Tuesday, June 7, 2011

You know you need a beach read.

It's no secret that there are obstacles facing independent bookstores these days. There are things we can offer that Amazon and its ilk can't or don't; we'll spend twenty minutes helping you find the right book for your loved one, we'll bring you Tim Wakefield, we'll remember your dog... But all the same, sad news does happen for bookstores in our community, and it reminds us how much we appreciate the customers who try us first, the ones who are trying us for the first time, and the ones who have been coming for thirty years.

Speaking of community, it's great to see someone from another segment of the book business--a literary agent--caring enough to start a campaign to Save Bookstores. Here are Kelly Sonnack's words:

I’ve gotten sick of reading the bookstore obituaries in the publishing news, so I’m starting a viral campaign to get people, on 1 day, to go buy books from their local bookstore. Might not end up changing the tides, but it’s something small I can do to make a difference and I’m getting a great response so far – people are excited to be a part of this. Here are the details for you to pass on to your friends/family/fellow booklovers:

Who: You and all the book-lovers in your life
When: June 25th, the first Saturday of Summer!
Where: Your local bookstore (and if you don’t have one near you, Powell’s ships
[as do we]
Why: Because bookstores are dropping like flies and we want them to stay alive

Thanks for passing this along to whomever you think would want to get on board. And blog about it, tweet about it (#SaveBookstores), FB about it, too.

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