So, the other day, I locked Rebecca Schinsky in a meat freezer in Dover, Delaware so I could steal her role as co-host for the Bookriot podcast this week.
(That would be podcast Numero Ocho on this list.)
During this lovely podcast, where I only accidentally dropped the f-bomb once (eep oops sorry), we discussed this Bookseller piece: “Anger Over Authors’ Links To Amazon.” This article has a UK spin but the idea here is pretty universal: bookstores are saying, “Hey, authors and publishers, you say you care so much about us and how vital we are, it’d be really sweet if you linked to us on your author pages and if you don’t you’re a stinky poo-poo diaper face.”
I may have ad-libbed that a little bit.
I spoke about it on Twitter last week and it generated some interesting (if confusing) agita from authors specifically about how they don’t have a favorite indie bookstore near them and who should they even link to and goddamnit I’m not taking away my Amazon links.
The money shot from the article seems to be:
“The reason he has not linked to one through his website is because unfortunately, he doesn’t have an independent bookseller where he lives, otherwise he would link to it,” she said.
First comment: hello, myopic. Do you assume that all your readers live where you live?
Second comment: hey, I get it. Lotta bookstores out there. Indie bookstores aren’t as proliferate as they once were, but let’s assume there are still “a lot” of them out there.
You don’t have to link to them all.
You just have to link to Indiebound:
Or, if you’re one of those UK across-the-ponders, Hive:
Nobody is asking you to stop linking to Amazon. (Well, okay, some indies have an understandable hate-boner for Amazon, and they would probably be happy if you pulled Amazon links — I mean, we’re talking full-bore Snoopy Dance here.) By the black gods of Greyskull, do not pull your Amazon links. For better or for worse that’s how people want their books and if you delete those links you’re going to be leaving money on the table.
But! But but but, don’t leave off the indie link, either. Indie bookstores are vital. The best of them connect authors and readers and foster a book-lover’s community in a way that Amazon never can and never will. They can compete with Amazon on a level that Amazon will never understand — like insurgent freedom fighters pushing back a militarily-superior enemy. Indie bookstores will handsell the holy hell out of your books. They are active agents promoting things they love and authors they dig — they are not the passive Amazon recommendation engine. They’re people! Who love books! Maybe your books! How is that a bad thing?
So: link to Indiebound, will ya? And if you have a favorite indie bookstore, link to them, too. (Even better: foster with them a relationship where you can provide a value-add for readers via that store. Say, a buttload of signed books only available through Said Favorite Indie?)
Now, a caveat: I’m not saying indie bookstores are awesome by dint of them being indie bookstores. I’ve heard tale of some real asshats amongst the indie bookstore world, and have encountered more than a few myself. I’ve been treated like a real douchesponge by a few indie stores. And I’ve heard some horror stories among other writers that their signings at indies got them no support and the booksellers were in fact a little hostile. This is why you gotta love stores like Mysterious Galaxy, or one of my own local stores, the Doylestown Bookshop. (Both of whom pulled out the stops when it came to my author events there and who were friendly and accommodating and brimming with sheer liquid awesome.) Hell, did you see the Wendig Wall of Wicked Wonderfulness at Riverrun Bookstore in Portsmouth, NH?!
Great bookstores are critical curators and know to embrace authors — you know, those pesky assholes who write all these silly books.
So now I ask:
Who are your favorite bookstores?
Where are they?
Why do you love ’em?
Scream it out loud.
Sara Crow says:
I have a few “local” indies that I love (depending upon what you consider local, since I’m a native of the Twin Cities and a transplant to Kansas):
Bluebird Books in Hutchinson, KS (http://bluebirdbooks.indiebound.com/)
Eighth Day Books in Wichita, KS (http://eighthdaybooks.com/)
Prospero’s Bookstore in Kansas City, MO (http://prosperosbookstore.com/)
Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, MN (http://birchbarkbooks.com/) – It’s the bookstore of an author I’ve adored since I was in high school. How can I NOT love it!?
Magers and Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis (http://www.magersandquinn.com/)
July 1, 2013 — 12:11 AM
Betsy says:
Thanks so much for this information. I didn’t know about Indiebound. Their tool for generating links is very easy. It’s nice to be able to give site visitors a choice about where to buy.
July 1, 2013 — 12:40 AM
Erica says:
Thanks for putting this up. I never heard about Indiebound either. Sadly, my suspicion about my own town (Sacramento) is confirmed: we have no independent bookstores. The closest one is the Avid Reader in Davis, but I just don’t get across the causeway anymore. It’s good to see a list of shops in the bay area, though. I don’t get down there much, but when I do, there are some places to look for. I was also happy to see that the Boulder Bookstore is still in business in Boulder, CO (I was in grad school there during the 90s). It’s a great store, and I spent many happy hours there, browsing their SFF, general fiction and life sciences sections.
July 1, 2013 — 12:48 AM
pioneercynthia says:
So, is Time Tested Books not by you, either? Not all independent booksellers are listed in IndieBound, though I think they’d be smart to do so.
July 1, 2013 — 12:39 PM
Priscilla says:
Thinking about it, my country doesn’t have any famous bookstores people might know. For instance, I have no idea how a Barnes & Noble looks like. So I really have no opinion on that kind of place.
If you want a book here, there are pretty much three ways you can get it:
a) Go to one of the big bookstores that we do have. They’re usually part of a bigger chain and sometimes you can find more than one in the same city. Most of them are located inside shopping malls and sell more than just books. Think about Fnac (that one we have, by the way) and you’ll get the picture. There you can find a pretty good variety of books and most of them will import some books too if they don’t have it;
b) Go to a small, independent bookstore. Those are the best choice if you’re looking for an old or used book, or if you’re looking for books about a specific subject, like Medicine books. Although the big chains may have those too, their academic sections are usually pretty limited and specialized stores will do a better job;
c) Go to the internet. Online stores tend to have better prices and the same goes to online branches of regular stores. Plus, you can always import your books if you’re not finding them in your local bookstore or if you want to avoid the outrageous taxes some books tend to have.
As for me, there’s a big book store at a shopping mall near my house that I absolutely adore to visit. I have a crush for big bookshops and this one has an inviting mood. They are a big branch with an indie look, they have lots of books and a giant wooden dragon. You can sit beneath the dragon and read their books for a whole afternoon, comfortably surrounded by fruit-shaped cushions. So it’s a really nice place to go.
But here comes an important distinction: a nice place to go is not necessarily a nice place to buy things from. The taxes on books are pretty high and if you know your way through english, is far better to import a book from BookDepository or Amazon US/UK than buying it in here. And that’s what I do. Amazon has a nasty shipping price, but hey, even then it’s cheaper to import in most cases.
That’s really sad because I love bookshops. But I love my wallet even more.
So, since we’re talking about this, do you beautiful people know any online bookshops with generous shipping policies? :B
July 1, 2013 — 1:17 AM
Karen Myers says:
Some of us indies make books available internationally directly, using vendors like Gumroads. You pay in your own currency and get the ebook directly (no surcharge). Or you can buy the papeerback directly from vendors like CreateSpace (ordinary shipping rates, no surcharge). For examples, see one of my books at http://www.perkunaspress.com/wp/to-carry-the-horn and scroll down for options.
Lots of other authors do something similar, so it’s worth going to author websites.
July 1, 2013 — 11:36 AM
Priscilla says:
Oh, thank you for the info =)
July 2, 2013 — 12:19 AM
Sarah says:
Galaxybooks in Sydney ( and where I bought one of your books ) have always had the best selection of sci fic / fantasy / urban / horror. Friendly staff who can recommend new books – and have always tried to pass on the best prices.
July 1, 2013 — 1:22 AM
Jessa Slade says:
I live in Portland, Oregon, so I have Powell’s! I love it cuz it’s big. I also love Jan’s Paperbacks (just beyond Portland) because it’s NOT big.
The indie bookstore in the town where I grew up is still in business lo these many years later. I got to pick out a free book from Anderson’s in Downers Grove, Illinois, after winning my first-ever writing contest in grade school, so of COURSE I love that one too!
Since all three have strong online presences, you can check them out yourself.
July 1, 2013 — 2:52 AM
matthewclarkleach says:
I just Googled Powell’s, I’m coming to Oregon!
July 1, 2013 — 3:48 PM
Pamela DuMond (@Pamela_DuMond) says:
I grew up in Downers Grove too!
October 19, 2013 — 11:08 PM
Charlotte Grubbs (@literary_lottie) says:
I’ve had a soft spot for indies ever since the owner of the sole indie bookstore where I grew up (Givens Books in Lynchburg, VA, miraculously still there) hand-sold me the first Harry Potter book when it had just come out in the US and no one had ever heard of it. It was love at first page.
Since then I’m lucky to have lived in cities with robust indie populations. The heavy hitter in St. Louis was Left Bank Books, which had two very different and equally fab locations, and through which I got to see/meet Dave Barry, Jenny Lawson, and David Sedaris. The smaller Subterranean Books was just down the street from my college apartment, as was Starclipper, which is still the best damn comics store I’ve ever been in. Seriously, if you’re of the geeky persuasion and happen to be in St. Louis, go to Starclipper. You won’t be disappointed.
(Sadly, my main go-to in high school, Puddn’head Books in Webster Groves, MO, is no more. Great YA and non-fiction selection; owner really knew her stuff. Hand-sold me Hunger Games months before the series blew up.)
Now in Atlanta, I split my time between Eagle Eye and Little Shop of Stories, both of which sponsor the Decatur Book Festival every year, and both of which get some great authors on their own merits. This past month I’ve seen John Scalzi and Neil Gaiman, courtesy of Eagle Eye. Little Shop of Stories focuses on children’s through YA, and has the friendliest and most knowledgeable staff I’ve ever met, as well as a really terrific selection. I can and have spent hours in that store, and walked away with some amazing books. Last time I was there a staff member turned me on to Libba Bray’s The Diviners; before that it was Daughter of Smoke and Bone, both of which easily make my top books I’ve read in the past year.
July 1, 2013 — 5:41 AM
Frankie Brown says:
What an awesome HP indie story! Makes me melt.
July 1, 2013 — 10:24 AM
nietzschesdownfall says:
Most of the indie stores around Harrisburg are little shops with a lot of romance novels and Stephen King titles, but if you have time and really comb the place, you’ll find some good stuff. Cupboard Maker Books in Enola and the Bookworm Bookstore in Lemoyne (both towns are part of the “greater Harrisburg area”) are fine examples here, and the owners really care about their customers.
The one exception to that rule is Midtown Bookstore in Harrisburg. The place is huge and has a lot of stuff that you really can’t find elsewhere, but the owner marks the prices up really high and, from what I’m told, doesn’t treat his employees well at all. Nice place to go and get coffee and relax, but rarely would I actually buy a book from here.
July 1, 2013 — 5:47 AM
mark matthews says:
“Off the Beaten Path.” A new Indie book store opening in down town Farmington, MI. Go for their steam punk alone, or for their annual fun Zombie Walk.
July 1, 2013 — 6:35 AM
Kathleen S. Allen says:
Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor. Author talks, friendly staff, eclectic stock. I did book signings there.
July 1, 2013 — 6:56 AM
ammahler3206 says:
I used to love Powell Books when I lived in Portland. Now, I’m in Richmond. The closest one to me is Fountain Books in Shockhoe Bottom.
July 1, 2013 — 7:26 AM
Jocelyn Koehler (@jocelynk414) says:
This is all so true. I try to link to Indiebound directly (or Goodreads…tho Amazon just bought it and I’ll have to refigure that). Fantastic Fiction is also good for just providing more info on a lot of titles. My favorite indie shops to link to are Boswell Book Company (Milwaukee, WI), Borderlands (SF, CA), Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA), and Farley’s (New Hope, PA). There are tons of great indie booksellers around. Use Indiebound to find one to visit locally or when you travel. And paying a few bucks more per title is something I’m really comfortable with (full disclosure: ex-indie bookseller talking here). Amazon doesn’t host author events or book clubs, after all.
July 1, 2013 — 7:52 AM
Tia Kalla (@tiakall) says:
I had the privilege of visiting Powell’s when I went on vacation to Portland. If I lived up there, you would not be able to get me to leave. Sadly, here in my BFE town, both the ones we have (one of which isn’t even on the list) are used book resellers rather than new-and-used. Which is great for cheap impulse buys but not so great if you’re looking for something in particular. (The one in town is pretty awesome, though – their proceeds benefit a local charity.)
Having said that, the big town down the road (Atlanta) has a ton of awesome bookstores. FoxTale Book Shoppe (http://www.foxtalebookshoppe.com/) and just two days ago, Bound to Be Read Books (http://www.boundtobereadbooks.com/) have been host to writing events I’ve been to, and they’ve both been lovely. (Bound to be Read even has a cat!)
July 1, 2013 — 9:11 AM
thesexiestwriter says:
Joseph Beth is the closest really awesome meat market for book-ups for me…
http://www.josephbeth.com/
July 1, 2013 — 9:19 AM
matthue says:
I can’t agree more! I shout-out Indiebound all over the place and link whenever I can. However, assuming this is safe territory to talk about it, I wish Indiebound’s interface was a little less stiff and turn-offish.
If I want to buy online, I want a button to click to buy a book (there isn’t one). If I want to buy it locally, I want the site to tell me which bookstores have it in stock. I know it’s logistically hard, but if you want to tear customers from Amazon, that’s what it’s gonna take, I’m afraid.
July 1, 2013 — 9:33 AM
clubfredbaja says:
Otter Books in tiny Nelson, BC, Canada! http://www.bookmanager.com/1189344/
They are not only supportive of all local/regional authors (and there are a surprising amount, including James Jaros, Anne DeGrace, and Angie Abdou),but they also have a resident cat. Who can’t love a bookstore with a cat? (Besides allergy sufferers). WHO?
Otter has a separate section just for local authors, but they also keep my book in the sci-fi/fantasy section…and it is always faced!
Thanks for this, Chuck. I’m going to add the indiebound link to my site today.
July 1, 2013 — 9:39 AM
rafe says:
Oh, bookstores. I heart bookstores. The two huge indies are Powells, in Portland Oregon, which has a fairly easy-to-navigate website and booksellers with a collective heart of gold, and Tattered Cover, in Denver, which has a less easy website but also very good booksellers (full disclosure: many many years ago I was one of them). Recently I have also had delightful online experiences with Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY; Riverrun in Portsmouth, NH; Book Court, in Brooklyn; and Malaprop’s, in Asheville, NC.
I like using indies as much as possible. I haven’t bought a book (or anything else) from Amazon since 2005 or 2006, and while it is a pain in the butt to pay more for books, I’d rather pay more to real booksellers who support authors than give more money to Bezos and Amazon.
Also, while Indiebound really is a fantastic way to find either a local indie store or a store that will happily act as your indie store by proxy, even if it’s far away, another way to find bookstores you like and want to support is to follow them on Twitter. That will give you a sense of what bookstores share your sensibilities, who is funny or snarky, how they talk about their customers, and different ways in which they are awesome.
July 1, 2013 — 9:41 AM
Nicole Cushing says:
I have a solid indie in my neck of the woods. Unfortunately, they seem unwelcoming to newer genre authors…Hell, ANY genre author, now that I think of it. (An email request for a reading/signing a few years ago was met with…silence).
I enjoy literary fiction, but based on what I’ve seen & heard, these folks seem to have a dated notion of the literary/genre divide.
On the other hand, Amazon embraces genre fiction. (It’s one of the few stores that maintains a stand-alone horror section…granted, it can probably only do that because its shelves are virtual & practically limitless…but the point stands.).
The problem w/ indies is that the reader/customer is held hostage to the tastes of the store owners. And, depending on the owners, that can be a very narrow taste.
So, why should I exert myself trying to play ball with the local indie when there’s little return on investment?
July 1, 2013 — 10:03 AM
Megan M. says:
Apparently the nearest indie bookstore to me is over 70 miles away (I live in East Texas.) Sadder still, my actual town has NO BOOKSTORE of any kind. Not even a used bookstore. Someone should really jump on this market. I want an indie bookstore, WITH a cat.
July 1, 2013 — 9:47 AM
zdmarriott says:
Chuck, just a note from a UK author. HIVE is shit. Really. Booksellers get maybe a 5% share of any sales made through that site. Local booksellers that I have met have told me they hate it. Sadly none of them have anything better to offer, though. Personally, I divide links up between Amazon (because I think the review rating system is valuable) Book Depo (because there’s a year long delay between my books coming out in the UK and the US and that’s the only site many readers can afford to order them through, with the free postage) and Foyles, which is an indie bookshop in London that does have an online store. But if local bookshops really want their local authors to support them, the best way is a) set up a good online facility to sell books and b) stock the local author’s books. Sadly, many independent bookshops don’t do either. Why would you link to a store that has a single, outdated webpage with a photo of the storefront and their name and address, and which doesn’t sell your stuff anyway? All the fault is not with the authors in this situation.
July 1, 2013 — 9:48 AM
terribleminds says:
That’s useful to know. Is Hive still functional in the sense you can use it to, say, source a local bookstore?
— c.
July 1, 2013 — 10:05 AM
zdmarriott says:
It’s OK for that, although not the greatest – stores have to register to be included and pay a fee to HIVE (IIRC) so not all small indies will appear when you type in your location. It’s also quite difficult to navigate; you put a book in your basket and then have to do all kinds of messing around to get the site to deliver the book to the local shop of your choice, where you will then have to go to collect it.
I think the basic problem (in the UK), apart from the fact that we have far less indie bookshops than the US, is that indie bookshop owners really, in their heart of hearts, just want to get people to walk through their front doors into their shops. Most of them haven’t developed any kind of effective e-store, and collectively they haven’t developed an effective group ordering/clearing system (like Indiebound) because that’s not how they want things to work. They want customers in their shops buying from them, not online ordering from their website. It’s understandable, but it does make it a bit rich for them to be complaining about authors linking to an online retailer which is *designed* to be linked to, when they don’t generally offer anything to replace it.
July 1, 2013 — 10:27 AM
Christian Schoon (@cjschoon) says:
Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City. They hosted my own humble book launch and could not have been more professional, considerate and welcoming to a first-time YA sci fi/fantasy author like me. They also sold all the copies they had on hand of my book and racked up a waiting list for add’l. copies. Ditto for New Bo Books (PL’s sister ship up in Cedar Rapids). A few weeks later, New Bo hosted another event and they again depleted their stock of the book and said they’d be ordering more. What can I say? My Indies rock. And, thanks for your post pointing out the fact that most authors need to hit up both Indie-types and Amazon if they’re serious about staying in the game. JMHO, of course….
July 1, 2013 — 10:07 AM
Stephen Blackmoore says:
Mysterious Galaxy hands down. Aside from the fact that they’re local to me, they also pay attention to existing outside the walls of their store. They handle a lot of book sales for cons in Southern California and Arizona like the Phoenix and San Diego Comic-Cons, writing events, arranging author panels, etc.
They also sell books for us at Noir At The Bar L.A. Other stores we asked to participate were… not receptive.
July 1, 2013 — 10:29 AM
Eric H. says:
I like bookstores. I like them a lot. I support the continued operation and existence of pretty much every kind of bookstore. And I notice and approve when authors, reviewers, publishers, etc post links to multiple ways to buy books.
However, I find the frequently blogged idea of the indie bookstore to be entirely foreign to the reality of shopping in one. I’ve been to independent bookstores in several states, in towns and cities of widely varying size. Not once have I seen one actively try to sell me anything, or share some cool new discovery. For the most part, indie bookstore staff sit behind their counters and read. Or knit. Or read and knit. They’re generally happy to help if you have a question or a specific book you’re looking for, but so are the people in the little kiosk thing in the middle of Barnes and Noble.
In fact, the only bookseller I can think of in my experience where I saw anything like the enthusiasm I see written of so often was in the Hastings near my university. (Hastings is/was a books/music/movies/video rental chain down south.)
I’ve been to the most lauded independent bookstores in my current area, and the experience was the same one I’ve come to expect. Not objectionable, certainly, but nothing to get excited about either.
July 1, 2013 — 10:29 AM
Frankie Brown says:
Avid Bookshop (http://avidbookshop.com/) is the only indie in Athens, GA. I’m lucky enough to work there! Our shop is only 750 sq feet, but we have an awesome assortment of authors, poets and scribes stop by. Our biggest author events come from authors walking in randomly and falling in love with the shop and Athens. Though we’re still new, we’re thriving. And we love our authors!
July 1, 2013 — 10:32 AM
Danielle Nguyen says:
I frequent Anderson’s in Naperville, IL (http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/) and Boswell’s in Milwaukee, WI (http://boswell.indiebound.com/). I live in Madison, WI and we’re desperately in need of a good indie here in town. Anderson’s and Boswell’s are definitely worth the drive though.
July 1, 2013 — 11:21 AM
Ellen M. Gregg says:
Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water Street, Exeter, NH, aka Dan Brown’s favorite indie bookstore. (www.waterstreetbooks.com/) It’s a little over 7 miles from my front step, and full of dead-tree goodness which its knowledgeable staff knows plenty about. (I’ll add: I no longer buy print books. Even so, I love to browse the shelves and surreptitiously sniff that ink-on-paper scent.)
July 1, 2013 — 11:21 AM
martintcahill says:
I work for BN, so they do have a special place in my heart. I have a very nice, small-ish local store (compared to others), and it was far more my home away from home before I started getting paid to be there.
But as far as other stores, I love love love the madness of The Strand in NYC. Such a labyrinth of stories. And right after that is The Bookhouse in Albany, NY, Stuyvesant Plaza. It was the local indie store rightby my alma mater, and I could spend hours in there. Cozy, quiet and full of stories.
July 1, 2013 — 11:35 AM
Jeff Xilon says:
Ah, Mr. Wendig, you walk the sane path again. I actually just read an article the other day about this subject on the blog of an independant publisher. The name of the post was “There are exactly zero defensible reasons for authors to link to Amazon.” I stopped following them on twitter after reading that. Of course authors should link indie bookstores, but they should also feel free to link to anyone selling their books, especially Amazon.
As for favorite bookstore mine is an indie bookstore here in Korea called What the Book that has a little store up in Seoul I’ve never been too but also sells through their website. They have carved a niche for themselves in this country as THE best option for phsyical books or comics in English. Sometimes their prices and delivery times even beat Amazon!
July 1, 2013 — 12:37 PM
pioneercynthia says:
I’m all about Boswell Books in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Sadly, the much-loved Harry W. Schwartz books is no longer operational.) I also love Lowry’s Books and More in Three Rivers, Michigan. Hyde Brothers Bookstore in Fort Wayne, Indiana is fantastic. Better World Books has a storefront in Goshen, Indiana that is superlative.
I generally try to find an independent bookseller whenever possible, especially when I’m traveling. They’re always nice people who can often give other good community-oriented tips like where to find good coffee and restaurants.
That being said, I *do* go to Barnes & Noble. Sometimes it’s the only option available. Better a chain bookstore (and once upon a time, they *were* an independent bookseller…) than no bookstore at all.
July 1, 2013 — 12:45 PM
Leifthesailor says:
Downtown Books in Auburn, NY just opened up 3 years ago. They are having an assortment of author events and signings to celebrate the big three years of being open for business.
July 1, 2013 — 12:52 PM
Simon says:
Bakka — http://www.bakkaphoenixbooks.com/ — up here in Toronto, Canada deserves a mention. They, along with our library system kept me in books all throughout my youth, and continue to well serve our SF/Fantasy/Horror market.
July 1, 2013 — 12:55 PM
Shirley says:
Changing Hands Bookstore!!! They’ve been around forEVER, starting out as a little hippie used books store who started carrying new titles, and not only are they still around, but moved to a much bigger location (with MUCH better parking!), and host all of the local signings. They love books, they love authors, poets and other creative people, and they are NICE!
http://www.changinghands.com/
July 1, 2013 — 1:00 PM
Nancy says:
Tattered Cover (Denver), awesome
Powell’s (Portland), also awesome
July 1, 2013 — 1:14 PM
Remi Jones says:
I live in Los Angeles and off the top of my head I can think of more that aren’t around anymore than ones that are still in business. (There is something very wrong with that sentence but I’m too sleepy to figure it out. Don’t judge me). Everyone loves Book Soup but it’s too much of a scene for me. Small World Books in Venice is pretty great with that old paper smell and antiquated bookshelves. Very friendly too.
http://www.smallworldbooks.com/
July 1, 2013 — 2:14 PM
Simon says:
Bakka Phoenix Books, Toronto, Canada… Oh wait… Another Simon beat me to it. :p
July 1, 2013 — 2:18 PM
ergeller57 says:
Oldest, best, largest indie in the world, ever: The Book Revue on Long Island, NY. Family owned since the seventies and still doing it right. I had my first book signing event there. They were terrific. We raised over $5,000 for charity by selling a ton of books. NYC has a great indie book resurgence happening. Agree with the link recommendation, should be SOP on every author’s blog, website, etc.
July 1, 2013 — 2:42 PM
Laura Szafranski says:
When I first moved to Pittsburgh 11 years ago, my then fiance, now husband was all a quiver about showing me the indie bookstore (Eljay’s Used Books @eljaysbooks http://eljaysbks.com/ 3233 W. Liberty Ave, Pgh, PA 15216) a mere block from his childhood home. Every couple of months we would stop in a see what was going on. When we moved across the city we found some months later that Eljay’s had moved as well. And as luck would have it, they had moved A LOT closer to us.
Eljay’s specializes in SciFi and Fantasy, but do carry a variety of books in the other genres and if they don’t have it, Chris will find it for you! And if she can’t, she is very gracious about recommending a place to find it. She’s cool that way. They buy and trade as well. I highly recommend Eljay’s if you’re ever in Pittsburgh and looking for something to read!
July 1, 2013 — 2:49 PM
matthewclarkleach says:
Its a sad state of affairs on this side of the pond as the indie bookshop community has dwindled significantly over the past few years to now only, primarily, being found in the big cities. So, for someone like me who lives in South East England the nearest is in London and by the time you pay the extortionate rail fairs for the hours journey, you have no money left for books!
July 1, 2013 — 3:54 PM
Rebecca Prescott says:
Try living on the Isle of Man dude. We have a Waterstones and some other random one that seems to buy up end-of-run boxes of books in bulk that nobody else wanted. 🙁
July 13, 2013 — 2:40 PM
Courtney says:
Sadly, there are no local indie bookstores in my area. The local public library sells its extra books and also promotes local authors very well.
But I always make sure to hit indie bookstores when I’m traveling because they make life better. Like bacon on a cheeseburger.
Some of my favorites are Books of Interest in Santa Fe, NM and Capitol Hill Books of Denver, CO. Tattered Cover in Denver is also pretty awesome, although it doesn’t really offer any used books.
July 1, 2013 — 6:07 PM
Mari Adkins says:
Who are your favorite bookstores? – The Morris Book Shop
Where are they? – Chevy Chase, Lexington KY
Why do you love ‘em? – They love Kentucky as much as I do. 🙂 They also love their local Kentucky people, whether they’re readers, writers, or whatevers. It’s a great place to go.
July 1, 2013 — 7:29 PM
butimbeautiful says:
I don’t think I have any indie bookstores near me (in my city in Australia). They’ve all shut down because of kindle and so on! But your article spurs me to look into it.
July 1, 2013 — 8:38 PM
Michael R. Underwood says:
The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore, MD is my new friendly local indie. They host a SF/F Book Club I attend, and their SF section is labeled Speculative Fiction, which I think rocks.
Other favorites include:
Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Cincinatti, OH, Lexinton, OH, etc.), who for my money, are some of the best bookstores in the country. They have the space of a big box store but the charm and expert bookselling befitting their status as a leading independent. They’re tremendously supportive of authors both local and visiting, and their in-house cafe is really cool.
McLean and Eakin Booksellers (Petoskey, MI) is co-owned by two of my favorite booksellers – Matt and Jessalyn Norcross. They keep abreast and on top of shifts in the industry, and the store has charm and personality falling off its shelves.
Prairie Lights Booksellers (Iowa City, IA) have an incredible SF/F section, they’re great supporters of Angry Robot, and they help keep Iowa City one of the reading-est towns in the midwest. Their adult buyer, Paul Ingram, might be one of the smartest men in bookselling that I have the pleasure of knowing.
July 1, 2013 — 9:23 PM
Amanda says:
I’ve got to echo the many shout-outs to Powell’s, even though it’s a three hour drive from where I live. There’s something about needing a map to navigate a bookstore that just has me squealing with glee.
I’m also a fan of Elliott Bay Books, my favorite place to go for literary fiction (though I wish they’d stock more genre fiction) and Third Place Books. I love that I can walk into Third Place and find the used books on the same shelves as the new books. It makes them easier to find.
That said, almost all of the used bookstores around here seem to have a cat or four. It’s like a thing.
July 1, 2013 — 9:24 PM
Sandra Lindsey says:
The Book House in Thame, Oxfordshire. I don’t live there anymore, but I’d love to be able to go there still.
Thank you for the link to Hive, I had not heard of it before (how?? HOW had I not heard of it??) and I shall mow spend many happy hours browsing around it…
…erm, actually maybe I should eat and do some writing first. But I’m definitely keeping the tab open!
July 2, 2013 — 3:45 PM
Susan Spann says:
The closest one to Sacramento, I think, is Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills (tried to link but their website appears to be down for maintenance…gah!). It’s a great store – they host lots of signings (including my upcoming launch) and the owner is really nice.
July 2, 2013 — 6:45 PM
Rochelle Melander (@WriteNowCoach) says:
Gotta give a shout for Daniel Goldin and Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee. A great store that hosts many fantastic author events.
July 8, 2013 — 6:50 PM
Jen says:
The Northshire Bookstore, in Manchester, Vermont. After becoming a bookworm in elementary school, I soon outgrew our tiny local bookstore and miniscule library. My folks would drive me the half hour north to visit the then seemingly-enormous bookstore to spend my allowance. After college I came back to the area and they’d expanded to probably twice the size (litorgasms!) and I’ve never given up on them as my favorite bookstore in the world.
July 9, 2013 — 4:16 PM
Catherine Lundoff says:
Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s Bookstore (Minneapolis), DreamHaven Books, Art and Comics (Minneapolis), Subtext and Addendum Books (St. Paul) and Other Change of Hobbit (Berkeley, CA).
July 22, 2013 — 4:08 PM