Hollie Fraser is a Book Fairy. In 2012 she began dropping books on the London Underground to make people fall in love with reading again, inspiring Rosy Kehdi to do the same on the New York Subway. The women now run the not-for-profit organisation, Books on the Subway (BOTS) together, with Books on the Underground (BOTU) safely in the hands of Cordelia Oxley.

With seven Books On… iterations around the world so far, celebrity collaborations and potential plans to launch a female empowerment platform, the Book Fairies are an inspirational lot. We caught up with Rosy and Hollie to hear about how they are managing to turn the daily commute into a literary scavenger hunt.

The goal of BOTS and BOTU is to get more people reading, do you think that you are achieving this?

We’d like to think so! A lot of people who have picked up the books posted back to us about how they’ve enjoyed the read, or that the book was just what they needed during a rough patch they’re going through. By making books more accessible to people, we’re hoping that our mission is working. Not everyone can afford buying books, and not everyone goes to the public library. This is an easy way to reach masses, and reignite the love of reading in people.

How do you choose the books to drop, is there specific criteria they must meet?

We currently drop all books that are donated to us. We decided that since we live in such a diverse city we wanted to leave books that appeal to all. We don’t want to be the ones who limit what New Yorkers read! But we do try and avoid that are controversial (religious, political) and any books that are too specific (medical, business etc.).

Is there a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on? How do you cope with juggling this and your full time jobs?

There’s lots of emails and scheduling and even more actual Book Dropping!! We also try to keep track of people posting about us and comments on our social channels, and aim to reply to most.

We just do it around work, so we end up emailing a lot of evening and weekends too! Sometimes it feels like a second full-time job, but we love it, so it doesn’t feel like work!

What was the largest obstacle that you had to overcome to launch this organisation and how did you tackle it?

Probably the sheer massiveness of the subway! We felt that we were only targeting a small section, and not able to reach people in areas we don’t frequently visit so we’ve recruited some volunteers to help us out with our Book Drops. They’re all over the city, from the Bronx to Coney Island and Queens. We now reach more people and [they] allow us to drop even more books (and lift some weigh off our shoulders and backs! — quite literally!)

How do you feel about e-readers and the impact that they are having on physical books?

There is no denying that e-readers are much more convenient for many people, and we think people should use whatever medium they think will help them read more. That’s what matters after all. We have both dabbled in e-readers and audiobooks, but ultimately, we didn’t feel like they matched the experience of reading a physical book. And nothing, NOTHING, beats the feeling of browsing a bookstore, and picking your next read!

The organisation has received a huge amount of publicity recently from your collaborations with Emma Watson and Anna Kendrick – that must have been exciting! Can you tell us about how these came to pass?

Cordelia, from Books on the Underground reached out to do the partnership with Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf book club and they wanted to get involved, as did Emma herself. So that was absolutely fantastic and we had the pleasure of having Emma in NY as a Book Fairy for the day too. The Anna Kendrick partnership, Rosy and myself organized. She had a sell-out book tour taking place in NY and we knew loads of her fans would be in town, so we thought why not give them copies on the day, if they can’t get into the book signing. So she signed a few copies and we were able to drop them on the subway.

Do you have any advice that you could give to entrepreneurs interested in starting a non-profit?

Have a clear mission and a vision. It’s very easy to get distracted with all the opportunities and ways to grow the project. But by sticking to what we truly believe in, we can leverage the opportunities that come our way and make them work for what we want to stand for and be about.

What are your top three favourite books?

R: I don’t know why this is always such a hard question for me! I can’t really pick! Here are some of my favourites:

• Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
• The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

H: Me too, it’s such a hard question! I love so many books, but these just really stand out for me as the books I recommend to ALL of my friends:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

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• Not in London or New York? Books On are also in Washington DC (Books On The Metro), Melbourne (Books On The Rail), Montreal (Livres Dans Le Métro) and Toronto (Books On The Transit) with a Boston organisation set to launch shortly (Books On The T)
• For clues on the latest Book Drops, follow Books On The Subway on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
• To find out more about the program or to submit a book you can contact Rosy and Hollie at bookssubway@gmail.com

Graphics thanks to Hollie and Rosy.

The post Subterranean Fairy Dust: An interview with the founders of Books On The Subway appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Independent bookshops, with their creaky doors, worn-out sofas and overcrowded shelves, are little pockets of comfort in a fast-paced city. For Londoners it is the human touches that make indie bookshops so enticingly charming. Nestled among busy streets – often hidden in alleyways – they are the antithesis of Amazon algorithms and impersonal computer generated recommendations. From bookstores with monthly feminist book clubs, to secret locations and that wonderful old book smell, here is a guide to the best independent bookshops in London.

1. Lutyens and Rubinstein 

21 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU, 020-7792 4855

On a quaint Notting Hill street lined with bakeries and boutiques, this relatively new bookshop has quickly become a local staple. Founded by established literary agents, Lutyens and Rubinstein has gained a reputation as the place to go for some pleasant bookish chat, and rightly so. Customers are greeted like old friends by shop manager Claire, cup of tea in hand and eager to discuss this week’s new releases or reminisce about her favourite childhood reads. Offering the ultimate one-to-one experience, complete with coffee and biscuits, the knowledgeable staff add an old fashioned, personal dimension to bookselling.

Children’s manager, Tara Spinks: “It’s a cliché to say that London is a series of villages, but in our case, we really do feel like a village shop – we know a lot of our customers by name, and we know their interests and we’re able to curate the shop to fit that! When we opened, we asked a lot of people – friends and family particularly – what 10 books they would most like to see in the shop, which is how we selected our original core stock.” 

2. Persephone Books

59 Lambs Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NB, 020-7242 9292

Capturing a feminist niche, this independent publisher and bookshop steers clear of market-driven book sales, and instead focuses on reprinting neglected fiction and non-fiction by mid-twentieth century women. This tiny cultural hub, named in homage to the daughter of Zeus, is a celebration of female accomplishment. With a warm and laidback atmosphere , the shop itself is decorated with feminist paintings, posters and vintage furniture, creating a cosy domestic setting for customers to sit and read, as well as recreating the limited spheres women occupied in the twentieth century. Persephone Books provides readers with an interactive experience. From the beautifully designed end papers to the monthly book club; this is an essential destination for all bibliophiles.

WhatKatieDidNext blogger, Katie Morritt: “It’s encouraging that Persephone Books reprint works by neglected female writers. While women make up 51% of the human population, they seem to be shockingly underrepresented on the shelves of chains like WHSmith and Waterstones.”  

3. The Society Club

12 Ingestre Place, London W1F 0JF, 020-7437 1433

Hidden away down a side alley on Ingestre Place, The Society Club feels like Soho’s little secret. During the day the unique bookshop, cafe, cocktail bar and gallery combination is open to the public, but by 6 o’ clock the place transforms into a private members’ club. With  poetry nights, storytelling and live music, it is a place where aspiring writers and artists collaborate over a cocktail – perfect for Londoners wanting to get involved in London’s literary scene.

Yelp reviewer, Lina O:d: “I was there for an event organised with Tatty Devine, a jewellery company popular with my young people at the moment. It was a jewellery making workshop that was free of charge and with the founders of the brand. Such a nice experience, nice people and a really great environment.”

4. Claire De Rouen

125 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EW, 020-7287 1813 

Claire De Rouen, tucked away above a betting shop on Charing Cross Road and unnoticed by most passers-by, is the only specialist photography, fashion and art bookshop in London. To enter, customers have to walk up a narrow stairwell – the walls of which are plastered with contemporary art, and then turn right to find the secret entrance. Once inside you’ll find one of London’s most extensive collections of photo books, self-published books and rare collector editions, displayed beautifully on shelves overlooking the city.

Frequent customer, Mohammed Najah: “Claire De Rouen has the best collection of photography books. It’s relaxing just to have a look at the work of the greats like David Bailey, Anders Petersen and Guy Bourdin, with a record playing in the background.” 

5. Bookmarks

1 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QE, 020-7637 1848

Specialising in left-wing literature, Bookmarks is London’s leading socialist bookshop and has been in business for over 40 years. The shelves are bursting with knowledge, stacked with an impressive selection of books covering subjects like politics, labour history, black struggle, women and culture, in the hope of providing young activists with information to inform their opinions. Dedicated to their cause, the bookshop provides stands in major demonstrations across country and has consequently created a young, politically active community through the power of the written word.

Yelp reviewer, Fiona G: “A wonderful shop for the sheer joy of the music & laughter that accompanies us when we march past this shop (and most demonstrations do, starting at London University) It’s got great books …and an interesting neighbour in the whisky shop next door!”

Edited by Sarah Huntington

The post Top 5 Independent Bookshops in London appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.