James Cropper Wainwright Prize Sustainability Symposium

The James Cropper Wainwright Prize is unveiling its shortlist on 28 July at Foyles Bookshop in central London, alongside a symposium to discuss issues around sustainability in publishing.

The prize, sponsored by James Cropper paper manufacturers, was set up to showcase the growing genre of nature writing in publishing and to celebrate and encourage exploration of the outdoors to all readers. It now has a third category, for children’s writing. Many titles championed by the prize have a strong environmental element, leading the sponsor to partner with BookBrunch and the authors on the shortlists to hold a short debate on the topic of sustainability in the book world ahead of the shortlist announcement.

Panellists for the event include Piers Torday, author and chair of the Society of Authors’ Sustainability Working Group; Amber Harrison from FOLDE Dorset, a new venture that is part nature-writing bookshop, part gallery with a strong environmental message; and Mark Cropper, chairman of sponsors James Cropper. The event will be chaired by Jo Henry of BookBrunch.

The event will provide a platform for all parts of the supply chain, from author to bookseller, to discuss the challenges, opportunities and ways in which the industry can build a more sustainable and resilient future. Participants will look not just at what’s already in hand but aim to come up with practical suggestions on how everyone can work to improve sustainability in the book industry.