The holidays are almost upon us. Bookseller and authors have teamed up for a spectacular shop local event on Small Business Saturday, November 30: Indies First.
Seattle author Sherman Alexie got the ball rolling; in September, he emailed a group of authors encouraging them to help their local, independent booksellers by volunteering to mix with customers and be “bookseller[s]-for-a-day” and “superhero[es] for independent bookstores” at the same time.
Bookstores, authors, and the American Booksellers Association have made the grassroots movement a key part of their holiday planning.
The ABA created an interactive Indies First map with participating bookstores around the country and authors who have committed to helping out on November 30.
Some authors will hit several bookstores in one day! (Alexie has committed to visits to Queen Anne Book Company, Elliott Bay Book Company, and Secret Garden Books; might as well hit them all up, right?) Look at the map and your favorite local bookstores‘ websites to plan your post-Thanksgiving weekend. It’s going to be great!