An Update from Boydell & Brewer

Hello!

We hope that our readers, authors, contributors and editors are managing to stay safe and well in these very difficult days.

We are glad to report that everyone at Boydell is well. Though some have endured the experience of Covid-19, we are relieved beyond words that they are back to full health.

Being an independent publisher carries risk but also great benefits, one being that we can adapt quickly to changing circumstances. This we did at the end of March when staff from both offices – Martlesham and Rochester – made the sudden switch to home working. Thanks to a lot of careful preparation this has gone extremely well: our publishing schedule, a particularly heavy one this year, has barely skipped a beat and remains steadfastly on track. Our distributors have also remained open throughout, ensuring the continued availability of the Boydell & Brewer list, and we are grateful for their great efforts.

Despite the disruption inflicted on libraries, suppliers, booksellers, and journals we continue to promote the work of our authors and editors as widely as possible. To aid this we are offering free delivery (on any order including at least one hardback) and regularly promoting Books of the Day (40% discount and free postage) on our social media pages.

And we have been heartened and humbled by the response: thank you to everyone who has ordered, recommended or downloaded a book; who has liked, shared, retweeted, or commented online; who has emailed us their support and thanks; and all those many authors and editors who have continued to market their books, contribute blog articles or be interviewed for the Medieval Herald.

You have all helped us keep going. Thank you!

Many of us are now missing the conference experience. The whole summer schedule has gone and who knows when conferences will begin again? We can’t replicate all the best bits – the bumping into friends, making new connections, hearing great talks, the wine receptions – but we can bring you the best new books at special conference prices via our Virtual Booths:

• Kalamazoo ICMS
• Renaissance Studies
• The American Literature Association
• The American Association for the History of Medicine
• The Society for American Music
• The Society for Cinema and Media Studies
• And in the coming weeks look out for similar virtual booths in place of Leeds IMC, the Catholic Theological Society, New Chaucer Society and Social History Society conferences. Major new books, same great discounts, free delivery and no baggage limits!

We know that our readers like their printed books – as do we – but what to do when libraries are closed? Almost all B&B titles are available as ebooks and because they are held by all the leading ebook suppliers they can be quickly ordered by your librarian from their preferred company. And, of course, many titles are also available for individual purchase and download from our website and your favourite online retailer.

What’s next? Many more books! A new Medieval Herald, a new African Griot, more blogs, posts, pictures and tweets – it’s all go. There’s a lot going on but you can join our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss anything

And do follow our blog, Proofed, if you can. We publish lots of fascinating author articles – and even some revealing staff interviews….

We might not be back in our offices any time soon but we are all still here if you need us, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Take good care, stay safe and we will see you again.

Team Boydell

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