The Book Shelf

On Saturday night, I went to the inaugural We Are Creative Awards…   And my partner Niall won Graphic Designer of the Year! 🥳   He unfortunately couldn’t be there, but I was so pleased to accept the award on his behalf.   I can also say (and not just because we won!) that it was the best award ceremony I’ve been to by far. A huge thank you to Anita Chumber and Ifraz Ahmed for putting on such a fantastic night!   First, the entertainment was outstanding! It started with Hit the Dhol, a brilliant Indian drum band who really bought the energy to the room. Then there was inspiring spoken word poetry, followed by the amazing Adedoyin Oseni on the saxophone. Youth dance group Eloquent Dance were so inspiring to watch, and PJ Ellis was on the mic, hosting the evening with passion!   Our table was full of really wonderful people and we loved meeting Propel Dance CIC who very deservedly won their award as the UK's first all-wheelchair dance company. I remember seeing them perform at the Commonwealth Games and thinking how amazing they were! 👩🦽 We were the last table still on the dancefloor at the end of the night, kudos to the DJ.    Really importantly, we often get forgotten in the creative industries, so it was lovely to be recognised and be part of a room packed full of creatives, from filmmakers to musicians, dancers to artists, makers to designers, architects to editors.   As author Edward de Bono said, “Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”   Finally, on a personal note, I was so proud of Niall. This is the second design award he’s won this year, and it’s really a testament to his skills as a designer and the personal touch. I’ve seen two authors cry upon seeing the very special book cover that he created for them, bringing their dreams to life. 💞 Congratulations to all of the winners and those nominated. We are creatives! #waca25 #wearecreative #creativeawards #bookdesign #publishingcompany Photo credit: Edwin Ladd

Congratulations Ameesha G. of The Book Shelf you have been nominated for the ‘Innovator Award’ at this year’s #WITAwards25 Goodluck! Celebrating on 08.09.25 Do you know someone that deserve to be recognised for their work in the tech sector? Gets your nominations in now - https://lnkd.in/g4tnF-t Nominate close 20.07.25 #techherfuture #womenintech #WITAwards25

Guess where I was this week? If the famous door doesn’t give it away… Downing Street! I was honoured to be invited to No.11 Downing Street by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rachel Reeves and Small Business Britain. As one of the UK’s almost 5.5 million small businesses, we were invited to celebrate the huge contributions of small and micro business to the UK's economy and culture. In 2024, we were awarded one of SmallBiz100, recognising the UK’s top 100 small businesses. Last month, we were finalists in the Small Awards, which recognises small businesses that go the extra mile and are ethical and values-driven. 💙 This week, it was lovely to celebrate at Downing Street with fellow awards finalists Tina Chen, Sophie G., Thomas Day, Rachel Cabble, Rose Hill, and George Phillips, who all have amazing businesses! As a self-confessed cat person, I fangirled meeting Larry the cat, who I can report is very lovely and also very tolerant of entrepreneurs wanting selfies with him. 🐈 Overall, it was a really special day, and a big thank you to everyone involved! #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #TheSmallAwards #ShopSmall #SmallBusinessCommunity #FemaleFounder #WomenInBusiness

Exciting news! The University of Birmingham has set up its first Creative Industries Advisory Board, comprising alumni from across the creative sectors and academics from our College of Arts and Law. The Board draws together industry leaders and academics to help inform our programme portfolio and its development, our research, and our wider engagement with the creative sector. The alumni board members are Adam Driscoll (CEO, ATC Group PLC), Hannah Witton (freelance content creator, consultant and coach), Mark Bell (Commissioning Editor, BBC), Ameesha G. (Founder and CEO, The Book Shelf), John Sewell (Founder and CEO, Cosimo Art) and Gareth Neame OBE (CEO, Carnival Film & Television Limited, and Honorary Professor in the Creative Industries at Birmingham). Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eix_rviY #arts #culture #creativity #heritage #culturalsector #creativesector #culturalindustries #creativeindustries #university #universityofbirmingham #birmingham #birminghamuk #westmidlands #humanities #creativestudies #students #alumni #birminghamalumni #advisoryboard #board #boardmembers #graduates #studying #study #education #creativeeducation #artseducation #music #drama #theatre #film #digitalmedia #literature #music #performingarts #creativearts #creativewriting #linguistics #communication #media Rachel A.Helen AbbottDaniel MooreGianna BouchardElaine FultonFiona de LondrasSara JonesRebecca ORebecca RileyEmma TylerInsa NolteAleksandra CavoskiRichard LangleyBenjamin AtkinsMonira AhmedSophie BatesLesley GriffithsSarah GarnerGemma BrindleyMatt CluleeLaura ScottCate LinforthMelissa FordGary BilhamRebecca Le BrocqJessica BowenWilliam PurkisEdward HassallAndy HammondJennifer Mackey

This week, my business turned 7… 🥳 And what better way to celebrate than lunch at the House of Lords?   On Wednesday, we attended the launch of The Willow Review at the The Caledonian Club in London, where MP Gareth Thomas MP and Small Business Britain emphasised the power of sustainability for small businesses.   As sustainability is one of our core values, it was great to be involved in this independent government-backed review, and I hope it makes a huge difference for small businesses and the planet.   The review found that over two-thirds of small businesses reduced operational costs through sustainability, over half attracted new customers, and a third improved customer retention. 💚   For us, sustainability is crucial as the publishing industry by its nature damages the environment, so we strive to be eco-friendly including partnering with FSC-certified local printing presses and protecting 10 acres of rainforest for each of our authors.   On Thursday, we were invited to lunch at the UK House of Lords as part of Small Business Britain’s “Small and Mighty” program.   Last year, we were delighted to be chosen as one of Small Business Britain's top 100 small businesses, and it was lovely celebrating with fellow amazing small business owners in such a prestigious setting (and eating lots of cake)! 🧁   A huge thank you and also happy birthday to Small Business Britain! Hats off to Michelle Ovens CBE for creating a wonderful organisation that represents small and micro businesses across the UK. Here's to many more years in business! 🥂    #smallbusinessbritain #smallbusiness #celebratesuccess #businessbirthday #publishing

It’s time to hang the fancy dresses back in the wardrobe. Awards season is over, whew. Last week, me and Niall headed down to London for Small Business Britain's The Small Awards. It was held in the beautiful St Mary’s Church in Marylebone, hosted by the hilarious Sue Perkins, and had a super cool masquerade theme. We were shortlisted for the “At Your Service” category—recognising that each of our authors is not a business transaction but a collaboration, a partnership, and often a future friend. A big thank you to Michelle Ovens CBE and Small Business Britain for being small business' voice to government and celebrating our successes. And thank you for choosing us as one of your top 100 businesses last year! 💯 Yesterday, we headed to the Innovation and Excellence Awards, where we were awarded Publishing Company of the Year for the second year running. It’s lovely to be recognised for our “kind” approach to business, and for trying to make the publishing industry more accessible, inclusive, innovative, and eco-friendly. 💕 At both awards, it was inspiring to be in a room full of small business owners, family-run businesses, and sole traders. It's not easy being a small business owner, but it is (cheese alert, sorry) rewarding. A huge congratulations to all of the winners and everyone who was nominated—small and micro businesses contribute an approximate £1.8 trillion to the UK economy and deserve to be recognised! #smallbusiness #familybusiness #celebratesuccess #awardsseason #entrepreneurs #smallawards

Are you looking for a meaningful gift for the high school graduate in your life? Check out my book, “Discover What Matters: Find Meaning, Hope, and Love in a Success-Driven College Culture”! Growing up in Silicon Valley, I have experienced firsthand the dangers of our achievement-obsessed culture and the pressure we put on young people to succeed. I wrote “Discover What Matters” to help my peers unburden themselves from these pressures and discover that a truly fulfilling life is one brimming with meaning, hope, and love. Watch the video to learn more about my book and my desire to help young people live fulfilling lives! Order your copy here: https://lnkd.in/g2yf9MvG #book #discoverwhatmattersbook #college #collegeadvice #meaning #hope #love #success #achievement 

What can you achieve in a week? The answer, as it turns out, is quite a lot! Last week, we had the pleasure of collaborating with The PathFinder Organisation CIC on their pilot “Embark” program. This short, intensive program aims to help postgraduate international students develop workplace skills and understand the UK job market. Part of the program involves a company project solving a real-world challenge set by a business… in this case, us. Our challenge for them was to connect authors and readers in innovative ways. 📚 Three teams of students then had less than a week to research, plan, and present a bespoke solution to our problem. We then chose our winners and presented them with our Book Shelf recycled book tote bags. I can honestly say that all of the teams' solutions were thought-provoking and gave us much to consider for the future of the business! 💡 The program not only saved us money by not needing to bring in expensive business consultants, but it also gave us an opportunity to give back to a community of inspired, hard-working young people who are ready to support businesses with problems (and let’s be honest, what business doesn’t have at least one problem to solve?). So, if you’re a small business owner who has a problem, wants out-of-the-box solutions, and likes supporting young people on their career paths, get in touch with the amazing founder of PathFinder, Kritesh Bisht. A massive thank you to all of the students for your innovative ideas and a huge well done for everything you accomplished on the program. Here’s to your future careers! 🚀 Madhura Abhyankar, Zoë Large, Ruby Green, Waleesa Ishfaq, Jeffrey Davis, Fouzan Ghori Mohammed   #startup #smallbusiness #innovation #solutions #supportingyoungpeople

The latest episode of So, You’re A Woman in Business is live now! 🎙️ In this episode I sat down with Ameesha G. from The Book Shelf. Ameesha’s story is inspiring and relatable, trying to enter the world of work in a recession and following her passion for books and publishing to start her own business. This was a great conversation and we cover so much from starting out in your career and exploring different paths, to the power of surrounding yourself with supportive people and how you can take mistakes and challenges and turn them into learning opportunities by reframing your mindset. Another great episode with another great female entrepreneur…enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gYTQY2y7

HUGE shout out to The Book Shelf for helping me climb the mountain and release GrowthTime! I met Ameesha G. years ago - I can't say enough about her personal, committed, and direct approach as a Coach and editor. Her team Naill Burgess (amazing cover design and project manager) and the brilliant line editor Shelby J. made a vision come to life. Honest feedback, on-point communication, attention to detail, education and resources, and a fun group to boot! If you are thinking of self-publishing or need a great support team to pursue your writing goal... get connected to the Dream Team ☺️ Love your mission & vision Ameesha: Everyone has a Book in Them (available on Amazon 💪) #selfpublish #writing #bookediting #newrelease #growthtime