Mar 24, 2020
Following the introduction of more stringent measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus, the Books Council’s offices at Castell Brychan and our Distribution Centre in Aberystwyth are now closed at least until mid April.
Following the introduction of more stringent measures to try to slow the spread of coronavirus, the Books Council’s offices at Castell Brychan and our Distribution Centre in Aberystwyth are now closed at least until mid April.
A number of our staff are working from home as we continue to do all that we can to support the publishing industry in exceptional circumstances and ensure we come through these difficult times.
We are therefore able to continue to offer the following services:
• Strategic and operational leadership, which includes assessing the current needs of the wider books sector with Welsh Government.
• Financial advice and planning (mererid.boswell@books.wales)
• Processing of regular payments to the industry including publishing grants, support for editorial staff, support for writers and other freelance workers (arwel.jones@books.wales)
• Book editing services (huw.meirionedwards@books.wales)
• Design services (sion.ilar@books.wales)
• Promotion of books and reading for pleasure on digital and other platforms (mari.sion@books.wales).
You can contact staff in the above posts either through their work email addresses or via post@books.wales. Booksellers should contact their usual sales representatives.
Distribution Centre
The temporary closure of the Distribution Centre is of course a blow to our operations as an institution and for the sector in Wales and beyond. However, the health and wellbeing of our communities is a priority at the moment, and we need to pull together to support the efforts to halt the spread of the virus.
Our Distribution Centre will not be able to accept or deliver stock during this period so we are asking our publishers to postpone sending books, magazines and other resources until we re-open.
The Centre’s management team are available to answer any questions our customers may have and the best email address for queries is post@books.wales.
Tir na n-Og Awards
We will be pressing ahead with our plans to publish the shortlists for the 2020 Tir na n-Og children’s literature awards by issuing a news release on our website and through the media this Friday 27 March. Our intention is to announce the names of the winners in May but we have not yet set new dates, following the cancellation of the CILIP Cymru Annual conference and the Urdd National Eisteddfod where the ceremonies were due to be held.
Our industry, like others across the country, is facing truly unprecedented challenges and it is impossible to predict the scale and scope of the impact at this time. However, our central role and contribution to the culture, education and Welsh-language remain undiminished. For now, our focus must be on protecting our people and supporting our communities.
Keep safe. Be kind. And stay home to save lives.
HELGARD KRAUSE
Chief Executive
Mar 18, 2020
The Books Council of Wales is monitoring developments closely and implementing a series of special measures in response to the latest situation and guidelines.
The Books Council of Wales is monitoring developments closely and implementing a series of special measures in response to the latest situation and guidelines.
The aim is to take appropriate steps to ensure our core mission of supporting the publishing industry continues, while doing all that is practically possible to help reduce the potential spread of the virus and safeguard our staff and stakeholders.
• Our Distribution Centre for books and resources in Glanyrafon, Aberystwyth, is still operating but is closed to external visitors, with the exception of pre-arranged essential collections and deliveries to a designated area. If you need to make any such arrangement, please contact the Centre on 01970 624455 or distribution.centre@books.wales.
• From Wednesday 18 March 2020, the majority of staff based in our main offices at Castell Brychan in Aberystwyth are working from home. They continue to provide our usual services such as book editing, design and grant administration, and their work contact details remain the same (both telephone and email).
• Castell Brychan is closed to visitors during this period. Staff will not be travelling to face-to-face meetings with external contacts and will use video or phone systems for such meetings. Our contact details for general enquiries are 01970 624151 or castellbrychan@books.wales.
• We have cancelled or postponed all public events until the end of May, including book launches and school visits. We will re-assess the situation in the light of circumstances at the time but in the meantime, we are planning and discussing alternative arrangements for the promotion of books and reading.
• We are in regular contact with publishers, booksellers, distributors and others to ensure that we fully understand the challenges they face and work with them to offer advice and practical support. We encourage the industry in Wales to get in touch with us to discuss any business concerns they may have.
• For those who are self-isolating and looking for reading material, we have a series of reading lists on our gwales.com website. These curated lists include publications suitable for all ages and interests, as well as our latest best sellers, new titles, books of the month, reviews and more.
We know this is an extremely challenging period for everyone and that the situation is likely to continue for some time to come.
Our mission as the Books Council of Wales remains unchanged, and we will do all that we can to support the publishing industry and our community during these worrying, uncertain days.
HELGARD KRAUSE
Chief Executive, Books Council of Wales
Mar 5, 2020
Welsh Government has announced additional capital funding for the Books Council of Wales to invest in information technology systems which will support the growth of the publishing industry in Wales.
Welsh Government has announced additional capital funding for the Books Council of Wales to invest in information technology systems which will support the growth of the publishing industry in Wales.
The additional £750,000 has been secured from the 2020-21 budget and will allow the Books Council of Wales to introduce a new integrated IT system to manage the sale, supply and distribution of books, which will also support the work of Wales’ publishers.
In a further boost to the publishing industry, the Books Council of Wales will receive additional capital funding of £145,000 during the current financial year. Publishing has been identified as a sector for growth following the launch of Creative Wales in January. A healthy publishing industry is an essential part of Wales’ cultural identity and Creative Wales’ support of the Books Council of Wales, will help support essential services for the publishing industry in both the Welsh and the English languages.
Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “On World Book Day when we celebrate stories and the love of reading, I’m delighted that we are able to support the Books Council of Wales to invest in this vital sector of the Welsh economy. This will be a significant boost to the Books Council of Wales but also the whole publishing industry in Wales. Supporting a successful, bilingual publishing industry in Wales not only makes a contribution to our wider economic growth strategy for the creative industries in Wales, it also supports numerous micro business initiatives mainly based in rural Wales that contribute to their local economies.”
The Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, Helgard Krause said: “We are very grateful to the Welsh Government for supporting our exciting plans to upgrade our IT systems, ensuring we continue to compete with the publishing industry across the UK and beyond. Our distribution centre provides an excellent service to publishers and booksellers and will be able to offer an even better service following this system upgrade. By investing now in a series of transformational improvements, we will help publishing and bookselling businesses to grow thereby supporting the growth of Wales’ foundational economy and the creative industries, as well as promoting reading.”
Feb 25, 2020
Book lovers across Wales will join together to celebrate World Book Day, which takes place this year on 5 March 2020.
Book lovers across Wales will join together to celebrate World Book Day, which takes place this year on 5 March 2020.
The Books Council of Wales is inviting schools, bookshops, colleges, libraries, businesses and households to join the largest annual celebration of books and reading in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by taking part in activities and events across Wales and by simply sharing in the pleasure of reading.
To mark World Book Day 2020, the Books Council of Wales has announced the publication of two special edition books for children in Welsh, available to buy for just £1, or children can redeem their £1 World Book Day book token in exchange for one of the books. These titles will also be available in accessible braille, large print and audio versions, thanks to the support of the RNIB.
Darllen gyda Cyw, written by Anni Llŷn and published by Y Lolfa, follows the tales of popular S4C favourites Cyw and her friends and is aimed at younger Welsh readers, and families learning Welsh with young children.
Stori Cymru – Iaith a Gwaith, written by the Archdruid of Wales Myrddin ap Dafydd and published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, tells the history of Wales and the work of its people through story, image and song.
Storytelling and sharing stories is also an important theme for World Book Day in 2020 with a UK-wide campaign to launch a ‘reading revolution’ by sharing a million stories. Anyone can participate in the campaign: families, schools, bookshops and libraries, nurseries, etc. Once registered at worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories participants are able to find out everything they need to know, including guidelines, FAQs, story-sharing tips and information on what counts as a story share.
As part of the celebrations, the Books Council of Wales has launched a special Top Trumps-style game for children across Wales, featuring characters from Welsh books old and new. The battle cards, which feature some Welsh favourites such as Sam Tân and Siôn Blewyn Coch, will bring a smile of nostalgia to the faces of parents too.
The Council will also mark World Book Day with two special events for children at Theatr Felinfach in Ceredigion on 4 March and the Riverfront Theatre in Newport on 5 March.
School children from across the region will be invited to attend Theatr Felinfach to share a story with Welsh authors and illustrators, including Myrddin ap Dafydd, Casia Wiliam, Aneirin Karadog, Huw Aaron and Elidir Jones.
On World Book Day itself, children will attend the Riverfront Theatre for a further story-sharing event with BBC Wales presenter and children’s author Lucy Owen, storyteller and author Atinuke, Mark Llewelyn Evans, author of ABC of Opera, and Rhondda writer and illustrator Siôn Tomos Owen.
And at a special event in Llandudno on Thursday 5 March 2020, a panel of six experts will discuss the benefits of ‘bibliotherapy’ where self-help books are used to support mental health and wellbeing.
www.cllc.org.uk/newyddion-news/news-detail?diablo.lang=eng&id=13336
The World Book Day campaign in Wales is coordinated by the Books Council of Wales and supported by the Welsh Government and Waterstones. Every year, with a host of publishers and booksellers, World Book Day curates a list of bespoke £1 books for children and young people across the UK and Ireland. World Book Day’s mission is to encourage children and young people to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
As well as distributing the tokens to nurseries and schools, from Wednesday 5 February to Tuesday 17 March, the £1 World Book Day token will also feature on every single McDonald’s Happy Meal™ box across the UK and Ireland. Children and families can swap it for one of a wide range of World Book Day free books, including the Welsh-language books, or get £1 off a book or audiobook costing £2.99 or more, at their local participating bookshop or supermarket between 27 February and 29 March.
Feb 19, 2020
How can books benefit our mental health? That’s the topic for debate at this year’s annual World Book Day event organised by the Books Council of Wales.
At Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Thursday 5 March 2020, a panel of six experts will discuss the benefits of ‘bibliotherapy’ where self-help books are used to support mental health and wellbeing.
A wide range of books is available as part of the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme, which provides helpful reading to support health and wellbeing on a variety of topics including mental health and dementia.
The scheme is delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with public libraries across Wales and England, with the Books Council of Wales ensuring that a selection of the books is available in the Welsh language as well as in English.
The Reading Well Books on Prescription for mental health scheme provides useful information and support for managing common mental health conditions or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences.
Some of the books also include personal stories from people who live with or care for someone with mental health needs.
Book reviewer and editor Bethan Mair will chair the discussion panel for World Book Day. “Books are my world,” said Bethan “but my life has also been blighted by periods of depression and anxiety. It isn’t always easy to talk about these things, even more so when you’re used to wearing a ‘nothing-wrong-here’ mask in public. But knowing you’re not alone, and that other sufferers have come through the experience, can be a huge comfort.
“Self-healing is an important element in all mental health treatments,” she added “yet we must have a helping hand to heal – and a book can always be at hand. The Reading Well Books on Prescription come in all shapes and sizes, for all kinds of situations, and this pioneering provision in Welsh can only be a force for good. I’m looking forward very much to chairing a lively, informative and revealing discussion on an issue which touches so many lives.”
Other panel members include:
• Manon Elin James – a founding member of the meddwl.org website which provides support and information on mental health disorders through the medium of Welsh.
• Bethan Hughes – Principal Librarian at Denbighshire Libraries who leads on the well-being agenda and the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme across Wales.
• Sharon Marie Jones – a children’s author who has written extensively about her grief and mental health following the death of her five-year-old son in a car accident in 2016.
• Dr Harri Pritchard – an experienced GP and a regular contributor to the media on medical issues.
• Angharad Tomos – an award-winning writer who has written about her severe postnatal depression.
Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, Helgard Krause, said: “World Book Day is an opportunity to celebrate the written word and to reflect on how reading can be good for us on so many levels. At a time of increasing debate around mental health problems, we are proud to be working with The Reading Agency and Welsh Government to promote the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme in Wales. All of the self-help books in this scheme have been endorsed by health experts and it is vitally important to ensure that this high-quality material is also available in Welsh.”
Debbie Hicks MBE, Creative Director at The Reading Agency, said: “One in four of us will face a mental health issue at some point in our lives. This World Book Day, we are delighted to be showcasing the proven power of reading to help people understand and manage their mental health and wellbeing. We are proud to work with the Books Council of Wales and public libraries to deliver Reading Well Books on Prescription in Wales, enabling the scheme to reach even more people in Welsh and English.”
The World Book Day event will open with a reception at 6pm at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Thursday 5 March 2020, followed by the discussion at 6.30pm.
Admission is free and all are welcome. To reserve a place, please email menai.williams@books.wales.
All titles in the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme are available to borrow from public libraries throughout Wales. They can also be recommended by health and social care professionals to support treatment.
Feb 12, 2020
Representatives from 12 book publishing companies across Wales attended a special training session at Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth, in February 2020 on international metadata standards for the book sector.
Representatives from 12 book publishing companies across Wales attended a special training session at Castell Brychan, Aberystwyth, in February 2020 on international metadata standards for the book sector.
The event was organised by the Books Council of Wales as part of its annual programme of training for the publishing sector.
The training was provided by EDItEUR, the organisation which specialises in book metadata, identifiers and e-commerce standards – particularly ONIX, the internationally recognised standard for sharing metadata for books, e-books and audiobooks.
Head of Business and Finance at the Books Council of Wales, Mererid Boswell, said: “Technological advances are developing very quickly in the publishing industry as in other areas, and it is vitally important that publishers are familiar with the latest systems. By using ONIX to its full potential, it is possible to ensure that books are discovered easily and efficiently – thereby increasing sales. This is particularly relevant for smaller publishers or titles in minority languages such as Welsh.”
Garmon Gruffudd, Chair of Cwlwm Cyhoeddwyr Cymru which represents Welsh-medium publishers, said: “It’s good to see that the Books Council is investing in training for publishers, particularly in international fields such as ONIX and the importance of metadata in terms of identifying, discovering and selling books.”
The training session also introduced participants to Thema, the new global book subject classification for the trade, and ISNI, the international standard name identifier.
Jan 29, 2020
The Books Council of Wales and Literature Wales are proud to announce the names of the successful writers chosen to take part in our debut Welsh-language Writing for Young Adults course, tutored by Bethan Gwanas and Manon Steffan Ros in February 2020.
The Books Council of Wales and Literature Wales are proud to announce the names of the successful writers chosen to take part in our debut Welsh-language Writing for Young Adults course, tutored by Bethan Gwanas and Manon Steffan Ros in February 2020.
This course will offer guidance in the craft of writing for young adults and will hopefully encourage more writers to venture into this area, leading to the creation of brand new, original Welsh-language books in the future. This week will include practical workshops, a study of the field of writing for young adults in Wales and internationally, and readings from visiting writers.
27 strong applications were submitted, and choosing the final participants wasn’t easy for the panel. The group is a mix of emerging writers looking to write for young adults for the first time, and some who already has some experience.
The writers are, Llio Maddocks, Megan Angharad Hunter, Mared Llywelyn, Ceinwen Jones, Helen Llewelyn, Rhys Thomas, Lowri Taylor, Lleucu Non, Morgan Dafydd, Catrin Lliar Jones and Gareth Evans-Jones.
Writers’ Development in Wales is one of the three Activity Pillar in Literature Wales’ work. The course is a part of their main priorities of Developing Emerging Writers, as stated in their Strategic Plan for 2019–2022.
In the same way, filling the gap in provision for young adults and developing the field is one of the Books Council of Wales’ Welsh priorities following a review of the field by Dr Siwan Rosser of Cardiff University. This course, which is held at Tŷ Newydd with the financial backing of the Books Council, is therefore extremely timely.
Jan 23, 2020
Please note that staff at the Distribution Centre will be undertaking their annual stocktake from Monday 27th of January until Wednesday the 29th of January, during which time orders will not be processed.
Jan 22, 2020
A special invitation to be part of the Tir na n-Og Reader’s Choice Award.
Dear Readers,
We at Books Council of Wales HQ are busy getting ready for next year’s Tir na n-Og Children’s Book Awards and are very excited to be able to offer you the opportunity to be a very important part of the action.
Our judging panel have been super busy over the Christmas holidays reading all the books submitted for consideration.
The shortlisted titles will be announced on 27 March, just before the Easter break, along with a resource for any readers that would like to act as unofficial judges (some call it a Shadowing Scheme). It includes details on all the books and authors that have made it on the shortlist as well as suggestions for activities linked to the books.
The judging panel is made up of individuals that have expertise in the field of children’s literature and, although they are all lovely and clever, they are all adults. This is where you come in. We want to hear what you, the readers, think of them.
This is the plan.
We will send you a set of the shortlisted titles before the Easter break (27 March) so that you have time to either read them together as a group or pass them around to read individually. You then discuss the books and decide which one you think should win the Tir na n-Og Reader’s Choice Award.
Your votes would be added to those of all the other Reader’s Choice Shadowing Groups and the winner announced at the Awards Ceremonies, held at Bangor University on May 13, 2020 ( for the best English-language title with an authentic Welsh background) and at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Denbighshire on May 28 2020 ( for the best original Welsh-language titles in the primary and secondary categories).
As part of the Reader’s Choice Shadowing Scheme you would be invited to this prestigious ceremony and there you will have the opportunity to meet the shortlisted authors in the flesh. We would be thrilled if you were to be part of this year’s Awards.
Please let us know (name of school/group, category that you would like to shadow: English-language, original Welsh primary/original Welsh secondary, number of readers and contact details) by 14 February at the latest so that we can make sure that you receive the books.
WE WILL BE DISTRIBUTING THE FREE SETS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS – SO BE QUICK! (You can still take part in the shadowing but will have to fund your own books.)
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Keep reading,
Helen Jones
Head of Children’s Books and Reading Promotion
Jan 16, 2020
The Friends of the Book Council of Wales our holding a competition to find new ideas for Welsh-language novels for young adults, and are offering a generous prize.
Authors are asked to send the first few chapters of a Welsh-language novel for young adults, together with a synopsis of the remainder of the novel by 20 February 2020.
The competition will be adjudicated by the author Meinir Pierce Jones, the composer and former librarian Robat Arwyn Jones, and Gwawr Maelor, a lecturer in Welsh-language education at Bangor University, in consultation with young readers.
The winner will receive £1000, awarded by the Friends of the Books Council of Wales, with the hope that the winning novel will be published within a year.
The competition is open to all, both new and established authors.
Competition requirements
Write the first few chapters of a Welsh-language novel for young adults, and provide a synopsis of the remainder of the novel.
The adjudicators are Meinir Pierce Jones, Robart Arwyn Jones, Gwawr Maelor. The adjudicators will also consult young readers for their opinion.
Prize
£1,000, with the hope that the winning novel will be published within a year.
The adjudicators will share their feedback with publishers in Wales, in the hope that the best entries will be commissioned.
Closing date for submissions
The first few chapters and the synopsis should be sent under a pseudonym to cyfeillion@llyfrau.cymru by 20 February 2020. Electronic submissions only.
Announcing the winner
The name of the winner will be announced at the 2020 Urdd Eisteddfod at Denbigh, with hope that the winning novel will be published within a year. For further information, contact: cyfeillion@llyfrau.cymru
