It’s so important to support indie bookshops

I was at Diss Publishing Bookshop last night, interviewed by Tim Holt-Wilson about my latest book, Down to Earth . Tim and I share a fascination in East Anglia's rural past, and so the conversation was lively and the audience engaged. It was a lovely evening.

But I was a little disappointed by the size of the audience, until I realised that every single one of them had ordered a copy of my book with their ticket. Better still, one or two had already read the book and so asked some probing questions about some of the people I'd interviewed. This was so much better than some places I've been, where you have a large audience, but few who actually buy a book on the night.

Independent book shops have a tough time, and right now are lobbying Government to include them in the business tax relief planned for pubs and live music venues. As last night proved, an indie bookshop is as important a community space as any public house or performance space. I'm always happy to go along to show my support, and help them sell more books.