#indie bookstores

[chexala]

Digital readers, rejoice:

Bookshop has ebooks now!

They just launched so the catalog isn't complete, but they've got lots and they're adding more publishers and titles as they go. You can read them in your web browser or in their iOS/Android apps.

Libro.fm is great for audiobooks!

They have a similar partnership with indie stores, so your membership/purchases support the participating store of your choice. Also, when you buy from them, you own the book DRM-free, so you can download, store, and listen to your books on whatever device you want.

Independent bookstores around the country have a particularly clever lifeline, one perfectly suited to the unprecedented moment we find ourselves in. The strange part? It came into being just weeks before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, and before the bookstores started closing up shop wondering if they’d reopen at all.

The lifeline in question is called Bookshop. 

In simple terms, it’s a super clean, user-friendly online bookstore whose raison d’être is supporting independent bookstores — not simply with exposure or resources (though that’s certainly a factor), but with cold hard cash…

[melestasflight]

This is important. Fuck Amazon books, Apple books. Shop local.

[queerromancerecs]

Non Amazon book resources

Look, I know Amazon is a sensitive topic. It has been allowed to dominate the market, and for indie writers, it is a huge (if not their main) source of income. Personally, as an indie writer, I have tried to always keep my work available elsewhere (because you can't trust Amazon not to screw you over, I mean just look at Audible. For those who don't know, Audible royally fucks over authors, and the narrators don't do that great either). But even for me, the loss of Amazon sales would highly affect my ability to keep going without getting another job or three. So I get it. Nonetheless, they cannot be trusted not to drop queer writers and readers, so it's best to have alternatives now.

If you are a reader or an indie author looking for different platforms to buy and/or sell books, even if only to start branching out a little, here is a list.

I doubt it's comprehensive. Feel free to reblog with more.

Kobo and Kobo Plus -Kobo is the biggest online 'Zon alternative. Kobo Plus is sort of like KU. On either one, you get points for buying books and can use the points to get more books. Works for ebook and audiobooks. (And, if you have a non-Kindle ereader, it works for Kobo but it also works for like, fanfiction. I'm just saying. I got a refurbished Kobo a while ago and it's lovely.)

Bookshop.org -print as well as ebooks (authors, make sure you click "expanded distribution" on your bookselling platform of choice if you want your stuff for sale with Bookshop--which also benefits local bookstores!)

Smashwords/Draft2Digital - mostly ebooks but D2D does have a print option

Itch.io - ebook only (but gives a larger chunk of profits to authors than 'Zon does. Authors take note.)

Gumroad

Rainbow Crate -special edition print queer books. (I know there was some controversy with them but I am out of touch and don't know what it was, and most people who use them seem happy with them??? but if you know other queer/romance book crate services, lemme know)

The Ripped Bodice -brick and mortar stores but you can also shop online

Check out your local bookstores---many will order print copies for you if you request them

The authors' websites if they do direct sales

Barnes & Noble- yeah, it's a corporation and they are not great either, but it's not Amazon and sometimes a well-meaning relative gets you a gift card. And, for the moment, they do in fact sell queer romance and queer fiction. I know because I just used a gift card to get a paperback of The Prince and the Assassin. lol

Powell's Books- Portland's famous book store sells new and used books (and you can browse the stock online) --print only. They sell queer romance as well. I got a copy of Drag Me Up by RM Virtues there. That's not super relevant, but I was pleased :)

New link: Queer Books Weekly-- free and affordable books with queer protagonists

Tubby & Coos Bookshop: curates pocket bookstores featuring underrepresented voices

And from user @bobthebenevolentpirate (thank you!)

Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia was founded in 1973 and is “The Oldest & Very Best LGBTQ & Feminist Bookstore in the Country.” They ship to US addresses, but you can also email them about international shipping. The people who run it are lovely humans and have started providing harm reduction supplies/info to people to respond to the needs of the community! They deserve all the support

Also consider library books!

And for those in America--you can use library apps to read books. Yes, the authors still get paid! Libby is a big one. You can get audiobooks too, AND it can connect you with the Queer Liberation Library.

Also there is Hoopla - digital content

In Europe, I know there is Vivlio, which is French and I believe sells ereaders and also ebooks.

[bookaddict24-7]

I found these photos of a couple of bookstores from my trip with my bestie back in January! Sigh, I love a good indie bookstore!

[whilereadingandwalking]

Chicago has the best indies in the universe, and even James Daunt’s audacious bullshit won’t keep the new Barnes & Noble location from hurting my favorite stores. Support your locals!

[charliejaneanders]

Here are some pics from past bookstore and chocolate crawls! It's a lovely time where we swarm into bookstores, buy all the books we can carry, and then move on to the next store, sustaining ourselves with chocolate. Hope you can join us on Saturday!

[swansongofalyre]

Wait I lied, one more book post—if you want to get a copy of my book AND support an incredible local Asian woman-owned bookstore AND get a sharp stabby beautiful letter opener with a mother-of-pearl inlay handle (plus, of course, a gorgeous bookmark and bookplate), look no further, because Yu and Me Books has this all for you (while supplies last):

Mother-of-pearl handicraft has played an important part in Korean history and art, as well as in the history of my own family. My most cherished piece of furniture is a lacquered mother-of-pearl cabinet I inherited from my 친할머니 (paternal grandmother), who was one of the main inspirations behind my book. Those who have already read the book know that it is written partly in the form of letters and messages.

In this age of digital convenience (which I love, don't get me wrong), I would love for this to inspire you to write a note to someone you love telling them something you wish you had told them long ago, and perhaps you might get a letter back that you can open with this.

Or if not, the letter opener is also great for opening junk mail pretending to be real mail, and is sharp enough to open packages and/or the veins of your enemies in a pinch.

If you are in or near New York, I highly recommend you stop by Yu and Me Books in person. Its founder, Lucy Yu, has created a really remarkable, warm, cozy place that is dedicated to the community and to curating an incredible curated selection of books with a focus on immigrant stories. It is the first bookstore I've ever gone into where my immediate reaction was, "Literally every single one of these books is relevant to my interests." The bookstore suffered a terrible fire last year, and somehow bounced back in just seven months. Even if you don't care about my book at all, I would love for you to check out the selection and support the store in another way if you can!

If you aren't nearby, you can also order online while supplies last!

Okay NOW I am done with book posts for real.

[bitstitchbitch]

I prefer physical books, but this seems like a great option for people who want an alternative to Amazon! Idk if it’s U.S. specific or not

[gladiolusarchive]

Independent Bookstores Map of the US, Organized by Region

[bigheartedbibliophile]

🍂 I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday today, and that you take time to give thanks to those you love 💖

[ashen-crest]

Update: The Book Burrow exceeded its goal this week!!

They were aiming to sell 1000 books by the 12th to afford a new home. Thanks to your support, they sold over 1600 books by the 10th!

A big, big thank-you to everyone who bought stuff from the store or even just shared my previous posts about supporting it. You had a direct hand in saving a queer indie bookstore in Texas. You’re the best. 💕

It sounds like the Burrow has some very exciting things in the works, so please follow them on Insta or FB for updates!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Happy Independent Bookstore Day!

Tomorrow (Apr 25) I’ll be in San Diego for the launch of my new novel, Red Team Blues, at 7PM at Mysterious Galaxy Books, hosted by Sarah Gailey. Please come and say hi!

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It’s Independent Bookstore Day! I love bookstores, especially indies. I’m a recovering bookseller (love you, BakkaPhoenix!) and an inveterate and absurdly optimistic buyer of books — just this weekend, I bought three books at the LA Times Festival of Books, from Pages and Octavia’s Bookshelf!

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/24/tax-loss-harvesting/#ibd

Supporting indie bookstores doesn’t mean foregoing the convenience of buying online. Libro.fm pioneered a model that lets you nominate your favorite local bookstore, which receives part of the proceeds from every audiobook you buy at Libro (where all the audiobooks are DRM-free).

Libro is celebrating indie bookstores all week with stellar deals on an incredible lineup of audiobooks, from Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower to Chokepoint Capitalism, the book Rebecca Giblin and I wrote about how monopolies (including bookstore monopolies like Amazon) destroy the livelihoods of creative workers, and how to fight back:

https://libro.fm/ibd

You can also back your favorite indie bookstore when you shop online at Bookshop.org, who — like Libro — donate a portion of the cost of every book you buy to a nominated local bookseller:

https://bookshop.org/

Of course, nothing beats actually visiting your local bookstore, browsing the books, reading the shelf-reviews, and talking to knowledgeable, intelligent, passionate booksellers in person. I’m about to embark on a tour for my next novel, Red Team Blues, and I’ll be stopping at many great indie stores on the way.

Tomorrow, I’ll be in San Diego at Mysterious Galaxy Books for a launch with Sarah Gailey. On Wednesday, I’ll be in Burbank at Dark Delicacies. On May 5, I’ll be in Mountain View with Mitch Kapor at Books, Inc. There are plenty more stops, in PDX, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, DC, Gaithersburg, and all over the UK, finishing in Berlin:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/19/whats-wrong-with-iowa/#red-team-blues-tour

I hope to see you there! Also, my family has asked that you stage an intervention if you see me buying more books while I’m on tour!

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Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in San Diego, Burbank, Mountain View, Berkeley, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

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[Image ID: A shot of the legendary El Ateneo bookstore, 'the world's most beautiful bookstore,' housed in a former grand theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina.]

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Image: Liam Quinn https://www.flickr.com/photos/liamq/5459406835/

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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[librofm]

Every time I’m in a bookstore and I see an index card with handwriting I know I’m in for a treat!!

[lilithsaintcrow]

“But Daunt also wants to empower booksellers to pick books based on their own particular tastes. If someone is interested in historical fiction or manga, they’re invited to develop a good selection of books in that category. Daunt says that often, these booksellers’ picks drive readers towards lesser-known books.”

I find this interesting. The breathless tone of “taking on Amazon and WORKING!!!” elides the fact that the approach—listening to the actual booksellers—has always been the right one though it’s been cost-cut almost out of existence by larger chains, which is why the chains died.

The framing—that it’s “revolutionary” to actually listen to the people selling the books—is just awful. And the further framing that B&N is “stealing” indie bookstore strategies instead of focusing on what’s ALWAYS worked for bookstores sets up unnecessary “rivalry”, which is what bigger chains use to fuck up the entire ecosystem anyway.

The framing—that it’s “revolutionary” to actually listen to the people selling the books—is just awful. And the further framing that B&N is “stealing” indie bookstore strategies instead of focusing on what’s ALWAYS worked for bookstores sets up unnecessary “rivalry”, which is what bigger chains use to fuck up the entire ecosystem anyway.

[whilereadingandwalking]

This Independent Bookstore Day was everything I needed. Post-layoff, and especially after this past week, I really needed this day of celebrating bookish spaces and the incredible bookstore owners of Chicago.

7 hours, 15 bookstores! I had to restrain myself while still supporting our amazing indies. I tried to funnel my energy into buying books for my friends’ kids, but even so, I took home a good couple reads for myself. And now I have 15% off for the year! Thanks to my partner for taking photos and helping me to carry all these books, and to all the kind booksellers I saw in person today. 🩵