I’m sure my author colleagues can picture the scene. You arrive for a school visit. It’s a Book Week! You are made welcome, the children are a delight, but there is a fly in the ointment. Metal bookcases in school halls. The sight of them makes my heart sink. The teachers triumphantly declare “… and we have a book fair as well!” conveniently overlooking the fact that said fair sells none of their visitor’s books.
But this has nothing to do with selling MY books. It’s a far bigger problem.
The book fair selection is notoriously limited to either a given publisher or a narrow range of cheap TV tie in pulpy kind of titles. It’s the fast food of literature. Now I’m the last person to be snobby. Every school should have the Beano annual in the library (assuming you HAVE a library in your school; the lack of library provision in many primary schools today is a national scandal!). I fervently believe children should have a wide range of reading matter. And of course book fairs give the school a cut too, so they can buy more pulp for the school. A small hurrah I suppose. Maybe it ticks a box somewhere. Big deal.
But wait a minute. Pause. Dear headteacher, dear head of literacy, just consider this. Did you know that independent bookshops offer book fairs too? There are even independent bookfair companies. The terms may not be quite as cheap, but oh! the range of books, the knowledgeable staff, the quality of service is in another league! They can tailor their stock to match your school. Saints alive, they may even bring books by your visiting author! Wouldn’t that be nice? (incidently, I don’t visit schools with a car full of my books (unless requested to do so); I prefer to support booksellers).
SURELY, my friendly schoolteachers, shapers and moulders of the next generation, you want to inspire your children? You want them to LOVE books. You want a rich variety to capture the imagination of every child? You want them to blossom and have great literacy skills. Those good at art to be inspired by top quality illustrations.
Tell me, teachers – you who work so hard to educate – would you not be thrilled to have dozens of children aspiring to be authors or illustrators? Isn’t that fervent hope one of the reasons you invite authors in to start with? Imagine how it must feel to have taught Michael Morpurgo, Quentin Blake or J.K. Rowling?
Then stop and think.
Bookshops are closing. Discount book catalogues and bookfairs, along with online sites, are destroying them. And bookfairs and discounts destroy authors too.
Our royalties get smaller and smaller as books are discounted. Many people – like myself – have dedicated their working lives to crafting thoughtful, useful, beautiful books. Only to find their work selling for pennies in a cheapo catalogue, or not sold at all on bookfair shelves. The fact is that an author gets only 3 and 3/4 % on a full price paperback. If that paperback is reduced to 99p… the royalty gets smaller and… well, you can do the maths.
Why would anyone aspire to be an author, when schools – teachers – are supporting the destruction of this noble and dedicated industry of thought, imagination, philosophy, politics and vision that we call literacy. Why would your pupils aspire to be good enough to be published to be rewarded with mere pennies?
I urge you to consider a world with no bookshops. A society without creativity. Civilisation without literate people creating books to stretch minds with. This is the reality.
But you can do something. You can do a lot!
Move on from dreary metal bookshelved corporate bookfairs. Contact your local independent bookshop. Set up that book fair. Freshen up that library. Invite authors and illustrators in. Stop ordering from discount catalogues. Look at the wider picture. It may cost a little bit more, but in terms of your school budget, it’s a drop in the ocean. I used to be a school governor. I known how much money is spent on technology and software that is never ever used. Shift the priority.
Then… and ONLY then… can you stride into your classroom and honestly and sincerely inspire your children with all that literacy has to offer.
THIS SATURDAY 14th September, independent bookshops will be launching BOOKS ARE MY BAG – a scheme to highlight what independent bookshops can offer. I will be supporting two shops – for no fee – by visiting them. Details are elsewhere on the blog. I hope teachers and educators will take this opportunity to support them too, by building a relationship based on expertise and knowledge and most important of all, a LOVE of books.
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