High Five for independent bookshops - it's back!

Our popular promotion has returned, with independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland ready to reward their loyal customers with free £5/€5 National Book Tokens.

What is High Five for Bookshops?

High Five for Bookshops is a national e-gift card giveaway that aims to give indie bookshops a very tangible way of rewarding loyal bookshop customers, as well as driving footfall and repeat custom. 

Independent bookshops who sell and redeem National Book Tokens receive a book of 100 vouchers. Each voucher includes a unique code which lets the recipient claim a free £5/€5 e-gift card using a form on the National Book Tokens website. We send their e-gift card (funded entirely by us!) which they can then bring back to spend on more books. These e-gift cards are redeemed in the same way as all our gift cards, and will appear on your monthly statement as normal. The kit also included a poster and some fun stickers to give to younger book lovers.

How should I give away my vouchers?

The £5/€5 e-gift card is intended as a free gift for your customers. It's entirely up to you how you decide to give them away, but here some ideas. You could give vouchers to…

… your most loyal customers

… attendees of your events or members of your book group

… customers signed up to your loyalty scheme

… a hand-selected group of your favourite customers as and when you see them

… customers at random by hiding vouchers inside books

… winners of prizes 

… customers who place orders with you.

The promotion celebrates independent bookshops and the book lovers who shop in them, driving footfall and incremental sales over the summer and beyond.

How can I promote my giveaway?

Depending on how you're giving away your vouchers, you may want to share updates and information instore, on your social channels and/or on your website. We've created shareable banners and printable posters, in English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish, which you can download from Dropbox.

You can also spread the word to local book lovers using National Book Tokens Local, our free and powerful email marketing tool. If you haven't already registered and would like to know more, just get in touch with us at marketing@booktokens.co.uk

For full information, view our Frequently Asked Questions. You can also find out more about making the most of your promotion instore at the BA Learning Skills Hub - just search for 'High Five'. 

If your free High Five POS kit and vouchers haven't arrived, or if you have any questions, get in touch with us at marketing@booktokens.co.uk.

The Jhalak Prize announces its first Bookshop Partners

Celebrating its 10th anniversary year, the Jhalak Prize has reaffirmed its commitment to literary accessibility and working directly with bookshops with the new Bookshop Partners initiative. The first 25 Bookshop Partners were announced in early May 2026, ranging from long-established stores to newly opened spaces and includes four specialist children’s bookshops.

This initiative builds on years of collaboration between the Jhalak Prize and National Book Tokens. This partnership, which began in 2021, seeks to raise awareness and support of the prize among booksellers and the wider bookselling ecosystem during a period of increasing challenge for the industry.
In this time, the number of bookshops receiving Jhalak Prize printed display materials has increased by almost 50%.

Each Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner receives a window sticker for their bookshop to display their commitment to the Prize’s ethos, and will gain access to publicity opportunities, connections to Jhalak Prize authors, leading to events beyond the Prize season that suit individual bookshop calendars.

The Jhalak Prize and National Book Tokens will also facilitate knowledge sharing among booksellers, to support their efforts to create inclusive and welcoming spaces for all. In expanding this work, the Prize and its partners seek to support bookshops as third spaces, highlighting the way they operate as cultural and community hubs where readers gather and ideas are exchanged.

A key development of the initiative is the creation of a shared, accessible network of Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partners, available on the Jhalak Prize website. This directory allows readers to discover and support local bookshops in their own neighbourhoods, as well as explore new literary spaces when travelling the UK and Ireland.

Sarah Dennis from Mostly Books, commented: "10 years in the book trade has shown me the importance of a bookshop as a safe space. I see it time and time again when people come in and appreciate the team's engagement and willingness to know them as people, rather than customers. The high street is dwindling and I firmly believe that shops like Mostly Books are vital 'third spaces', offering people a sanctuary where they know they are 100% welcome."

Jo Wozencroft from Urmston Books and Board Games, commented: "Originally from Singapore and an immigrant myself, I'm passionate about championing books from authors from different backgrounds and making sure that stories from all across the globe are available to be enjoyed and appreciated. I truly believe that storytelling transcends genre, ages and backgrounds, and endeavour to bring that into every area of our work."

Fives Leaves Bookshop said: "There are people who will always read: for whom books have long been a part of their recreational activity as well as formal education. Building a space that feels exciting for them while also being somewhere that can introduce people who haven't read since they were a child and who thought for a long time books simply weren't for them, to the myriad possibilities literature has to offer – that's both a joy and our life's mission."

What is a Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner?

A Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner is a bookshop that shares the values of the Jhalak Prize: to connect writers and readers from all backgrounds, to be inclusive and expansive, to welcome those who may have previously felt un-welcome. To be a Bookshop Partner is to say that your bookshop is a welcoming space, and that you’re committed to making customers from all backgrounds feel like a part of your community.

As a Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner:

• You'll receive a window sticker to signify that your bookshop is a welcoming space for all members of the local community.
• Your bookshop will be included on the list of official partners on the Jhalak Prize site, and benefit from the opportunity to work with the Jhalak Prize team on additional PR and content opportunities for your bookshop.
• You'll be invited to share the ways in which you make your space inclusive and welcoming, to inspire other bookshops and demonstrate to the wider book industry the real impact that bookshops make in their local communities.
• Jhalak Prize and National Book Tokens will amplify the work you're doing on our social media channels and websites, to a wide audience of book lovers, book buyers and people in the book industry.

As we have since 2021, we'll continue to distribute free display materials for longlisted, shortlisted and winning titles to all bookshops that wish to use them, regardless of whether or not you're a Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner.

If you'd like to find out more about becoming a Jhalak Prize Bookshop Partner, please get in touch!