Shaun Bythell’s follow-up to Diary of a Bookseller is out this week. Confessions of a Bookseller picks up where Diary left off. Yes, Wigtown is still out in the ruralest of rural places in Scotland. Yes, people still don’t understand how used book stores work. Yes, Shaun still wrestles with his staff understanding where books should get shelved. It’s the closest you’re going to get to hanging out in a bookstore for awhile, alas. But, if you are going to read about hanging out in a bookstore, Shaun’s droll and cantankerous and eternally passionate commentary about books and bookselling is the way to go.
–A Good Book, Sumner, WA
Did you read The Diary of a Bookseller?
Show your bookseller love!
If you have the financial ability, you can buy books from A Good Book and other independent booksellers online. You can buy a gift certificate (or even several!) from your favorite bookstore. You can donate to Binc (the Book Industry Charitable Foundation) to get money to individual booksellers in need. You can even buy socks to support Binc and booksellers.
But we understand that economic hardships are hitting many; there are ways you can help, even if your budget makes donations and purchases impossible. You can share about the #SaveIndieBookstores campaign to help raise money to give bookstores grants. You can encourage your local media and folks who post about books online to link to an independent bookstore or Bookshop.org. You can write recommendations of your favorite bookstores for Google Maps, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and other places that rate and recommend businesses. You can share links to your indie bookstore for books you love on your social media. You can follow bookstores on social media to stay connected. You can also give a shout-out below about a bookstore you love and what you love about it!