"My hope is that booksellers will not just continue this fight politically, but do what they've always done, which is continually reinvent themselves. That's really one of the superpowers of bookselling. If a chain wants to make a big change, it's got to start at the headquarters. It's got to go through a bunch of meetings. It's got to go into a budget and the budget's got to be approved. Then it's got to get rolled out.
"In contrast to that, if an indie wants to expand the romance section, they could do it tomorrow. If it's only 10 a.m., they can do it today. Booksellers not only have the smarts and the first-hand experience to reinvent themselves, they have the means to do it as well. I have no doubt that they'll continue to do that. And now more than ever, can they just keep shining a light of diversity in their communities? We're in dark times, and the light is shining out of the windows of bookstores, and that gives hope."