More than 1,200 independent bookstores around the country are getting ready to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day tomorrow, April 27. Below is a last look at what some stores have planned.
The Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl is returning this year, with 46 bookstores in and around Chicago, Ill., taking part. Readers can collect their passports on Saturday and have one day to collect as many stamps as they can. Those who collect passport stamps from at least 10 stores will receive 10% off at all participating stores for an entire year, while those who make it to 15 stores will receive 15% off. Readers will also receive some bookstore swag when they turn in their passports with 10 or 15 stamps.
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For the first time, bookstores on the Delmarva Peninsula are joining forces for the Eastern Shore Indies Passport. Customers can print out their passports at home and have until the end of the day Saturday to collect as many stamps as they can. For every passport stamp, customers will be entered into a raffle for one of three prize baskets containing books, accessories, and a $50 gift card to a participating store of the recipient's choice. The six stores are: Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Del.; Bethany Beach Books in Bethany Beach, Del.; Caprichos Books, in Ocean Pines, Md.; Sundial Books, on Chincoteague Island, Va.; the Buzzed Word in Ocean City, Md.; and the Book Drop in Selbyville, Del.
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For the first time, 15 bookstores throughout northern Virginia, Frederick, Md., and Wardensville, W.Va., have partnered to launch the NoVa Bookstore Crawl Passport Program. Starting on Indie Bookstore Day, shoppers have until the end of May to collect as many stamps as they can. Four stamps will earn the recipient an ARC, eight will be worth a tote bag, and 10 will be enough for entry into the grand prize drawing, to be held on June 2.
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For the second year in a row, indies around Washington's South Puget Sound are working together on the South Sound Book Crawl. From April 27 until May 5, indie bookstore customers can pick up a passport and visit as many of the 11 participating stores as they can. Customers who collect every stamp will earn a 20% discount on a single transaction at each of the 11 stores. The discount can be used once per store until April 25, 2025. Completed passports will also make the holder eligible for a grand prize swag bag.
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Microcosm Publishing is rewarding customers who shop indie on April 27 with a prize drawing of Microcosm titles worth more than $230. All readers have to do is buy or special order a Microcosm title from a U.S. indie on Saturday and upload their receipt or proof of purchase to a Google form on the publisher's website by April 30. Winners will be contacted the following week.
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In Nashville, Tenn., Parnassus Books has a day of festivities planned that includes appearances from artist Kate Lewis (The Secret Garden: An Illustrated Edition), author Andrew Maraniss (Beyond the Game: Lebron James), author Ariel Lawhon (The Frozen River), author and Parnassus bookseller Lindsay Lynch (Do Tell), and romance authors Sarah Adams (The Rule Books), Lauren Kung Jessen (Red String Theory), and Jenna Levine (My Roommate Is a Vampire). There will also be a morning storytime session with musicians Corook and Olivia Barton.
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At Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., the IBD festivities will include an early morning storytime stretch and dance party, followed by photo ops, giveaways, a make-your-own shelftalker station, and a local author game show.