Independent Booksellers and Unique Local Benefits

Independent Booksellers and Unique Local BenefitsIndependent Booksellers and Unique Local BenefitsAnindependent bookstore(also known as an indie bookseller or independent bookseller) is a bookstore that is not controlled by a larger bookseller chain (such asBarnes and NobleorBooks A Million). Quality independent booksellers are often fixtures in the communities that they serve,andbring many benefits to thosecommunities, as well as to authors, and readers. Indie Bookseller Benefits Mitch Kaplan, owner of Books Books and one of the founders of the Miami Book Fair International says, Small, independent businesses are what gives a city its uniqueness and a community with healthy small business is a community that is richer than most. And independent booksellers have always played an activist role when it comes to providing vital cultural and social services to the community it serves. Its not easy these days, but were seeing a renaissance in small, indie stores opening around the c ountry as consumers want more things personal and sustainable. Heres a roll-up of how independent booksellers benefit the authors, the local economy, readers and beyond Indie Bookseller Benefits for Authors Well-regarded authors (like Sherman Alexie and Neil Gaiman) have spearheaded and maintained the call for support of independent booksellers with programs such as Indies First on Small Business Saturday. This often due to the great early experiences (whether as a reader or a writer) and support that indie stores have given them. New and even self-published authors often get their start at supportive local independent booksellers. For example, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi hosted an unknown John Grishams first book signing event. (If you are a new or self-published author, read these tips on how to best work with a local independent bookstore.) Independent Bookstores Boost the Local Economy More specifically, according to a recent newsletter from Roxanne Coady of R. J . Julia, an independent bookstore in Madison, CT, For every $100 you spend in a locally owned store, $73 stays in the local economy, whereas $100 spent in national chains returns $43 to the local economy. Unsurprisingly $100 spent online to an out-of-state retailer returns zero dollars to our communities. Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for the local community and it means that tax monies are reinvested within communities. Shopping at an Indie Booksellers is Kinder On the Environment Shopping locally instead of online means less packaging and less waste. And where there is no shipping to the consumer, there is also less trucking or other transportation, further reducing the carbon footprint of the transaction. And though chain stores are local, they often warehouse centrally, which does mean a less direct transaction involving shipping. Shopping at Independent Bookstores Creates A Closer Community According to the American Booksellers Association, local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains. From sponsoring literacy programs to boosting local team sports, its likely the non-profits that benefit from your indie booksellers dollars, are centered in your own community, so the money stays there. Bricks and mortar booksellers like indie also help connect authors with readers in person and vice versa - something that online retailers cant do. How to Open An Independent Bookstore And if youre an independent-minded book lover who thinks about being a bookseller, learn more about Opening a bookstoreBookstore marketing merchandisingIndies First, Independent Bookstore Day Canadian Authors for Indies Daydays for readers, authors and publishers to promote and celebrate independent booksellers. Each Indie Bookstore Is Unique Just like their customers, every indie has its own personality - as diverse and quirky as their owners and the customers they serve. Some Examples of Unique and VariedIndependent B ooksellers Around the U.S. Bienville Books - Mobile, ALBienville Books has ranked among the top attractions in Mobile, Alabama on travel sites. Described by its patrons as a treasure, welcoming, wonderful, eclectic, and a find, Bienville Books has found many fans among avid readers, students, book collectors, locals, and tourists. More than one visiting Mobile souvenir hunter has been quoted as greatly admiring the I read dead people tee shirts that are hanging in the window. Learn moreabout Bienville Books Books Books Southern Florida points beyondOwner Mitchell Kaplan opted out of a potential law career to open the first Books Books store in Coral Gables, Florida in 1982. Now, for the South Florida literary community, Books Books is yourindependent, locally-owned bookstore... a community of writers and readers, hosting 60author eventsa month and featuring a carefully curated selection. Learn moreabout Books Books City Lights Bookstore San Francisco, CACity Lights Bookstore is an independent bookstore located in the North Beach section of San Francisco. Founded in 1953 as an all paperback bookstore by Peter D. Martin and the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights retains a legacy of anti-authoritarian politics and insurgent thinking from its early association with Beat poets. Learn moreabout City Lights Bookstore Island Bound Bookstore Block Island, RIBookstores in beach towns and ski areas and other season-dependent vacation hotspots face unique bookselling challenges. Along with this profile of Island Bound Bookstore, an award-winning independent bookseller onBlock Island, Rhode Island,its owner Cindy Lasser shares some of her insights into running a store that is subject to the ebb and flow of seasonal traffic. Learn moreabout Island Bound Bookstore Octavia Books - New Orleans, LABook publishing professionals consider Octavia Books a must-stop on a Southern literary tour or a book lovers tour of New Orleans. Among its unique attributes, the store sponsors the National Public Radio show,The Reading Life,hosted by author ofThe Booklovers Guide to New Orleans, Susan Larson. Learn moreabout Octavia Books R. J. Julia Independent Booksellers Madison, CTAs one of the largestindependent booksellersin the Northeast, the mission R. J. Julia is to be a place where words matter, where writer meets reader, where the ambiance and selection and merchandising of books creates an atmosphere that is welcoming and presents the opportunity for discovery. Learn moreabout R. J. Julia The Mysterious Bookshop New York, NYOne of the oldest mystery specialist bookstores in America, the Mysterious Bookshop is currently located in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. The store stocks new mystery hardcovers, paperbacks and periodicals, as well as signed modern first editions, rare/collectible hardcovers and Sherlockiana, works about that most famous sleuth of all. Learn moreabout the Mysterious Bookshop Square Books - Oxford, MSSquare Books, named the 2013 Bookstore of the Year byPublishers Weekly,is a hub of Southern literary culture and is a must-visit for bibliophiles, authors, and lovers of the Southern history and literature. There are three locations around the Oxford, Mississippi town square. Learn moreabout Square Books Turnrow Book Co. - Greenwood, MS?Turnrow Book Co. is anindependent booksellerlocated in Greenwood in the Mississippi Delta, between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. A Southern Independent Bookseller Alliance (SIBA) member Turnrow serves an area known as the birthplace of the Blues, the home of the Viking Range Company, and the location for the filming of, and is an important part of the cultural landscape. Learn moreabout Turnrow Book Co.