Right now I’m working on a feature story about independent bookstores and how they are preparing for the holiday shopping season. One owner I talked to is going into her first holiday season owning her store and said she’s excited, but also nervous because she’s not sure what to expect. Another told me he’d been forced to cut his only full-time staff member and one part-time staff member in the last month because the economic crisis has been so hard on his used book store. These stories aren’t uncommon, but they made a big impact on me as I was reporting today.
Thinking about all of these things today convinced me to for sure commit to the Buy Books for the Holidays campaign. This effort, hosted by Amy and 10 other book bloggers, is just a quest to get people who love books to help out the book industry by buying books for the holidays this year. It can be really hard to pick out books for people, but after speaking with the bookstore owners today I can assure you they will all be more than willing to help you find the book you need if you make the trip into their store. You can sign up for it here.
I’m sort of overwhelmed and sorting through all of the reporting I’ve done over the last several days, so I don’t have many more coherent things to say right now. The economy is making things tough for everyone right now, and as dippy and innocent as it sounds, I really do think little things can make a difference. Support local businesses, make a statement with what you decide to purchase, and share our community love of books with as many people as you can.
This post is part of National Blog Posting Month for the month of November. You can find out more about NaBloPoMo here and view my NaBloPoMo profile page here. Thanks for reading!
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I try to support local businesses and I also try to buy American made products whenever I can.
I signed up for this too, I’ve always tended to buy books as gifts so I think it’s a wonderful endeavor.
You must be having a wonderful time with your story on Indie shops, it sounds fascinating!
Great post. And it sounds like it is going to be an interesting article you are writing. Independent bookstores in Denmark have a hard time keeping themselves above water these days. Well actually it is not a new thing, it has been like that for a long time. But many independent bookstores “discovered” the internet before the larger chains did, and keep going by also having an online store for those not close by or preferring to do their shopping online.
I always buy at least a handful of books as gifts. We are a reading family and I can usually find books for parents, in-laws, siblings and nephews. I actually enjoy most of all giving the nephews books (I have three nephews and the two oldest ones (5 and 9) are turning out to be both critical and interested readers).
Have a nice evening and thanks for a great post.
Louise
Thanks for your support Kim!
We’re going to host a virtual holiday tour of indie bookstores as part of the blog…pass on the info the shop owners if you get a chance, I think it could be really cool!
Sounds great! Can’t wait to read your post!
bermudaonion: I always want to buy local, but then end up making some excuse about being poor and don’t do it. And for stuff like groceries and everyday needs, I don’t feel that guilty. But books are sort of like a luxury item, so I think I can be more noble about it and start to make a statement with where I choose to spend my money.
Joanne: It’s a really interesting story, I’m just afraid I’m not doing it justice. We’ll see how the whole piece comes together this week.
Louise: I think finding a way to have an online presence is going to be huge for independent bookstores. It’s hard to do though, with limited money and manpower.
Amy: I’m excited! And thank you for answering all my questions for the interview.
monnibo: Thanks!
Glad to have you on board with Buy Books for the Holidays! I hope your article comes together well.
alierambles: Thanks, I hope so too! I have a writing workshop on it tomorrow, so we’ll see how it is after that.