STAFF at an Abingdon book shop are promising customers more authors will visit the store after scooping a prestigious industry award.

Mostly Books, in Stert Street, which has been open for just under two years, won the British Book Industry Awards - known as the Nibbies - New Bookshop of the Year award.

Manager Mark Thornton, 38, said staff were stunned to win considering how good the other stores nominated were.

Mr Thornton said: "This is a real coup for us and it was a bit of a whirl at the awards ceremony in Brighton - it was a very glitzy affair and the Hilton Hotel was full of important people from the books trade.

"Our award came up first so my speech was one of the first acceptance speeches of the night and I think it set the tone for the evening because I said that although it is a tough time at the moment to sell books, everyone in the trade has been incredibly supportive.

"The heads of Penguin and Faber were there - and most of Blackwell's senior staff - and they all came over to our table to congratulate us.

"Tracey Chevalier (the historical thriller writer) was handing out the prizes and she said she was keen to visit our shop.

"The prize means our name will become more well-known and we will be a much more attractive port of call for authors when they are planning talks and signings.

"I am already planning a bigger programme for next year's literary section of the Abingdon arts festival.

"I think Abingdon is a great town to be in at the moment if you love books.

"There are two independent book shops, a couple of good second- hand book shops and an excellent library."

When asked to explain the rapid success of Mostly Books, Mr Thornton, a father-of-two, said the shop has tried to place itself at the heart of the community.

It runs regular book groups as well as author events, and customers can drop in to the store to enjoy a coffee and a piece of cake in the garden.

On Friday, David Harvey, author of Grape Britain, will host a wine tasting session Mr Thornton added: "We've got a separate section for children's books and it's a very family-friendly place. Customers have already visited us to congratulate us on winning the award."

Customers can also find out about events in the store by logging on to the Mostly Books website, www.mostly-books.co.uk, or the website mostly-books.blogspot.com, where Mr Thornton writes a blog.