Get In Touch
0116 2519151
01455 822192
hello@rovingbooks.com
@RovingBookshop
3, Kirkby Road
Desford
Leicester
LE9 9GL
Frequently Asked Question!
The Roving Bookshop
The Roving Bookshop creates a real bookshop in your school with around 3000 fiction titles – laid side by side that’s enough to cover the whole floor of a school hall
How is the Bookshop organised?
Fiction is split into categories by age appeal and sequenced within each category by author
- board books, pictures books for younger children, universal appeal pictures books, challenging pictures books and graphic novels for older children
- beginner novels for children ready for simpler chapter books, short novels for children gaining confidence, longer novels for confident readers, challenging novels for books covering topics more appropriate for older readers, and the ‘Classics’
Non-Fiction, a further 2000 titles, is split into categories by subject and topic except for History which is sequenced by time period
- art, craft, cross curricular, English, geography, history, maths, personal and social, all aspects of science, and sport.
Poetry, I-Spy and Puzzle, Educational Posters are independent categories
Can I choose which categories are brought with the standard Bookshop?
We always bring the core fiction books. But we send schools a menu so they can choose any extra categories of non-fiction that they are interested in buying.
Can we have all categories to choose books for our library?
By arrangement, we can supply all the categories for the school to make purchases for classroom or library.
We have also undertaken many supply events of both 3000 and 5000+ titles where children have been involved in selecting books for classrooms and libraries – their participation giving them ‘ownership’ of the books. Feedback has been very positive and we have held a number of repeat events.
Do you supply any publicity to promote the Bookshop?
In advance of our visit we send a leaflet for each child with a free prize draw ticket (the winner getting £7.50 to choose a book from the Roving Bookshop), and ‘bookshop wallets’. These are envelopes that parents can use to send in cash or cheques for children to make purchases, and to receive any change.
We also send posters advertising the event, and a schedule for organising the class visits.
Are there any cheap books in the Bookshop?
Yes. As the standard Bookshop is so big, sometimes there are as many reduced price books in a Roving Bookshop as other pop-up bookshops have in total.
While most of our books are sold at publishers’ prices, when possible we source quality books at lower cost, and there are a significant number of picture books and novels around half price in the Bookshop.
This allows children and parents from economically challenged backgrounds to buy good books at reduced cost.
Do our staff have to run the Bookshop?
No. The Bookshop is fully manned from set-up to take down.
Our staff can advise on book purchases, take payments and provide change.
We provide ‘bookshop wallets’ for each child. These are envelopes that parents can use to send in cash or cheques for children to make purchases, and to receive any change.
Can parents browse the Bookshop?
Yes. The Bookshop is open before school starts and remains open at the end of the school day for parents to browse with their children.
How long is the Bookshop in school?
The bookshop is usually open for a single day, generating such excitement that sales in a day usually exceed those made over a week long bookfair.
We aim to be open by 8.30am for parents and children, then to receive class visits through the day. We remain open after school until all purchasing is completed.
How long does it take to set up the Bookshop?
We usually arrive at 7.30 a.m. to allow an hour to set-up
For small schools, half a day can work very well, usually the afternoon, the Bookshop arriving late morning, and setting up to open through the afternoon and after school.
It is important that every child can experience the Bookshop regardless of their ability to buy the books, as this encourages the relationship with books and reading.
Each class is allocated a time slot to fit with the school timetable – the number of children in the Bookshop and the time each group are allowed to browse/buy can be agreed with the school beforehand.
What space does the Bookshop need?
We usually set up the Bookshop in a hall. If the hall has to be used for dinners we can set up many of the displays around the walls and take down any freestanding displays over lunchtime.
We use the hall for school dinners – can you take the Bookshop down?
Yes. Please let us know beforehand. If the hall has to be used for dinners we can set up many of the displays around the walls and take down any freestanding displays over lunchtime.
Does the school earn a commission on sales?
Yes. We give commission in books as a percentage of the total sales. The percentage earned is on a sliding scale – so the more the pupils and school spend the higher the commission.
Do we have to choose our commission books from your bookshop?
No. You may choose to use your commission on any children’s books (excluding reading schemes) in print in the UK or USA.
Webshop Shipping Fees
Yes – Orders over £15.00 receive free shipping for standard size books. There may be additional charges for items that require special packaging e.g. Posters. Big Books.
What is the “Collect from your school”?
This button allows you to see the end dates and locations for schools currently running the Virtual Bookshop Experience or a Virtual Author Event in conjunction with The Roving Bookshop.
Why does my school not show when I click “Collect from your school”?
The school location is not visible once the closing date is passed. If you have just missed the closing date please contact us and we will try to include your order.
Is the “Collect from your school” free?
Customers buying as part of an event sponsored by their school receive free shipping to their school on all orders regardless of value.
Virtual Bookshop Experience – ViBE
Our school is too small to host a Bookshop – can we use your range with ViBE?
Yes. Any school can run the Virtual Bookshop Experience – ViBE.
We only include titles from our acclaimed Roving Bookshop stock.
Four collections of books from the Bookshop, one for each phase of learning from Early Years to Upper Keystage 2.
Each selection contains 40 or more books, including books with prices reduced to up to half price.
There are order forms for children to take home and then return to the school with their choices and payment. Full details will be on this site soon.
We would like use ViBE but we do not take cash in school – can you help??
Yes. A school can sponsor a ViBE event using leaflets or using the Roving Webshop.
Author Visits
Can you arrange author visits in schools?
Yes. We can organise for authors, illustrators and poets to visit schools on the same day we are there – the school pays the author’s fees and expenses! We supply the author’s books before and at the event.
We have an author booked – can you still support book sales?
Yes. If you have already booked an author visit, ask the author whether they will be bringing their own supply of books for children to buy or whether we can help with book sales.
We don’t have space for the Bookshop – can you help?
Yes. We can still organise for authors, illustrators or poets to visit school and provide the school with the full range of the author’s books to be sold in school.
We invoice the school for all the books sent. After the event there will be some books unsold. If these are returned to us in an ‘as-new’ condition, we credit the school to the full value. The school is then only charged for the books sold.
We do not take cash in school – can you help?
Yes. We can set up a Virtual Author Event on the Roving Webshop and ensure the full range of the author’s books is available to browse and purchase.
We are having a virtual visit – can we still have the Roving Bookshop?
Yes. We can visit your school on the same day bringing the full range of the author’s books
Our author is making a virtual visit – can we still have books signed?
Sometimes. Many authors are willing to sign a free bookplate for books purchased in the Roving Bookshop.
We cannot host the Roving Bookshop– can we still have bookplates signed?
Yes. When this has been agreed with the author, the Webshop allows entry of the name and child’s class (if relevant). We then send the signed bookplates with the books to the school for distribution.
Can we have personalised dedication on the bookplate?
Some authors are also willing to include a dedication when they sign a free bookplate.
When this has been agreed with the author, the Webshop allows a personalised dedication to be entered. We send these to the author for completion, then send the dedication bookplates with the books to the school for distribution.
Please be aware that many authors are very busy and it may be several days after the event before the dedicated bookplates and books arrive at the school for distribution.
Our virtual author event is in multiple locations – can we still have dedications?
Yes, with the author’s agreement, we can send dedicated bookplates with the books to individual addresses via the Webshop. Please contact us to discuss the details.
Webshop Payment Methods
Yes. Your order will be put on hold until the payment has been received into our bank account.
I am buying for my school – can I be invoiced?
Yes, for UK schools only. Please enter a Reference in the Order Notes box to indicate you are authorised to purchase goods on behalf of your school. Your invoice will be sent to your school with your ordered books. All invoices are due for payment within 30 days.
Invoices can be provided for orders over £50.00. Please contact us if you need an invoice for a lower amount.
My card keeps being rejected – can you help??
Most problems occur with the billing address. A few things to check.
- The cardholder name must be entered exactly as it appears on the card. If you are using a school card check you have entered the school or academy name fully.
- Postcose is part of card validation always check you entered the postcode correctly?