Tomorrow is National Independent Bookstore Day and I am so excited! Why? Because I love books and the way I celebrate National Independent Bookstore Day is by buying books. And so should you.
What is National Independent Bookstore Day?
Besides being a great excuse to ditch all my Saturday chores so I can go buy books at my favorite local indie stores (sans any guilt), National Independent Bookstore Day is a day to honor and support indie booksellers. So, not Amazon and Barnes and Noble – although we appreciate everyone who keeps authors in business – but rather the local bookshops in your neighborhood or even the indie booksellers you turn to online, like bookshop.org or my very own MAMP online bookstore. Launched in 2015, in response to the disturbing trend of book sales occurring online, Indie Bookstore Day was created to bring attention and dollars to these precious community resources.
How to Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day
Buy a Book or Two or Three
Like I said before, you can celebrate this lovely lit-friendly day by simply making a purchase or two from your favorite independent bookstore. In years past, there has been a literal “Black Friday” effect on this day when nationwide, people all patronized indie bookstores on the same day. Booksellers noted they had a real bump in sales after the holiday became “popularized.” If you’re looking for some great multicultural fiction titles to buy, check out my suggestions here.
Get into the Mood
Check out the official Indie Bookstore Day website to see all kinds of fun ways to get into mood of the day. There are contests and giveaways and virtual events for adults and children. It all looks pretty Lit!
Listen to Your President
Even Barack Obama is excited about National Independent Bookstore Day! In honor of the holiday, Obama recently went on a virtual speaking tour to six different indie bookstores to talk about the importance of reading, books and indie bookstores. All of the interviews were recorded and can be viewed online and on social media.
It’s about the Books and the Booksellers
At the end of the day, this holiday is about the books and the booksellers. We all need good books in our lives, and once the pandemic is under control, we’re going to need indie bookstores to continue to provide access to these good books, as well as a community space for intellectual conversations and just plain old communal gathering. But bookstores aren’t charity organizations. They need customers to survive so they can provide these valuable services to us. As an author, I’m particularly indebted to indie bookstores who take the time to carry my books and recommend them to others. Booksellers are my heroes (and you all know I secretly want to have my own bookstore in Spain) and I think they deserve every holiday and praise dance we can give them. Wouldn’t you agree?
How are you going to celebrate?
