Meryl Halls
Meryl Halls is Managing Director of the Booksellers Association (BA) – the trade body of the UK and Ireland, founded to promote retail bookselling – where she has been MD since April 2018, having worked her way up from a conference assistant position.
‘When I came to London all those years ago I thought I wanted to work in publishing and this was a great stepping stone, but I quickly realised that at the BA I had such a wide perspective on the whole industry.’
This wide perspective was important to Meryl, and as the role continued to change and develop, the BA remained a nourishing and stimulating employer. She defines the great joy of her career as all the time she has been privileged to spend with booksellers: ‘The people running their businesses who are so creative and admirable because they’ve taken a huge risk to start that business.’ In her role as Managing Director, Meryl represents high street booksellers on a national level, lobbying government and championing booksellers within the publishing industry.
'When I took on the role I felt like there was a weight on me – a good weight – that was separate from the job I had to do.'
You are one of four executive directors at the Booksellers Association, and the only woman. Is this something you have felt aware of?
We work in an interesting industry because it’s so female heavy and yet on top it’s still male dominated. When I took on the role I felt like there was a weight on me – a good weight – that was separate from the job I had to do. I wanted to be effective for myself and my company, but suddenly I also felt that I could potentially be a role model, and realised that how I performed could make a difference to a wider group.
I’m conscious that I’m at a certain point in my life where I was able to take on this job. It would have been a different decision ten years ago when my children were still at school, but now they’re 20 and 23 and (mainly!) self-sufficient, so I can work more. This can be a huge issue for women in the middle of their careers. I had two maternity leaves, with six months off for each of them, and came back. Those years are tough but it made me so much more focused. If you’re working part-time because you’ve got kids at home, you have zero tolerance for long, flabby meetings. I just didn’t want nonsense. I had no time for it. I think it makes you far more effective. If you’ve got all the time in the world, you will fill it, but actually when you’ve got to get home to be at the school gate for three o’clock, my god it focuses your mind.
'The tendency is for working mothers to overcompensate.'
Do you have any advice for working mothers who are walking that path of the elusive work–life balance?
You’ve got to be honest about what you need from your employer, but I appreciate that isn’t always easy. If children are sick, that can be very problematic. You have to build up your employer’s trust in you. However, I’d say the tendency is for working mothers to overcompensate. We work really hard, we prove that we’re delivering more whilst working flexibly – and that there’s no diminution in our commitment. It seems unfair that you should ever need to do that, but I think it’s human nature. Be honest and transparent at work about what you need, and, if you’re able, negotiate so that the balance is better. I was very fortunate to be able to do that, because although those were tough years, I wouldn’t have missed that time for the world.
It can be hard for small businesses – small publishers and independent booksellers – to support their staff in that way. There’s a greater need for your presence, on the shop floor for example. Having said that, a lot of booksellers have chosen to run their own business because it’s a more flexible lifestyle that allows them more latitude.
'I think we all have imposter syndrome. We all think we are less than we are.'
What advice would you give to women who are coming up through the industry?
It’s about confidence, being heard and speaking up. Try not to be silenced in meetings – when people are talking over each other, women are very often the ones to stop talking. Be considered about what you think and then confident and calm in the way you express it. Also avoid using apologetic tones or diminutive language – edit yourself when you’re about to use ‘only’ or ‘just’ in a request. Don’t say ‘I’m sorry to ask ...’ Self-correct and use strong language; men tend not to self-abnegate, as we know! So let’s not either.
Women can also spend a lot of time worrying about the stuff they aren’t good at rather than focusing on what they are good at. I think we all have imposter syndrome. We all think we are less than we are. I would advocate being a steady, consistent, strong voice who’s kind and supportive. Those qualities, which are sometimes undervalued, are actually how you build a team.
I would also say mentorship is important, and you can gain confidence from what other women are doing. Be brave and ask someone to be your mentor – the worst that can happen is that they say no. Even if you only learn two things, it could change your direction and give you confidence.
'I think publishers, in love with digital, took their eye off the high street.'
Are publishers doing a good job of working with bookshops?
In the last 15 years there have been a great number of turning points and I think publishers are generally getting much better. There was a digital pendulum swing when everybody went hysterical about ebooks. Bookshops were closing and I think publishers, in love with digital, took their eye off the high street.
When we started Books Are My Bag in 2013, that was the beginning of a shift back. Consumers started behaving differently: they wanted real conversations with real people about real books. We can’t take all the credit but we did a lot of campaigning to consumers, which we hadn’t really done before, and luckily at the same time a lot of really brilliant booksellers were establishing themselves on the scene. The publishing community realised the high street was still there and still delivering the reading experience to consumers. I think they realised we all have to keep fighting for it. Macmillan are particularly effective at connecting to the independents but there are lots of publishers doing some really brilliant stuff, and increasingly taking the initiative to work with us on campaigns.
'The default to Amazon is really hurtful to bookshops.'
Is there anything publishers need to get better at in particular?
We get frustrated when publishers and authors only link to Amazon online. I think it’s a default or a lack of thought, but you could suggest a local independent bookshop, Waterstones, Blackwells or Foyles instead. Hive is a good option for online sales, but also: don’t forget the high street. The default to Amazon is really hurtful to bookshops. Particularly – and this is unforgivable – if a bookshop is doing an event with an author but the publisher uses an Amazon link when promoting it. Pre-orders is a big topic at the moment, and more publishers thinking about how to help bookshops delight their customers – with pre-orders or extra content or value-added elements to the books – is always good. And, of course, any amplification publishers give to bookshops in the public realm is great. Pulling together is the key.
'There are legions of authors who have been broken out by word-of-mouth support, because booksellers talk to each other.'
How would someone go about starting to work with bookshops more?
Emma Bradshaw is our Head of Campaigns and she’s the main person to approach at the BA. Publishers can use our campaigns (Independent Book Shop Week, Books Are My Bag, Bookshop Day, Academic Book Week) to reach readers and support bookshops. It’s ideal when a publisher comes up with their own idea that fits in with one of our big campaigns, like an author tour during IBW. Independents in particular are very appreciative of authors going to stores. Events are hugely significant to so many bookshops, large and small, because they are a reason for readers to come into stores.
I would urge all publishers to consider bookshop promotions, as a visible means of supporting the high street and making a statement, but also as a practical way to help build authors and increase sales. Bookshops are very often in at the start of debuts. You’ll see that with Tara Westover, Jessie Burton, Joanna Cannon; there are legions of authors who have been broken out by that word-of-mouth support, because booksellers talk to each other.
'Bookshops can help counter social evils like loneliness, they can create the readers of the future.'
Lobbying government on behalf of booksellers is a part of your role at the BA. How do you put a value on what bookshops offer?
Our message to government is about retail diversity, the health of the high street and the growing burden on retail. We need the government to understand that the health of the high street is not just about shops; it’s about community and connectedness and social and cultural capital. They need to level the playing field on high streets, and between high street and online retailers; there are some egregious inequities that need to be addressed. Our argument is partly that bookshops are special. They’re delivering literacy and community, not just transactions. They trade in concepts and ideas that matter to society. They are ‘the third place’, somewhere that’s not work and not home, where you can go to feel safe and experience community. Bookshops are classic third places because they’re nourishing. They can help counter social evils like loneliness, they can create the readers of the future. Bookshop events are cultural as well as social, and bookshops also provide an ethical, value-rich shopping experience: that’s increasingly important to younger consumers who are searching for meaning and who choose not to shop at multinationals, but want to shop locally and sustainably. We have been talking about this for years, but it’s very much more acute now than it has ever been.
There’s also the question of how many jobs are dependent on bookshops. We commissioned a report in 2017 about the impact of bookselling on the economy. We found that we’ve got about 22,500 bookselling jobs in this country, and for every 10 bookselling jobs there are 9 publishing jobs that are connected and interdependent to some extent. The ripple effect of bookselling is enormous.
Could you tell us about another woman working in the industry who inspires you?
So many, too many to mention them all, but I’ll champion two who inspire me always: Maria Dickenson, who is MD of Dubray Books in Ireland, and Cathy Rentzenbrink, author and former bookseller. Both are capable, clever, kind, funny and endlessly supportive – and love to talk!
