Today is Independent Bookstore Day in the U.S., postponed from its previously scheduled date of April 25. Sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, some 600+ stores around the country are planning on participating in the event, which will this year be taking place mostly virtually, although some stores will have limited on-site events. Like many businesses, these indie bookstores have been largely limping along during the pandemic, with many seeing sales drop by as much as 30-60%. So this is a perfect way to help show your support during these difficult times.
Many of the mystery-themed bookstores are planning on joining in the festivities, with some sample features to include Mysterious Galaxy, which is participating in a Virtual San Diego Book Crawl, where you can win pins, prints, totes, and t-shirts by spending money in participating stores; Murder by the Book in Houston is featuring a conversation between James Lee Burke and Stephen King on YouTube; The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale will have two virtual chats, Sophie Hannah discussing The Killings at Kingfisher Hill and Alex Pavesi discussing The Eighth Detective from 1-2 pm, and also Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent discussing the anthology, The Deadly Hours, from 2-3; and Madison, Wisconsin's Mystery to Me is celebrating the day by reopening to in-store customers as well as offering exclusive merchandise and a few special surprises.
But you can support your local indie bookstore just by ordering books (and not just today). For a listing of stores participating in Independent Bookstore Day, follow this link; for a listing of all indie bookstores, click here; and if you'd like to support Black-owned bookstores, here's a helpful list.
No comments:
Post a Comment