As if it wasn’t bad enough that Amazon was already driving them out of business independent bookstores are now having to deal with the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting economic depression. Not to mention damage incurred during the George Floyd protests. Some of them may not survive all this turmoil. In fact, I just found out that the used bookstore located near my office that I used to frequent on my lunch break, Half Price Books, just went out of business. More beloved institutions are likely to follow.
Thankfully, there may be a way to save other independent bookstores from this fate. A newly developed service known as Bookshop that aims to pool together independent bookstores, help them embrace e-commerce, and then share in the profits of their joint venture.
Explains Wired:
“Here’s how it works: For someone buying a book, Bookshop won’t be much different from Amazon…They click, they spend, they get what they picked out. The real difference is in how the profits are split up and how people discover the books they buy in the first place. Ten percent of all the profits will be divided among independent bookstores every six months; in exchange, these shops will lend support to the mission by promoting Bookshop to their customers.”
So far, it seems to be working. To date Bookshop has raised over $3 million dollars for these bookstores to divvy up and that’s a figure that’s likely to rise as more people hear about the service and decide to take part. Just like I have. That’s right. I’m now the proud owner of “Greatest. Books. Ever.” thanks to their affiliate program that lets anyone set up their own virtual bookstore in exchange for 10% of future sales.
Obviously, I’m not expecting to break the bank with my online storefront. Even if my lists featuring the Greatest Science and Greatest Innovation Books Of All-Time are killer if I do say so myself. But at the same time it’s nice to know that I may be helping independent booksellers stave off the Evil Empire that Amazon has become.
Is Bookshop the Greatest Idea Ever?
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