huge library" and good prices. For art supplies, Wrede will use vendors such as Kikkerland and Cognitive Surplus. She noted that Cognitive Surplus has good drinkware, as well as art supplies, and she named Asobu as another drinkware company that she likes.

The store, which puts a big emphasis on science and technology, carries a lot of craft, DIY, and STEM kits, ranging from remote-controlled race car kits to dinosaur mask-making kits. Some of Ada's kit suppliers include KitsVille, Clockwork Soldier, and Handscraft. Wrede pointed out that she discovered Clockwork Soldier at the NY Now gift show. She recommends that buyers try to attend gift shows if they can, as seeing a product in person "makes all the difference."

When it comes to locally made sidelines, Wrede said they've had a lot of success with "really fun, snarky stickers" from Seattle-based That's So Andrew, as well as "sci-fi stationery" from Rather Puckish. Wrede noted that tariffs have made an impact on sideline buying, particularly with D&D dice sets. Import fees on dice sets have risen so high, she said, that she'd have to sell them for $25-$30 per set, which she feels she can't justify. As a result, she has not been ordering items that would normally be very popular. --Alex Mutter

If you are interested in having your store appear in a future Sidelines Snapshot article, please e-mail alex@shelf-awareness.com.

Booksellers from Charter Books in Newport, R.I., participated in the Grenon's Newport Night Run, a 5k race and fundraiser to benefit the Newport Educational Foundation. Store manager Amy Van Keuren made custom shirts for the occasion, featuring a stylized version of the bookstore's logo on the front, and a quote from Louis Pasteur ("Knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world") on the back. Booksellers ran or walked, depending on preference and ability.

"We're turning five this year--Charter's anniversary coincides with Independent Bookstore Day--but we're always looking for new ways to support and engage with our local community, and it's my hope that this can turn into an annual tradition," Van Keuren said.  

Click here to see the latest Independent Press Top 40, the weekly bestseller list celebrating the bestselling 40 fiction and 40 nonfiction titles from independent publishers, as sold by independent bookstores across the country. The list is sponsored by the Independent Publishers Caucus and the American Booksellers Association.

This week's debut fiction titles:

12. Rain of Shadows and Endings: Deluxe Special Edition (The Legacy #1) by Melissa K. Roehrich (Kensington)
14. The Eyes Are the Best Part: Deluxe Limited Edition by Monika Kim (Erewhon Books)
19. The Dreadfuls: Deluxe Stenciled Edges by A. Rae Dunlap (Kensington)
20. Just This Once: Deluxe Limited Edition (The Kings #1) by Lena Hendrix (Kensington)
24. The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton (Kensington)
34. The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris (Paris Bookshop Mysteries) by Mark Pryor (Kensington)
40. Cinder Vale (Book 3 in the Sins of the Zodiac series) by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti (King's Hollow)

This week's debut nonfiction titles:

5. Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team by A.M. Gittlitz (Astra House)
12. Psychedelic Therapy: A Revolutionary Approach to Restoring Your Mental Health and Reclaiming Your Life by Will Van Derveer, Keith Kurlander (Shambhala)
18. Tree Lore: Magic, Myth, and Wisdom from Root to Bough by Dawn Nelson (Countryman Press)
32. Cognitive Kin: How to Work, Win, and Make Meaning with Agentic AI by Christophe Kolb, Jan Rosen (Ideapress Publishing

Veteran book marketer Ashleigh Heaton has launched Enchantress Marketing, a full-service, woman-owned book marketing agency specializing in genre fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, romance, fantasy romance/romantasy, and speculative fiction.

Heaton was most recently a director of marketing at Penguin Random House, where she spent 10 years working on more than a hundred bestsellers at the Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Inklore imprints. Notable campaigns led by Heaton include Alchemised by SenLinYu, the Lore Olympus graphic novel series by Rachel Smythe, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, and The World of Critical Role by Liz Marsham.

The agency will offer a spectrum of customizable services, such as author brand development and management, individual title advertising and launch promotions, social media and newsletter strategy, convention planning assistance, website design, backlist support, and publishing consultations. Services are open to veteran and debut authors in all spaces (traditional, indie, and hybrid), as well as publishers and literary agents, aiming to position titles to sell their best.

For more information, visit the Enchantress website or follow @enchantresslit on social media.

At Sourcebooks:

Mikaela Bender has joined the company as marketing & publicity associate, kids.

Emily Rowin has joined the company as regional indie sales manager, Southeast.

Summer of '71: The Five Months That Changed America by John A. Jenkins (Citadel/Kensington, June 30 pub date).

Today:
Fresh Air: Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari, author of Labor: One Woman's Work (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $28.99, 9781668015407).

Tomorrow:
Sherri Shepherd Show repeat: Susan Lucci, author of La Lucci (Blackstone, $29.99, 9798874868284). 

Tonight Show repeat: Demi Lovato, author of One Plate at a Time: Recipes for Finding Freedom with Food (Flatiron, $34.99, 9781250393449).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, April 11
2 p.m. Michael Vorenberg, author of Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War (Knopf, $35, 9781524733179).

2:55 p.m. Saladin Ambar, author of Murder on the Mississippi: The Shocking Crimes That Shaped Abraham Lincoln (Diversion Books, $29.99, 9798895150214).

3:47 p.m. Akhil Reed Amar, author of Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920 (Basic Books, $40, 9781541605190).

Saturday, April 12
8 a.m. Kirk Ellis, author of They Kill People: Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America's Obsession with Guns and Outlaws (High Road Books, $29.95, 9780826369376), at Interabang Books in Dallas, Tex. (Re-airs Sunday at 8:16 p.m.)

8:45 a.m. Sen. Cory Booker, author of Stand (St. Martin's Press, $29, 9781250436733). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

3:10 p.m. Jonathan Mann Burkham, author of Migrant Midwest: The Case for Immigration and Economic Growth in the American Heartland (Bloomsbury Academic, $36, 9798216276098), at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, Wis.

4:10 p.m. Mark Lee Gardner, author of Brothers of the Gun: Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and a Reckoning in Tombstone (Dutton, $35, 9780593471890).

5:10 p.m. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, author of It Doesn't Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life (Simon & Schuster, $30, 9781668014479), at the New Orleans Book Festival.

5:57 p.m. Michael Pollan, author of A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness (Penguin Press, $32, 9781984881991), at the New Orleans Book Festival.

7 p.m. Arthur C. Brooks, author of The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness (Portfolio, $30, 9780593545423).

Winners have been announced for the American Booksellers Association's 2026 Indies Choice Book Awards. Titles were nominated and selected by booksellers from more than 3,000 independent bookstores nationwide. The winning author or author and illustrator in each of seven categories receives $2,000.

The awards highlight titles that appeared on the ABA's Indie Next List, Kids' Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce list in 2025. The Indie Next List program features bookseller-recommended favorites for adults and kids from indie bookstores across the country. Twice a year, a panel of indie booksellers select 10 standout adult debut titles and 10 unforgettable debuts for young readers--including middle grade and young adult--for Indies Introduce. These three programs make up the longlist.

ABA CEO Allison Hill said, "These incredible books entertained, challenged, celebrated, and stirred us last year, and they inspired the work of independent booksellers, putting books they love into readers' hands. ABA congratulates all of the authors and illustrators and thanks the independent booksellers who participated in nominations throughout the year."

The winners:
Adult Fiction: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Crown)
Adult Nonfiction: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Knopf)
Children's Picture Book: Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illus. by Dan Santat (Dial Books)
Middle Grade: The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Young Adult: They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury YA)
Debut Adult: Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams (Tiny Reparations Books)
Debut Children's: Whale Eyes by James Robinson, illus. by Brian Rea (Penguin Workshop)

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, April 14:

Hope Rises by David Baldacci (Grand Central, $32, 9781538758021) is the second Walter Nash thriller.

Cherry Baby: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell (Morrow, $32, 9780063380264) follows a woman whose husband bases an unflattering movie character on her. 

Last One Out: A Novel by Jane Harper (Flatiron Books/Pine & Cedar, $29.99, 9781250291394) is a murder mystery set in a dying Australian mining town.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple (Putnam, $30, 9798217176632) follows a woman whose Stoicism is upended by romance and intrigue. 

Famesick: A Memoir by Lena Dunham (Random House, $32, 9780593129326) is the memoir of the actress and writer.

Ghosts of Sicily: The True Story of the Naval Intelligence Agents Who Courted the Mob to Fight Nazis in America and the Battlefields of Italy by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll (Harper Select, $29.99, 9781400252985) explores U.S. military cooperation with organized crime during World War II.

Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs by Antony Beevor (Viking, $35, 9798217061181) is a biography of the infamous Russian schemer.

The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey (Orbit, $32, 9780316525671) is book two in the Captive's War sci-fi series. 

Forbidden Mountain by Brandon Mull (Labyrinth Road, $19.99, 9780593712047) is the beginning of a new middle-grade epic fantasy series about an ancient evil endangering an empire.

Sashimi by Dan Santat (Roaring Brook, $8.99, 9781250360007) features a fish boy trying to pass as a mammal boy in elementary school.

Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans by Sheinelle Jones (Putnam, $29, 9780593719336) is based on a recurring Today Show segment about the mothers of celebrities.

Around the Table: Tables and Traditions for Gathering by Shea McGee (Harper Horizon, $45, 9781400250622) is both cookbook and interior design guide. 

Paperbacks:
Happy Ending by Chloe Liese (Gallery, $18, 9781668205471).

Pomona Afton Can Totally Catch a Killer by Bellamy Rose (Atria/Emily Bestler, $17.99, 9781668075685).

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (Saturday Books, $20, 9781250349163).

The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe (S&S/Saga Press, $18, 9781668053287).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
Under Water: A Novel by Tara Menon (Riverhead, $29, 9798217048311). "With graceful yet sparse prose, Tara Menon has given us a wholly unique story of friendship, loss, and grief, all while artfully weaving in our interconnectedness with nature." --Pat Rudebusch, Orinda Books, Orinda, Calif.

Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us by Marlene Zuk, illus. by David J. Tuss (Princeton University Press, $29.95, 9780691264240). "Marlene Zuk takes us on a journey through the lives and behaviors of nine species often assigned labels like 'pest' and 'disgusting.' Zuk introduces new ways to look at these creatures and what they teach us about pollution, adaptation, and evolution." --Ariel Hardee, Ruby's Books, Folsom, Calif.

Paperback
The Creek, the Crone, and the Crow: A Novel by Leah Weiss (Sourcebooks Landmark, $17.99, 9781464250590). "Set in 1980s Appalachia in a very small dying mountain town. A young teacher meets the varied characters that inhabit the back country, discovers the region's folklore, and questions her beliefs in the supernatural." --Fran Ziegler, Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, Mass.

Ages 6-8
The God of Sleep by Lev Grossman, illus. by Huynh Kim Liên (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316570961). "As the god of sun is taking her leave for the night, the god of sleep is nowhere to be found! The sun god journeys near and far to find the god and runs into several others along the way. A rhyming story perfect for bedtime paired with beautiful illustrations!" --McKenna Moran-Jones, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Ages 10-12
When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller (Random House Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780593485583). "When Tomorrow Burns is a powerful story that follows three 7th graders as they learn to navigate the challenges of middle school life, pressures of the world, family, and school relationships. It's magical, heartfelt, and so real--reminding us how important family and true friendships are." --Annell Schmerfeld, Changing Hands, Tempe, Ariz.

Ages 12+: An Indies Introduce Title
Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'Sullivan (Viking Books for Young Readers, $22.99, 9798217040506). "A romantasy set in a fantasy-Ireland full of magic, betrayals, and battles for power. A young man set out to save his family from a future that forces them to give up their place and home. Unknown to him, his childhood friend sets out to protect him, but at what cost? I loved this!" --Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Mich.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

The simplicity of its title masks the depth of insight and emotion that makes Maggie O'Farrell's novel Land such an encompassing reading experience. This story of a humble 19th-century Irish family is both a microcosm of the country's travails and a timeless exploration of themes of love, abandonment, loss, and grief.

Opening in 1865, a little more than a decade after the end of the Great Hunger, Land focuses on the family of Tomás, a surveyor and skilled cartographer who supports his family on commissions from the despised "scarlet-jacketed soldiers" engaged in a massive mapping project of his native land in the wake of the potato famine. To Tomás, they merely represent yet another in the "wave upon wave of conquerors, those who seek to occupy and enslave" the Irish people in their long, sad history. While the British "prefer never to acknowledge the crisis that befell the country," Tomás is determined that his maps "will bear an account of what happened, what was lost, if it kills him."

In the midst of one of his expeditions, he experiences a shattering trancelike state after drinking from an ancient spring--"a place of water at the base of the mountain that was sacred and inhabited by spirits." When he recovers, he uproots his family--mapmaking assistant son Liam, wife Phina, daughters Enda and Rose, and soon-to-be-born son Eugene--from their Dublin home and resettles them on the remote peninsula that transformed him.

Over the next two decades, as they pursue their outwardly simple existence, there are deaths and departures--Liam first to Rome and then India as a Jesuit priest, and Enda, a headstrong, talented fiddle player, to Canada--amid moments of tenderness and violence. Narrating these events, O'Farrell shifts effortlessly from one character's consciousness to another's, imbuing each with a distinctive emotional life and interior voice while assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of sympathy in favor of or against any one.

O'Farrell (The Marriage Portrait) enhances the deeply appealing family story at the novel's center by firmly maintaining its connection to the physical world. One especially lovely section elides, in fewer than 30 captivating pages, the numberless generations of human existence that preceded Tomás at the site of his mystical encounter, braiding enchanting descriptions of the natural environment with the stories of characters--most notably a girl named Brith--lost in the mists of history.

In Land, Maggie O'Farrell is engaged in the literary equivalent of Tomás's meticulous mapmaking. She's chosen to record her representation of Irish life on a much larger canvas than she did the world of William Shakespeare in Hamnet, but the same qualities of empathy and grace she displayed in that beautiful novel reappear here in abundance. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: Maggie O'Farrell illuminates the lives of a humble Irish family in the decades following the end of the Great Hunger.

Reading makes us healthier, happier and better connected to one another. It’s of critical importance to our society.

--Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads

Earlier this month, the International Publishing Association released its shortlist for the 2026 IPA Innovation in Publishing Award, which recognizes groups or individuals whose work implements innovative publishing practices that can be replicated by others and benefit the industry. The winner will be named during the 35th International Publishers Congress, July 5-9, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
 
One of the finalists is Australia Reads, which "is on a mission to get more Australians reading," employing "world-first research to interrogate the barriers to reading, and provide solutions to address them," the IPA noted. Australia Reads was established by the Australian Publishers Association, along with partners including Australian Libraries & Information Association, Society of Authors, Copyright Agency and the Australian Booksellers Association. 

A new report, Reaching Australian Readers: Testing Behavioral Strategies to Increase Recreational Reading, was released on March 24 and is the result of a collaboration between Monash University's BehaviourWorks Australia, Creative Australia, and Australia Reads. It explores which behavioral strategies are the most effective at increasing recreational reading rates among Australians, and builds on findings from Understanding Australian Readers (2025), which reported that both readers (54.9%) and non-readers (49.8%) said they read less than they planned to.

Understanding Australian Readers explored the behavioral drivers and barriers to engaging with recreational reading behaviors. It introduced the behavioral reading journey of six stages: finding books, choosing a book, getting access to a book, starting to read, continuing to read, and reflecting or sharing. 

It also identified six audience segments: Avid Readers, who read frequently and face few barriers; Engaged Readers, who read frequently but want to read more; Ambivalent readers, who have varied reading habits and are unsure if they want to read more; Aspirational readers, who read infrequently but want to read more; Lapsed Readers, who haven't read in the past year but want to start again; and Uninterested Non-Readers, who don't read and are unlikely to start.

Reaching Australian Readers is designed to be a further step in the research, testing strategies on the four priority segments for the book industry to target (Engaged, Ambivalent, Aspirational, and Lapsed readers) to discover which will be most effective at shifting the reading intentions of Australians.

"Our research shows that strategies work best when people can see themselves in the message, feel confident they can do it, and believe reading can fit into their lives in small, manageable ways," said Dr. Breanna Wright, lead researcher of BehaviourWorks Australia. 

During the coming months, Australia Reads will use these findings to make recommendations both to industry and to government on effective national strategies for improving reading rates. The report suggests that strategies to increase reading among Australians will be most effective when they:

• Capture attention
• Feel relevant to that person
• Prompt reflection on how reading fits in their life
• Make them feel confident about finding and reading books
• Make reading feel achievable
• Practical, low-effort tactics resonate

"People respond most to clear and concrete steps; how to use library apps; how to discover books that match their interests; how to use pockets of time to meet reading goals," Wright added. From positive messaging to practical how-tos, the report draws out research-backed principles for crafting effective reading messages. It seeks to identify key messaging tactics to be considered by the sector when implementing reader engagement strategies.

Reaching Australian Readers notes that strategies that feel personally relevant, prompt reflection, and promote easy, low-effort approaches are most likely to shift reading intentions, adding that "whether you're working at your local public or school library, in a bookshop, or a publishing house, these are some research-backed principles to help get those around us reading." Among the recommendations: 

• Start messaging with positive experiences or emotions
• Ensure practical clarity and action
• Showcase visible diversity of people and book types
• Focus on low-effort options for readers 

In the report's foreword, Writing Australia director Wenona Byrne writes: "Reaching Australian Readers responds directly to the findings of the Understanding Australian Readers report, testing tools and strategies for improving reading rates across varied reader types and profiles. In this, Writing Australia's first research publication, we have worked closely with Australia Reads to ensure our findings build on current industry insights and are strongly placed to contribute to improved reading rates in this country. We hope this report is useful for the sector, and ultimately for those millions of Australians who are keen to increase the role of books and reading in their lives." 

The Executive Summary of Reaching Australian Readers notes: "While the report shares some common tactics that were effective, this study reinforces that targeted and specific approaches to different groups will be more effective than universal messaging. 

"Similarly, the report found that different strategies were more effective for different parts of the reading journey. So, different messaging is needed to encourage people to find books they want to read, compared to getting people to carve out time to read.... The more a strategy made people feel confident to read and made reading feel achievable in their lives, the more effective it was."