In just a few days, nearly 1,100 independent bookstores around the U.S. will participate in Independent Bookstore Day 2023. This year's festivities will not only mark IBD's 10th anniversary but also be the largest Indie Bookstore Day to date. Author Celeste Ng is this year's IBD Ambassador, and indies in all 50 states will take part.
“This 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day, independent bookstores and their communities have a lot to celebrate," said American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill. "Indie bookstores survived and even thrived during the pandemic despite incredible challenges, and they continue to play an important and special role in their communities"
Below is a look at some Indedendent Bookstore Day plans.
From April 24-30, Libro.fm will put more than 1,000 audiobooks on sale for $5 or less, and on IBD, 250 of Libro.fm's bookstore partners will be hiding a Golden Ticket in their stores. Customers who find the ticket will receive 12 free Libro.fm audiobooks.
In Washington, D.C., the Indiearth Book Crawl began on April 22 and will run through April 29. Seventeen D.C. indies are involved in the crawl, which aims to celebrate and support local businesses as a practice of environmentalism. Digital passports are available that feature profiles of each participating store along with a portrait of the storefront done by D.C.-based artists.
Each store page in the passport lists the nearest WMATA metro station and/or Capital Bikeshare docks, and participants are encouraged to walk, bike, or take the metro to visit each bookstore. Bookstore customers can get their passports stamped at each store and document their crawls with the hashtag #indiearthdccrawl.
Nearly 30 stores are taking part in the inaugural Georgia Indie Bookshop Hop, which began last Saturday and will run until April 30. Spearheaded by Brave + Kind Bookshop in Decatur, the Bookshop Hop follows the success of the Atlanta Indie Bookstore Crawl that took place last fall.
Book lovers can print a map themselves or pick one up from any of the participating stores, and by submitting receipts for purchases made during the crawl they will be entered to win a variety of prizes (customers will have until May 1 to submit their receipts, and can submit only one receipt per participating store). The bookstore hop will conclude with a party at Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
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The Seattle Bookstore Day Passport Challenge is returning this year, and once again readers have one week to visit all 27 participating stores in the Seattle, Wash., area. The challenge begins on April 29 and will run until May 8; bookstore customers who receive stamps from every store will receive a Bookstore Day Champion Stamp Card, good for a one-time 25% discount at each store. Customers who do not visit all 27 can still receive a single-use 25% off coupon if they collect five or more stamps. More details, and a list of participating stores, can be found here.
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| Main Point owner Cathy Fieback in the store's remodeled children's section. | |
Main Point Books in Wayne, Pa., is celebrating its 10th anniversary on IBD, as well as a recent renovation that added 1,000 square feet of retail space to the bookstore. Owner Cathy Fiebach and her team will host more than 25 local authors for meet-and-greets, and the festivities will include free books, visits from surprise guests, children's goody bags and more. The expansion has allowed Main Point to grow its children's section and create additional space for events.
In Cambridge, Mass., Porter Square Books is bringing back an IBD tradition not seen since before the pandemic--the Great Bookseller Independent Bookstore Day Bakeoff. In addition to the general IBD celebrations, several Porter Square booksellers will be "offering up their confections" for customers to sample and judge. Everyone will be able to sample the baked goods while supplies last, and shoppers can then vote for a winner. All of the participating booksellers will be sharing their recipes, and customers will likely be able to find those recipes in cooks "right there on the shelf." The winning bookseller will receive "one year's bragging rights."
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| Bookshop West Portal will host llamas at its IBD celebration. | |
For the first time in years, Bookshop West Portal in San Francisco, Calif., is celebrating IBD with Llamapalooza. From 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, llamas from Circle Home in Sonora, Calif., will be visiting the bookstore's courtyard. Along with the llama visit, there will be a storytime session in the morning, treats from local restaurants, giveaways, a raffle, and more.
Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Ravenna, and Seward Park, Wash., will celebrate IBD with prize wheels, "staff picks" from local authors, craft stations, free baked goods, and chances to win a $25 gift card. At the Lake Forest Park store, author Kobi Yamada will lead a special storytime session.
For Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., IBD festivities include chalk drawing, scratch-off prizes, and a visit from author Max Brallier (The Last Kids on Earth), who will be in conversation with Drew Brockington. Later, Ben Costa and James Parks, creators of the Dungeoneer Adventures series, will stop by to sign copies of their books while customers can take part in a Dungeoneers-themed scavenger hunt.