British bookseller Debbie James, owner of Kibworth Books in Leicestershire, has been named the new president of the Booksellers Association of the U.K. & Ireland, succeeding Fleur Sinclair of Sevenoaks Bookshop, the Bookseller reported. James is joined by new v-p Will Smith, owner of Sam Read in Grasmere, alongside Mairi Oliver of Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, who continues in her role as v-p as well.
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At the BA's annual general meeting, managing director Meryl Halls welcomed James's appointment and thanked Sinclair for her service as president, while highlighting the strength and experience of the incoming officer team, the Bookseller noted. Smith was recognized for his longstanding contribution to the trade, and Oliver for her continued leadership and insight in her ongoing role as v-p.
In addition, the BA's Advisory Council for the 2026-29 term includes seven newly elected members: Helen Stanton (Forum Books), Dan Johns (Padstow Bookseller), Nicole Vanderbilt (Bookshop.org), Deborah Texeira (Kenilworth Books), Helen Tamblyn-Saville (Wonderland Bookshop), Darran McLaughlin (Bookhaus), and Sally Pattle (Far from the Madding Crowd).
James said: "What an honor it is to continue the outstanding work done by Fleur Sinclair in further solidifying the relationships we high street booksellers--working in independent and chain bookshops alike--have with all industry partners. Equal partnerships with authors, agents, publishers, their publicists, reps and decision-makers are essential for the health of the book industry as a whole. For all communities to see themselves represented in this industry is vital and this, plus my passion for sustainability and respect for nature and the planet will be the driving forces throughout my term as BA president, for the sake of our collective resilience and prosperity."
Halls added: "We are delighted to welcome Debbie as BA president. Having worked with Debbie in her v-p role, I know how dedicated she is to bookseller benefit, how thoughtful she is about all bookselling issues, and how rigorous and fearless she is in approaching challenges. We are very fortunate to have such a calibre of bookseller available to us at the BA, and we are so thrilled that Debbie has been able to pick up the reins from Fleur Sinclair. All of us at the BA are looking forward to working with Debbie even more closely over the coming two years, and to ensuring that her priorities and passions positively influence our activities."
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Fabian Paagman, president of European & International Booksellers Federation and managing director of Paagman bookstores in the Hague, Netherlands; and Sanne Muijser, director of the Royal Booksellers Association, attended the American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute in February, and have co-authored a report highlighting one of the event's key themes: bookselling in times when democracy is under threat.
In a brief summary of their report, EIBF's Newsflash reported: "Sessions explored topics such as security protocols for bookstore staff, responding to organized harassment, and the legal implications of government agency interventions. They also note that one of the most attended sessions was even titled 'Bookstores in the Time of Fascism: Your Store in 2026.' Paagman and Muijser also drew comparisons between the situation in the United States and Europe, with a focus on the Netherlands, urging the industry to remain vigilant. Their article calls for increased awareness and proactive measures to ensure that bookstores and their communities are prepared and protected, and that the threats faced elsewhere do not take hold locally."
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Rising youth readership and interest in book-driven connections have fueled the rise of bookstores as places for romantic encounters, the Korea Herald reported, noting that a "growing number of social media posts show people visiting flagship stores of Kyobo Book Center, the country's largest bookstore chain, to approach someone they find attractive and ask for their number in hopes of going on a date, while "similar videos featuring other bookstores such as Youngpoong Bookstore and even public libraries are rapidly spreading."
The overall reading rate among adults--the proportion of those who read at least one book in a given year--was 38.5% last year, while the rate among people in their 20s reached 75.3%, the Korea Herald noted, citing a report released last month by the Culture Ministry that said this was the only age group to record an increase, as all others declined.