Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books in Frome is nominated for Independent Bookshop of the Year at the British Book Awards 2025.
The Bookseller Magazine runs the awards. They said the award honors local shops that bring books to their communities. This year had more entries than ever before. The finalists thrive with imagination and new ideas, keeping sales up despite tough times.
Winstone’s faces tough competition in the South West. Bert’s Books in Swindon is also nominated. So are bookhaus and Gloucester Road Books, both of which are in Bristol. Falmouth Bookseller and FOLDE Dorset compete as well. Liznojan Books in Tiverton made the list. Mr B’s Emporium in Bath and Storysmith in Bristol are also nominees. The East Gate Bookshop in Totnes completes the list of nominees.
Winstone’s says they have many books, and you can order even more. They offer overnight ordering for 500,000 titles. They host author events often to celebrate writers. They also run a book review club called the Proof Pudding Club. Winstone’s likes to support their community.
People like Winstone’s a lot. They have a great Google Reviews score of 4.8 out of 5 stars. One person praised the helpful staff. Another liked the new book displays. Someone else said the staff ordered a book for them and recommended a trip to Hunting Ravens.
Another visitor mentioned the helpful staff again, saying they give good recommendations. The staff are patient and follow up on questions. The regional winners get announced on March 11. The main winner is revealed on May 12 at a ceremony in London at Grosvenor House.