Why Publishers Should Look North: Libraries, Community & Reading’s Future

Posted on March 30, 2026 in INTO, North

When I think about the future of reading, my mind goes to my local library, a community hub in rural Lancashire. I think about lively chats over books, tea and biscuits. That library changed how I saw reading, as not just something I did alone, but as a shared activity. 

This is what the UK’s National Year of Reading is about- promoting shared reading to help more people enjoy it. Libraries do this daily, creating safe spaces for people to discover their next obsession. 

More importantly than biscuits, they get readers talking and shape whose voices are heard. This is great for publishers, who often work with Northern libraries to make reading more localised and diverse. 

Not just shelves

In the past, libraries were just seen as places to borrow books. Whilst this is still true, they now serve an additional purpose- as community hubs that connect readers with authors, stories and the industry beyond library shelves.

In England, 30% of adults aged 16 and over used a library at least once in the past year, or about 13 million people, many of whom bring their children to discover new bedtime stories. 

This is how I got into reading. My parents read to me when I was too sleepy to care about the words. And soon, libraries became my safe space. 

But libraries are evolving to fit modern readers. More people are borrowing eBooks and audiobooks, with libraries being at the heart of this. This changes how publishers understand how readers find and connect with books. 

Publisher-Library Partnerships: A Spotlight

Here are three examples of publisher-library partnerships based in the north, that show the value of libraries for publishers.

The North Indie Read Competition (Lancashire Libraries)

In August 2025, Lancashire City Council launched the North Indie Read Competition in partnership with indie publishers from the Northern Fiction Alliance (NFA). This included Comma Press, Dead Ink Books, Fly on the Wall Press, UCLan Publishing, and Bluemoose Books, amongst others. 

Readers submitted reviews of independent Northern books, with publishers giving out prizes in monthly draws. Lancashire Libraries highlighted shortlisted titles and offered free reservations, helping readers connect with presses they wouldn’t have found otherwise. 

This initiative shows how libraries can be places of discovery. Competitions like these give readers a fun way of finding new books and supporting local presses. Independent publishers gain valuable reader feedback, whilst libraries celebrate regional talent and engage with their community. It’s a win-win situation. 

Northern Bookshelf Live (New Writing North)

New Writing North runs Northern Bookshelf Live, an initiative pairing up Northern authors and local libraries for readings, Q&As, book signings and in-library events. In 2025, 25 events took place in Northern public and school libraries, helped out by library resources and organisational guidance.

From a publishing point of view, these events show the importance of authors building connections with readers to increase their visibility. By readers talking to authors in libraries, they find voices they wouldn’t have seen in bookshops. This helps publishers market books through their readers.

Eight Northern authors are taking part in 2026, with books about migration, LGBTQ+ coming of age, British history and crime fiction, showing how live events can promote the diversity of the North.

Academic Publishing Partnership: Trailblazers 

The Trailblazers initiative links Northern academic libraries – including Lancaster, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Salford -with Liverpool University Press to support early-career researchers (ECRs) in publishing their first book.

The programme covers publication costs for Open Access works, runs author bootcamps to help researchers develop publishing skills, and gives peer review support to prepare works for being published. 

Here, libraries are important in promoting and producing academic research. The initiative helps publishers, as early-career researchers get skills they need and academic libraries strengthen research connections. This helps put the North on the map as a vibrant research hub. 

Looking Forward: Northern Libraries, Publishers & Reading’s Future 

Northern libraries are already shaping publishing. They’re linking up with authors and publishers, challenging London-centred narratives and allowing Northern voices to be heard. 

Through these initiatives, libraries uplift underrepresented writers and show publishers how and what communities read. This gives publishers new and meaningful ways to reach people. They show that visibility and impact can be built by direct connection with audiences. 

For me, libraries made me see that reading could be something shared. Seeing myself in characters who didn’t fit in, made me feel understood, not shut out.  

Now, Northern libraries help start conversations, connecting readers, publishers and authors over their love for a good story, with a cup of tea and biscuits to hand. This is key to the National Year of Reading-making reading fun, and connecting with others does that.

Early-career publishers, it’s time to look north. There’s so many diverse, exciting stories waiting to be given a platform, and libraries can be the perfect author launchpad. They are a great tool for discovering audiences, promoting diversity and helping shape the publishing industry’s future through the power of people.

Written by Emilia Roe