The Wirral bookshop that’s become one of the best indies in the UK attracting top celebrity authors

Owner Sue Porter took a huge leap of faith when she bought Linghams Booksellers in Heswall and saved it from closure a decade ago.

But her own passion for reading and for sharing the experience of books has seen it become one of the best independents in the country, chosen as a finalist for The British Book Awards 2025 Independent Bookshop of the Year.

Now, not only has Linghams managed to survive and thrive in tough times for the high street, it attracts some of the biggest name celebrity authors to Wirral and the wider city region.

It has hosted everyone from Gary Barlow and Davina McCall to motor racing legend Damon Hill and most recently Everton hero Duncan Ferguson, who packed out St George’s Hall for the launch of his autobiography.

Later this month, Gavin and Stacey actress and author Ruth Jones will be coming for two in conversation events, at Heswall Hall and Chester Storyhouse, and Sue will be interviewing Dame Jacqueline Wilson for a family event at Heswall Hall.

Linghams has gone from holding in-store signings for around 70 or 80 customers to sell-out evenings of over 1,000 thanks to collaborations with neighbouring venues including hotels, churches and schools.

Sue explained:

“Our unique selling point is that we do events and we have signed copies, that is what makes us stand out from the supermarkets and from Amazon,”

“I have meetings every year with all the publishers, see who’s coming out and pitch for an author. Alongside the other venues locally I’ve got a lovely collection of schools I take authors into, and we do a lot online too.

“When you’re an independent business like ours you’ve just got to go for it and a lot of that is to do with enthusiasm and getting behind books. I get sent proofs very early for children and adults, they might not be massive names, but I love a debut because you can watch their journey.”

Wirral-born Sue had no previous retail experience when she spotted that Linghams had been put on the market in 2015.

Then living and working in the Isle of Wight, she decided to move home and change career after encouragement from friends and plenty of research.

“We visited lots of bookshops in the North West and everybody said, ‘you’ve got to do this. It’s a lifestyle business, you’re never going to be a millionaire, but if you’re passionate about reading and about children reading, which is a massive thing for me, it’s something you need to do.’

“Since then we’ve just grown it organically, me and the team, and it’s become something much bigger than we imagined. It’s been an incredible 10 years.”

Sue has a busy schedule of events planned for 2025 and she’s eagerly awaiting the next key dates in the publishing calendar.

“I’m already working on autumn which is exciting,” she says. “The next big publishing date is the beginning of September and then the first Thursday in October is known as super Thursday, when about 9000 titles come onto the market – that’s the Christmas hit.”

In addition to the celebrity events, Sue says it’s the personal connection which Linghams offers that sets it apart and contributes strongly to its success.

“A lot of customers come in for events who’ve never been in before or they’ve come on their own and we let them know they’re a part of our tribe now.

“We have a lovely book club in the daytime and once a month coffee and cake with an author, again in the day, because it’s all about the experience. We’re not just a bookshop, we’re so much more.

“We also have a subscription service now for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months where we’ll choose a book for you from your wish list, so if you tell us what you’ve read you get a book picked by one of my booksellers each month. That’s gone from strength to strength.

“One of my favourite things is when I’m on the shop floor and someone will say ‘I’ve just read this’ and I’ll be able to say ‘right, you need to read this’ and I can actually put it in their hands.

“It’s not an algorithm, it’s from a booksellers’ point of view. We can put a physical book in your hand and it’s something that we’ve enjoyed or we know you’ll enjoy as a customer and I love that.”

Find out more about Linghams here.

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