6 Ways to Support Indie Bookstores on Independent Bookstore Day
The last Saturday of April is Independent Bookstore Day! Like so many businesses, COVID has hit indie bookstores hard. But, I’m going to share just a few ways in which you can support indie bookstores, even if you don’t have easy access to one in your area!
1. Visit an Indie
Obviously, the very best way to support indie bookstores is to actually visit their brick and mortar location. By purchasing your books from your local indie, you’re putting money back into the local economy while also creating local jobs. Plus, the staff at independent bookstores know their stuff. Seriously, all you need to ask is, “What are some of your new favorites in X genre?” And you’re sure to get some great suggestions!
2. Purchase through Bookshop.org
If you don’t have a local indie bookstore near you, or you want to support another one around the country, try to purchase from their website, or check out www.bookshop.org. What’s awesome is that you can choose what store you’re purchasing from or you can purchase and the proceeds are then evenly distributed among all the bookstores!
What’s great is that they also have an amazing affiliate program, so I get to suggest great titles to you and earn a small commission from them!
3. Audiobook Options
If you love audiobooks, but don’t necessarily want to support the behemoth online store. Check out Libro.fm. They split the profits of your choices with independent bookstores, which means again, you can choose a store of your choice!
4. Attend Events
Whether the event is in-person or virtual, try attending an author visit or special program. Sometimes the events are free, other times they require a purchase of a book to attend, either way it’s an awesome experience (especially for kids!).
5. Introduce Yourself
If you begin visiting a store regularly, introduce yourself, comment on why you love the store so much or ask about something you’re looking for. I know the staff at my favorite local indie, Children’s Book World, are so sweet and helpful!
When they reopened last year for curbside pickup, I left them a little note on the pickup table thanking them for providing such a great service and mentioned that I was so happy to see them open again. I know these types of things are well-loved by my staff at the library and I actually keep a folder of kind words from our patrons.
6. Share on Social Media
Make sure you’re shouting out your local indie on social media! The more people who know about them, the more people who are more likely to choose them! Let’s flood social media today by sharing our favorite local indie bookstores for Independent Bookstore Day!
