Author: Eben J Muse

Dr Eben J. Muse is a Reader in Bookselling at the School of Arts, Culture(s) and Language at Bangor University. He has been Co-Director of Stephen Colclough Centre for the History and Culture of the Book since 2016. He was raised in a bookstore in Massachusetts which he now owns, and he conducts research into the business and culture of bookstores. He is currently editing the Books & Bookselling strand of the Cambridge Elements Series Publishing and Book Culture and co-director of the Bookselling Research Network.

BRN Bookselling Conference 2026: Spaces of Bookselling

“For such a space entails the unexpected. The specifically spatial within time-space is produced by that—sometimes happenstance, sometimes not—arrangement-in-relation-to-each-other that results from the multiplicity of trajectories. In spatial configurations, otherwise unconnected narratives may be brought into contact, or previously connected ones may be wrenched apart. There is always an element of ‘chaos.’ This is the chance of space.”
Storybrand channel on YouTube

StoryBrand, conversations with pioneering booksellers

As a form of qualitative research and learning, StoryBrand, conversations with pioneering booksellers is an hour-long conversation with people who have deep and diverse perspectives on the art and science of bookshop creation. Each vodcast focuses on a different aspect of...

The Cultural and Community Role of Scotland’s Bookshops

The Booksellers Association launched a new research report on ‘The Cultural and Community Role of Scotland’s Bookshops’ on 19th November, to coincide with Scottish Book Trust’s annual Book Week Scotland. The report spotlights the vital and growing role Scottish bookshops play as...

Samantha Rayner’s Bookshop Bulletins

Bookshop Bulletins: Gatherings Substack This year, Samantha has been on sabbatical, visiting some of the UK’s indie bookshops, and gathering information about how they work within their communities, and how they manage their own staff wellbeing. These visits have been recorded...
Shankland Library at Bangor University

CFP: BRN Conference 2026: Spaces of Bookselling

Bangor University | 9–11 September 2026In association with the Stephen Colclough Centre for the History and Culture of the Book “For such a space entails the unexpected. The specifically spatial within time-space is produced by that—sometimes happenstance, sometimes not—arrangement-in-relation-to-each-other that results...