#indiebookstores
Photo
★ Have you been to the bookstore recently? We did some used bookstore shopping back in April when we were out or state—but it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been to any of our local bookstores. 😅 Hoping for the chance to go in a few weeks, though! This is one of my happy places. ♥️ ★ HASHTAGS // #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bookaddict #smallshops #indiebookstores #instabook #bookish #bookgram #bookseverywhere #reading #booksbooksbooks #booksgalore #coverlove #goodreads #bookquotes #morebooks #yabooks #bookstack #bookstore #usedbooks #usedbookstore #bookshopping #shopsmall #bookshelf #shelfie #fantasybooks #acotar #gameofthrones #thewitcher (at Grassroots Books) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFpNHyL8D-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#bookstagram#bookworm#booklover#bookaddict#smallshops#indiebookstores#instabook#bookish#bookgram#bookseverywhere#reading#booksbooksbooks#booksgalore#coverlove#goodreads#bookquotes#morebooks#yabooks#bookstack#bookstore#usedbooks#usedbookstore#bookshopping#shopsmall#bookshelf#shelfie#fantasybooks#acotar#gameofthrones#thewitcher
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
My first Book Club meeting...
If you're ever invited to a book club meeting- you should go! Food, books, and friends. What I discovered might surprise you!
Day 11 of 365 days. 354 days left to go.
I went to my first in-person book club meeting a couple of days ago. After work. In person. At night.
I think that alone should qualify me for some type of award.
I have never been to a book club meeting before. This is ironic because I have been invited to join this club every year for the last 10 years.
But I finally got the nerve to go and…
View On WordPress
#AmWriting#bloggerlife#bookclub#booktok#fantasywriter#indieauthor#indiebookstores#mythsandlegends theravensociety#theravensociety#writer#writerslife#writingcommunity
0 notes
Photo
Happy #independentbookstoreday in advance to my favorite #indiebookstores - @vintagebookshop @birdhousebookstore @daedalusbookspdx @broadwaybooks @crookedhousebooks @powellsbooks - I love and appreciate you all! Thank you for all the good #reading - In celebration I drew this cartoon of a #cat in a #independentbookstore with #ink and #gouache in my #sketchbook (Swipe to see my full #cartoon ) (at Vancouver, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CrmE0NVSOAh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#independentbookstoreday#indiebookstores#reading#cat#independentbookstore#ink#gouache#sketchbook#cartoon
0 notes
Text
We’re having a great time at Towne Book Center in Collegeville, PA their local author faire. Stop by and pick up your next favorite read!
0 notes
Photo
What a road-trip! So glad to have visited each of these bookstores during the last couple weeks of June. Each was unique with the exception of one thing, they love each reader that walks through the door! Hope ROWDY and I made as much an impact on them as they did on us. I’d love to hear if he did and would love to come back for another visit one day! Watch out for a Gulf Coast Time to get Rowdy road-trip coming up in a couple of weeks! 🤠 Stay Rowdy y’all! chrismullenwrites.com ***Rowdy is available via INGRAM or through Wise Wolf Books!*** #readrowdy #indiebookstores #shoplocal #shopindiebookstores #colorado #wyoming #montana #utah #newmexico #texas #texasauthor #tatteredcover #readingthewest #read #bookstore #authorsofinstagram #readingcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CgIkjU2Of5h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#readrowdy#indiebookstores#shoplocal#shopindiebookstores#colorado#wyoming#montana#utah#newmexico#texas#texasauthor#tatteredcover#readingthewest#read#bookstore#authorsofinstagram#readingcommunity
0 notes
Text
youtube
One of the great things about being an indie book seller is that I get to sell whatever books I want. My online store has a very eclectic mix of used books in hardback, paperback and even Adobe PDF. I am working on adding more new books from local authors. Do you support your local indie bookstore?
#IndieBookstores#SupportLocalAuthors#CreateYourOwnBookstore#WritingIsABusiness#women writers#Youtube
0 notes
Photo
If you are on our email list, you know that last Monday @sistahscifi and @oaklandiacafexbakery were featured in KQED!!! Today, the story will air nationally on @npr 's @hereandnowradio Both Sistah Scifi and Oaklandia or proud Oaklandia Black Business Fund Grant @blackbusinessfund recipients. Reposted @kqed Book vending machines are a growing trend across the country — and at @oaklandiacafexbakery in downtown Oakland, you can now find one curating Afrofuturist books. “There's stuff for children, young readers, young adults and adults,” says Isis Asare, who created and runs the online bookstore @SistahScifi. “Primarily the focus is Black speculative fiction and Indigenous speculative fiction, written mostly by women.” Head to the link in our bio for more. ✍️: Ariana Proehl @arianakss 📸: Kori Suzuki @korisuzukiphoto Quotes: @angeladalton_author author of TO BOLDLY GO LD Lewis (@ellethevillain) of @fiyahlitmag @IsisAsare CEO of Sistah Scifi #SistahScifi #OaklandBlackBusiness #IndieBookstore #BlackOwnedBookStore #Afrofuturism (at Oaklandia Cafe) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdARRTrEAn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
171 notes
·
View notes
Text
Went to Stories in Echo Park this past weekend, and I love how cozy it is there. Perfect part bookstore part coffee shop with tons of paperback options.
46 notes
·
View notes
Text
Books read in June 2022
THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER by Emily X.R. Pan
SCOUT IS NOT A BAND KID by Jade Armstrong
THE ROOF OVER OUR HEADS by Nicole Kronzer
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin
THIEVES by Lucie Bryon
WELCOME TO ST. HELL by Lewis Hancox
#books#booksread#bookstagram#bookgram#bibliophile#bookseller#readinglist#readingrecs#indiebookstore#illustratedbooks#bookworm#read#reader#reading#watercolor#ya#literature#fiction#bookcovers#bookdesign#bookjacket#art#librarybooks#minibooks#middlegrade#graphicnovels
68 notes
·
View notes
Text
50 Years of Island Books: Roger Page, Part 1
Roger Page says even though his wife Nancy’s successful wedding floral business was more profitable than Island Books in the early days, they committed to Island Books because the scheduling and lifestyle were a better fit for having a family. Nancy Page would tell you that her final and most enjoyable career was the 15 years she spent working at Island Books. These days both Pages are enjoying their retirement, still reading plenty of books and traveling to visit those not-so-small children, Emma and Lewis, who were the deciding factor in ownership of Island Books all those years ago.
Miriam: Roger, tell me what it was like during the first month you owned Island Books. Did you have a moment that made you realize what you could bring to the community?
Roger: Remembering the first month of owning Island Books is hard. It's a bit like the frog in the boiling water story. You sit in the pot for a long time enjoying the warmth, and suddenly, you realize you're the one being cooked. In 1984 I called every bookstore in Seattle looking for a "Christmas season" job, and Island Books was the only one that called back. I did realize in the first month that I was very lucky to have landed in a much-loved bookstore on an affluent island. I was the only male and only full-time employee among 19 well-educated part-time women. Everyone was recognized, everyone was appreciative, and everyone really read. The bookstore felt big, full of surprises, and full of energy.
I decided to stay on and went to something called Bookseller School the next spring. Full of "new ideas," I returned, and thanks everlasting to the generous and kind three women (Marge Wilkens, Fam Bayless, and Elinor MacDonald) that ran the store, they made space for me and entertained my ideas. I didn't deserve a seat at the table, but I think it was easier to deal with me than all their friends that worked with them. After a year, I was titled "floor manager," I focused on streamlining the systems, culling the aging inventory, and rebuilding sagging shelves. The customers were great, but not friends yet and there was much to be simplified, for the store had suffered a bit from too many cooks. I was single and willing to heft, nail, or come in early or late.
After six years, I really felt I had found my calling, and I was married to Nancy, the wedding florist, who came to work at the store later down the road in 2000. As we began to think about a family, I approached the ladies about buying in, and they again took a generous and gracious turn and said they would back me if I wanted to take the reins alone. So with a Volkswagen bus as collateral, we had a lovely afternoon drinking fine Washington wine and signing the papers at the Bayless home. What changed in the first few months of owning the store was that the community began to recognize me.
I had a role and a responsibility to maintain the standards of hospitality and good books. Honestly, supported by the ladies, I felt confident and excited and loved making real friends of all ages and stripes. I (and eventually Nancy) had fallen into the arms of a big warm family, and I loved coming to work and unlocking the door each morning.
Miriam: Tell me about when the unmentionable online and big box retailers came on the scene. What were the in-store clues that wisdom and humanity could endure up against the algorithms?
Roger: My time at Island Books from the late eighties to 2015 parallels the most dramatic period of change in the history of the book retail industry. In some ways, we were the canary in the coal mine for a set of revolutions in the information industry and general retail. When I started, we were in the mom-and-pop store era of bookstores. This model led to great diversity, strong community ties, and low competition between stores. People (especially people on Mercer Island) had their store, and the store was catering to that community as much as making a profit.
Everything began to shift in the late eighties. First, it was a trickle of Walden and B. Dalton chain stores in Seattle. I wrote a now prescient memo—you can look at our old blog post about that infamous memo here—
https://mercerislandbooks.tumblr.com/post/62015474728/island-books-in-1986
about the specter of the discount chain of Waldenbooks and the need to strengthen our service and ties to the community. Then the first direct blow to business came in 1993 when Barnes and Noble opened a big box store in Bellevue. We had always prided ourselves on our children's section, and overnight there was a store twice our size 10 minutes away. Then Costco became more popular and, as a sign of things to come, they used books as a loss leader and broad-based customer attractor. Finally, Microsoft and personal computers made their mark on homes in the early 90s. The bookstore as a storehouse of knowledge for adults and kids faded fast when they could look it up "on their computer."
Honestly, my reaction to these existential changes was largely terror. I was starting a young family, the store was our sole means of support, and it seemed like a new battle to fight every year. We reacted by working hard to speed up our special-order business ("We don't have that title but can get it for you Wednesday!") and to emphasize our free shipping and the expertise of the booksellers. The community appreciated our efforts, and despite plenty of dips and valleys, we continued to grow slowly despite the competition. In the late 90s, Amazon arrived and presented a different magnitude of the challenge. For the first time between the growth of the web and Amazon's "free" home delivery, many customers never saw the need to visit our store.
If we never saw them, our knowledge and service would be useless. So, we turned our focus toward marketing and events doing all we could to draw them in. This led to huge Harry Potter parties and hundreds of tiny evening gatherings of self-published Island authors. We also began to emphasize our school fundraisers to connect and show our commitment to the community.
Throughout these roughly twenty-five years of change and increased competition, almost three-quarters of the independent bookstores in the country closed. The Mom-and-Pop store model was defunct. We learned about lean inventories, just-in-time ordering, niche marketing, shopping as entertainment, and the value of "third places" in the community. Our deep ties to the community ultimately helped us weather the storm.
One moment stands out. At some point in 2005, Amazon tried out a new idea on Mercer Island to use school communities to raise funds for the school. We had been doing this for a decade and had raised several hundreds of thousands for local schools. One day a big "Buy from Amazon " banner appeared outside a local school. We felt like jilted lovers: angry, scared, and sad. This was very close to home, and we knew if Amazon lured away families, we would not survive. I said as much to some long-standing customers, and their response exceeded all expectations. The school's foundation sided with the store, and the banner disappeared. The unspoken loyalty of the community was voiced out loud, and it was a turning point for the store.
It became clear that our fate was tied to the choices they made. From that point on, it felt that there was a deeper appreciation for the bookstore and, in turn, for our community. We were joined at the hip. Through the spring of 2009 with the Great Recession, the Kindle was the darkest hour for independent bookstores. We bounced back quickly and had some of our best years (2010-2015) at the end of our tenure as owners.
Miriam: That was right around when I came on the scene after I’d defected from the Amazon Books team and moved to the island from Capitol Hill. I remember we had lunch across the street from the store, and you gave me a lot of this oral history over Thai food. As I listened, I was thinking, how can I use all the knowledge I gained at Amazon to help Island Books thrive? And thrive it did and continues to endure. It’s like the little engine that could.
To our Island Books community: stay tuned for part 2 in this conversation, coming soon. Once Roger and I get going on the subject of Island Books, it’s hard to stop us...
—Miriam
#islandbooks#miriamlandis#rogerpage#nancypage#indiebookstore#bookstore#Miriam landis#50 years of island books
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
We love the Indie vibe of our home, Dayton's historic Oregon District. This area has spent decades working hard to build up a unique Local partnership vibe, and people notice! No common, boring international corporate brands stain this street. Let's keep our facet of the Gem City shining bright!
6/16/23 Open 6-9p. No open containers.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Indie Bookstore does not mean it supports Indie Authors
Indie Bookstores don't necessarily support Indie Authors.
Day 10 of 365 days. 355 days left to go.
I have seen an increase in support small business and down with major corporations, and I want to give my two cents on this topic as it pertains to Indie Authors.
First I need to say- supporting small businesses is great! I love family-owned restaurants. I love supporting local artists and vendors at pop-up art festivals. I enjoy getting to know other…
View On WordPress
#AmWriting#bloggerlife#bookclub#booktok#fantasywriter#historicalfantasy#indieauthor#indiebookstores#mythsandlegends theravensociety#theravensociety#writer#writerslife#writingcommunity
0 notes
Photo
A new #doodlebug with some "Peanut Boater" (a new #painting) and visits to local #indiebookstores @anniebloomsbooks and @crookedhousebooks for #pacificnorthwest #poetry and #prose Details 👇 https://sueclancy.com/peanut-boater-and-pnw-poetry-prose-bugs/ #vanwa #vancouverdrinkanddraw #portlandoregon (at Vancouver, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdPXdGPEQt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#doodlebug#painting#indiebookstores#pacificnorthwest#poetry#prose#vanwa#vancouverdrinkanddraw#portlandoregon
0 notes
Photo
It's true! If you pre-order PROMISES STRONGER THAN DARKNESS from @foliosf, 10 percent of proceeds will go to the amazing @tgijusticeproject, an organization that works with trans, gender-variant and intersex people inside and outside of prisons. And I will match those donations! And of course, any copies of this book that you pre-order from Folio will be signed and personalized, and I will probably write or draw something utterly ridiculous. <3 Reposted from @foliosf Fantastic news! We are now taking preorders for signed copies of Promises Stronger Than Darkness by Folio favorite @charliejaneanders AND 10% of proceeds will go to @TGIjusticeproject -- link in bio to preorder in bio. #YA #scifi #TransRightsAreHumanRights #indiebookstore #signedcopies https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsmXdpv6k_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
8 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Flagstaff, AZ is home to Bright Side Bookshop. Located in what looks like a ‘happening’ part of town, nestled within shops and places to eat, Bright Side Bookshop is where you want to go for books and such in Flagstaff. Wide selections and a cute children’s nook, this indie bookstore shows class and imagination. The staff was great, from my phone conversations with Maddox to my visit with Cori. They were so cheerful and sounded genuinely excited to hear about Rowdy! Highly recommend this bookshop. Support local y’all! chrismullenwrites.com #readrowdy #chrismullenwrites #bibliophile #book #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookreaders #books #booktok #trending #fyp #shoplocal #indiebookstores #indiebooks #arizona #flagstaff #flagstaffaz #flagstaffarizona #read #reading #readingcommunity #readingthewest #series #teenreaders #yabooks #yalit #yawestern #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #whereisrowdy (at Bright Side Bookshop) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfeLY6Zux7Z/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#readrowdy#chrismullenwrites#bibliophile#book#bookaddict#bookaholic#bookreaders#books#booktok#trending#fyp#shoplocal#indiebookstores#indiebooks#arizona#flagstaff#flagstaffaz#flagstaffarizona#read#reading#readingcommunity#readingthewest#series#teenreaders#yabooks#yalit#yawestern#bookstagram#authorsofinstagram#whereisrowdy
1 note
·
View note
Photo
We are team Xiala, Ashlee, and we totally see Serapio as bae. We can get into it!! We have Fevered Star signed by Rebecca Roanhorse in stock!!! Purchase link in bio: @SistahScifi | www.sistahscifi.com. Better yet, check it out from your local #library!!! Reposted from @whatashleereads “We are but fevered stars— here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away.” ✨Quick (spoiler free) thoughts: Black Sun was easily my favorite read of 2021 so the sequel, Fevered Star, was my most anticipated book of this year. It did not disappoint. This book was a great set up for the mayhem to come in Book 3. ✨The political intrigue among clans was elite. ✨Naranpa‘s POV was gripping. ✨We finally get some of Xiala’s backstory which I loved! ✨Serapio is bae. The crow god is fine as hell in my head. Idc. I found myself wanting to read his POV most. But are you at all surprised?? Get into it. #FeveredStar #BlackSun #RebeccaRoanhorse #BetweenEarthandSkyTrilogy #SistahScifi #indiebookstore @RebeccaRoanhorse @simonandschuster @sagasff (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnwx7V_LL53/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
7 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
ryles-bread
Let us start the game.
rzem
alexrzem
dogtraus
Dogtra
jonnorcondom
Jonnor = Condom
sevenofreds
Red7s