Independent bookstores are pillars of their local communities—some bookstores are also coffee shops or wine bars, some of them focus on children and host storytelling, some are the go-to spot for the hottest book launches. Independent bookstores are where you can pick up a copy from your favorite author and open it up to see that it’s autographed.
Selling books is more than enough to make a simple retail space magical. But independent bookstores are owned by your neighbors. They’re the place where people can develop careers in the publishing industry, where you can get recommendations from a person with taste instead of an algorithm with no personality. They’re part of your family, your home.
As an author, the basic relationship between you and a bookstore is that you make the product and the store sells the product. But in a world where small businesses are struggling, and because Amazon ran a sale that overlapped with Independent Bookstore Day, you may want to do more.
Respect the Business
Independent bookstores are, by their nature, smaller than Amazon; they can only carry so much inventory. And if you aren’t a big name who will bring in a lot of business, they can’t exactly fill their shelves with your backlist and still be able to pay rent.
If you’re a self-published author, not all bookstores will agree to carry your books. You might even have had some bad experiences with trying to talk to staff about taking a few copies and then being sent away.
Before you write a nasty review online, take a breath. Remember, the bookstore isn’t there to lift you, specifically, up as a literary genius. What was your pitch to the shop? Are you a local author, or are you just passing through town with a box of books in the trunk of your car? The bookstore is a business with bills to pay, and if you don’t have an actual connection to the people and community, they don’t owe you any shelf space. So whenever you approach a shop about stocking your books, be polite and have a reasonable argument as to why you’re a good fit for their customers.
And as a shopper—you are shopping from your local shop, right?—try not to complain about rising prices at the register. Books are expensive, even paperbacks, and for a whole host of reasons. None of those reasons are the fault, or choice, of anyone who is asking if you need a bag for your purchases.
Show Up
If your local shop hosts events like readings, book launches, and book clubs, actually show up! Pay the entrance fee if there is one, reserve a space ahead of time, and send money to the Venmo account they have set up at the drinks table.
Hosting events is a lot of work, and small businesses like bookstores wouldn’t bother if they weren’t important for the business. Having a regular turnout can help shops attract popular authors for signings and make a more meaningful impact on the community. It’s also common for small businesses to team up—maybe with a local baker to provide special desserts while another local vendor runs a DJ station, all while everyone is having fun and forming deeper bonds with their neighbors.
There’s no downside to leaving your couch every so often to sip wine and peruse the shelves after hours, especially when the cost is often much less than a night out at a bar. It’s great for your shop, and you’ll probably start making new friends as the faces around you become more familiar.
Work Together
Speaking of small businesses teaming up, authors are their own small business. And we’ve already established that authors and bookstores go hand in hand like no other business relationship.
If your local bookstore does carry your books, consider how you can boost their sales and your own at the same time. Maybe have your launch there and have the price of entry be buying a copy of your new book from the store, a very reasonable practice that you might already be implementing. But are you linking to your local shop’s website on your social media, or are you sending readers finding you online to, well, online vendors?
But what can you do for the shop when you aren’t the person with a new book? Can you bring in writer friends and host a Q&A? Can you sign backstock whenever you have a few minutes to stop in with a marker? It sounds silly, but if you have a following as a writer, a simple photo of the front door is free advertising for the shop on your social media feed.
Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a Friend
Both independent bookstores and authors, independent or traditionally published, are in a tight spot these days. You’re trying to sell your wares and make money like anyone else, but you simply can’t beat tech giants on price and convenience.
Never forget that people also express their values through their wallets. Whether that means developing a healthy, respectful relationship with the person who is responsible for buying the books that go on the bookshelves or helping small businesses prove their worth as community gathering spaces, you both offer something an app never could: heart.
Chelsea Ennen is a writer living in Brooklyn with her husband and her dog. When not writing or reading, she is a fiber and textile artist who sews, knits, crochets, weaves, and spins.
