UK Christian Bookshops Directory: Q&A: Who, What and Why?

UKCBD is an independently maintained online database which exists to promote the Christian faith by providing a two-way resource to the Christian community: an easy way to find your nearest Christian Bookshop, and an easy way for Christian Bookshops to get online. The project was launched in February 2001 and is currently seeking formal establishment as a charity.

Whilst liaising closely with the Booksellers Association's Christian Booksellers Group, the project is independent and voluntarily maintained and is currently not directly affiliated to any trade associations.

Links to other lists and resources may be found on the Links page.

If you're considering setting up a Christian bookshop, start here

My own connection to the Christian book trade is as manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources (previously known as London Bible College (LBC) Bookshop), which was (unsurprisingly) the first shop to be listed on the site. The Directory is not supported or endorsed by London School of Theology, however, and any opinions expressed are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology.

Questions & Answers

1. What does it cost?
   The Directory is maintained on a voluntary basis, providing a FREE service to the Christian community. The project is primarily financed by various affiliate links and Google Adsense advertising alongside sponsorships from Christian publishers and distributors and by voluntary subscriptions from a few shops that are in a position to offer them. Costs involved in running the site include, amongst other expenses, internet connection charges, domain registration fees, general maintenance and publicity. If you would like to help, please consider becoming a site sponsor, taking out a voluntary subscription or subsidising some offline advertising. Thank you.
   
   
2. How can I help?
   The simplest ways you can help, at no cost to yourself, are:
   
   
   • Provide a link to this site. Here's some code to help you - please if you do this so that I can add a return link to your site.
   • If you're a publisher or other trade supplier in the habit of publishing catalogues or brochures bearing the message "Available at all good Christian bookshops" (or something similar), please change it to something along the lines of: "Find your nearest Christian Bookshop at www.christianbookshops.org.uk" - if you do this: I'll gladly either create a page listing your stockists or flag up their Directory entries as appropriate.
   • Tell a Friend
   • If you're shopping online for anything other than Christian products, please do so via buy.at/ukcbd. For books, gifts and music—if your local Christian bookshop can't help—please use one of this site's affiliate links:
     • Abebooks
     • Amazon
     • audible.co.uk
     • eden.co.uk
     All of these generate a small commission for UKCBD at no extra cost to you. Thank you.
   
   
   
3. What's Next?
   Ongoing plans for the site include:
   
   
   • Employment of a part-time Site Administrator
   • Subdirectory of Christian publishers and distributors
   • Sustained offline media marketing campaign
   
   Targets already achieved are:
   
   
   • Book reviews section — many reviews were shared with the now discontinued Faith for Life magazine
   • Subdirectory of Christian Bookshops in Europe – still in its early stages but well underway...
   • High quality hosting arrangements, courtesy of connect-u2.net
   • Regular listings in the Church Times and Church of England Newspaper Webwatch
   • Standing advertisement in Country Way magazine
   • Occasional adverts placed in other Christian papers and magazines
   
   ...but the progress of further development depends upon adequate finance — if you'd like to help, please consider becoming a site sponsor. Suggestions & comments may be sent to
   
   
4. What are the criteria for including a shop?
   If your shop's primary stock is Christian literature, you're entitled to a listing in the main directory. Separate sections exist for other Christian shops and for Christian Cafés as well as a Links & Resources section for other organisations. The final decision is at my sole discretion: inclusion or otherwise carries no implications whatsoever about creeds, doctrines or theology. No liability will be accepted for anything whatsoever relating to such decisions.
   
   
5. What does a typical entry look like?
   See below
   
   
6. Can my shop be listed more prominently?
   Certainly: if you would like to sponsor a page (perhaps the page for your town or city?) then your shop's logo or contact details can be incorporated into the page header along with a link to your website. In general I've standardised the format to keep things simple and to optimise page-loading times, but any entry - whether or not you choose to sponsor a page - can include a company logo: please advise the URL (web address) of the logo when you register or send the logo either as a web-optimised email attachment or on a floppy disk (postal address available on request). Alternatively, a separate page can be made available with a link from your Directory entry:
   • Pre-coded pages, supplied by you ready for uploading onto the Directory server: from £20 per annum for up to 10 A4-equivalent pages and an images subdirectory. This will give you a website address that looks like this: www.christianbookshops.org.uk/yourbookshopname - actual layout and content of pages will, of course, be as supplied by you. Price includes up to four updates per annum.
   • Custom page design: from £75 initial setup fee (includes homepage, site index and images subdirectory, two years hosting and up to four updates per annum); additional pages from £35 per page (up to A4-equivalent content), then £20 per annum hosting fee.
   • You will also be allocated a corresponding email address
   
   
   
7. My shop doesn't have a website: can you set one up for me?
   Fully featured webhosting is available, either as part of this directory (see the previous question) or by registering your own domain. Please email to discuss your requirements. As a rough guide, to register your domain, arrange independent hosting and set up a basic informational site (home page, site index, images directory and up to three other pages) is likely to cost approx £225 for the first year, approx £100 per year thereafter; the exact price will vary according to your requirements. Finally, on this question, some free advice: don't be taken in by anyone who tells you that setting up a website has to cost thousands of pounds: if you don't want to do it yourself, any web designer worth his or her salt should be able to set you up with an attractive, basic informational site at a price that you can afford.

   Web design services for Christian Bookshops are also available from:
   • St Andrew's Bookshops.
   • 1WebHost.

8. What if I don't want my shop listed?
   Fine: let me know and I'll remove the entry. Your loss is certainly someone else's gain.
   

Anytown Christian Bookshop, Anytown

We are a medium sized shop stocking a wide range of popular and academic titles, including some second hand.

Mission Statement
We exist to serve the Anytown community by providing quality Christian literature at competitive prices.

Specialist Interests
Bibles, Children's Books

Any Street, Anytown, AA1 1AA
Phone: 01234 567890   Fax: 01234 098765
Website: www.christianbookshops.org.uk/anytownchristian.htm

Opening Times
Monday to Saturday, 9am - 5pm

	Member of the Booksellers Association			Booktokens Stockist
	Cards, Gifts & Music			Software and Videos
	Credit & Debit Cards accepted			Mail Order service

Also Available
Audio Books; Free Parking!

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