Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day. Please share this information with your patrons. Supporting you local book store yourself and encourage your patrons to make a visit too.

But today I also want to make a plea for your library to be a customer as well. I know that we mostly buy our books from Baker & Taylor or Ingram, but it is important to support our local bookstores as well. A vibrant literary community has libraries and bookstores. 

When I was in collections and ran a book club, we worked with a local book store to buy 10 paperback copies of all 12 of our book discussion titles each year. We got a good deal (almost as good as Ingram) and we had the store put a sticker in the book so they could advertise themself and note their cooperation with the library. Those titles were used for our book clubs and then entered into our book discussion collection. They were a community collection in the truest sense-- bought form na local store and then shared throughout the community for local book clubs.

We also used the local independent book store to purchase prizes for summer reading. Totebags, book marks, pins, notebooks, socks, t-shirts, etc.... all that great stuff that these stores sell alongside the books. This also supported the store and gave us the prizes we needed.

Below, I am sharing the text from an email I received from my publisher, Saga Press, as to how we authors could help support our independent bookstores. I edited it a bit to be more directed at you-- the library worker-- but there are some great tips here.

And for my Chicago area friends, my favorite independent book stores are Exile in Bookville, City Lit, and Bucket 'O Blood Books and Records.

See the shared link below to use the map or visit the Independent Bookstore Day landing page for the most unto date information. 

One Day. Fifty States. 1,600+ Bookstores.

Sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, Independent Bookstore Day is a national celebration that takes place on the last Saturday of April each year. The day highlights the value of independent bookstores and the unique ways they contribute to their communities. It’s a celebration of books, readers, and indie bookselling.  

On IBD, indie bookstores often plan activities, host events, serve refreshments, and have special programming like scavenger hunts and bookstore crawls, raffles,  games, and more. And they ride a wave of positive publicity and social media buzz around indie bookstores.  

 

The ABA creates IBD-specific merchandise and swag for stores. None of these items are available anywhere except at ABA member indie bookstores. 

 

Here is a list of ways you can support Independent Bookstores on April 26 and beyond. Independent Bookstores champion authors and books, provide essential community spaces for readers, and collectively host thousands of authors each year for book launches, talks, and panels. 

 

1. Shop! Consider visiting your local indie and making some purchases. It's a great day to do some gift-buying. Mother's Day, graduation season, and Father's Day are all right around the corner, after all. 

 

2. Social shout-out: While you’re in the store, take a selfie (or shelfie) and/or a photo of your purchases to share on social media, tagging the bookstore and encouraging folks to buy at the indies. 

 

3. Participate in a Bookstore Crawl: Why visit one bookstore when you could visit several? Many stores in urban areas organize crawls, with punch cards for participants and prizes if you visit every store on a list.(Link to the Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl for NYC authors) Check with your local indie to see if they're organizing a crawl or look at the ABA bookstore finder map or the indie-to-indie directory and choose your own adventure! 

Share the Independent Bookstore Day homepage with your patrons and encourage them to visit your local independent bookstore.