A Book in Time would like to spotlight BookShop.org
They are a reputable and community-friendly company focused on helping independent bookstores to survive and thrive. Let's get to know them a little better:
Our Mission:
To help local, independent bookstores thrive in the age of e-commerce.
Our Vision:
We work to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. We believe local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster culture, curiosity and a love of reading, and we are committed to helping them survive and thrive. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.
“The Rebel Alliance standing up to the Amazon Empire.” - Chicago Tribune
Our Story:
Bookshop.org began as an idea to help support bookstores and their communities at a time when more and more people were buying their books online. We saw an opportunity to create an alternative to Amazon for socially-conscious online shoppers. Amazon sells over 60% of all books in the US and is growing. That shift threatens the future of bookstores and will hurt readers, authors, and publishers who rely on a diverse, healthy ecosystem for books. We had a better idea — to give readers the convenience of online shopping while supporting independent bookstores simultaneously.
We launched in January 2020 with just 88 bookstore partners and a team of four passionate book people.
As the COVID-19 pandemic surged, our growing platform helped our community of independent booksellers survive shutdowns. That spring, traffic to Bookshop.org hit 1 million users in a single day. By the end of 2020, we had grown to over 1,000 bookstores, raised over ten million dollars for our profit-sharing pool, and 78% of our customers said they regularly bought books from Amazon before they made the switch.
Bookshop.org has since expanded internationally, launching Bookshop.org UK and Bookshop.org Spain. As a Climate Neutral company, we are committed to operating sustainably. Certified as a B Corp, Bookshop.org puts our mission and the public good above financial interests, giving over 80% of our profit margin to independent bookstores. Our governance documents state that we will never sell the company to Amazon or any major U.S. retailer.
“Because of Bookshop.org, I'm not concerned about our viability ... I can thrive rather than just survive.” — Noëlle Santos, The Lit. Bar, Bronx, NY.
How Bookshop.org Works:
We ship your books from our wholesaler's warehouse directly to you, handle the customer service and overhead, and the bookstores get the profit.
Our Community:
Bookshop.org partners with over 1,400 independent bookstores. If you'd like to find a specific bookstore to support, you can find them on our map, and they'll receive the full profit from your order. Otherwise, your order will contribute to an earnings pool that is evenly distributed among independent bookstores.
If you are an author, a publisher, a book club member, or even a book-lover with an Instagram feed, you can sign up as an affiliate on Bookshop.org. Our affiliate program pays a 10% commission on every sale and donates a matching 10% to independent bookstores. Start your own shop, share links to the reads you love, and be rewarded for your advocacy of books.
“These funds mean more than money. It means community to me. And for that, I will be forever grateful.” — Fawn Fernandes, owner, Curious Capybara Bookshop
How You Can Help:
Let's fight for local, independent bookstores to get their fair share of direct-to-home online book sales and increase the market size for all bookstores.
- Always try to buy directly from independent bookstores when you can!
- Get the word out! Tell your friends and family, and post on social media: let book buyers know there's a better way to buy books online.
- #maketheswitch and always link directly to your favorite indie bookstore website or Bookshop.org instead of Amazon.
- If you're a publisher, author, influencer, or cultural organization, become an affiliate and use Bookshop.org links in your content, social media, digital advertising, and email marketing. You'll earn a commission AND help preserve indie bookstores!
- If you are a library or school that gets books from Amazon or uses Amazon registries for book donations, you can switch to Bookshop.org wishlists, and all your purchases will raise money for indie bookstores.
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