More than 1,600 bookstores will participate in Independent Bookstore Day, which takes place this coming Saturday and features plenty of crowd-pleasing parties, giveaways, exclusive merchandise, scavenger hunts, music, prizes, readings, passport programs, and much, much more. It's the 12th annual Indie Bookstore Day and the largest ever. To see all the participating stores, click here.
This year's Independent Bookstore Day ambassador is comedian, author, actor, political commentator, actor, and TV host Trevor Noah, who was also last year's Indies First spokesperson. He said, "Books are expansive and infinite worlds--even as a child they helped me envision lands and lives, real and imagined, far beyond anything I could see with my own eyes. Bookstores are where readers can go to find these magical portals into other universes and other minds. But they do more than that. Independent bookstores connect readers to ideas and stories, and they are the rare physical place in our communities where we can connect with each other.
"In all of my work I'm always thinking about connection. It's one of the major themes in my first book, Born a Crime, and is right at the center of my second book, Into the Uncut Grass. It's up to us to support and sustain these stores, vital hubs that promote reading, learning, and imagining, while fostering a sense of community, providing spaces where diverse voices and ideas can mingle and thrive."
Unsurprisingly, Amazon is doing its best not to foster a sense of community. Last week it announced that the Amazon Book Sale (the first was held last year in May), will take place for six days, starting this Wednesday, overlapping Indie Bookstore Day. The sale features the company's "best book deals of the year" and is "expanding to additional countries including Canada and the U.K., offering up to 80% off thousands of e-books, up to 65% off hundreds of print books, and hundreds of audiobooks under $8." Special deals have already begun and are added daily. A few authors will appear on a livestream event on Wednesday.
For indies' reaction to Amazon's move, see the article below.