Indie versus Big Chain Booksellers

During my hike around Lake Michigan I visited independent bookstores along the lakeshore. I love indie bookstores. The people who own and manage and work in the indies are knowledgeable about literature and they love books.

And I love books.

I was a reader long before I was a writer or hiker, so I know the value of a good bookstore. And there IS a difference between a big chain or online bookseller and the independents.

I live in Battle Creek where the only bookstore is a Barnes & Noble.

Do I go there? Yes.
Do I buy books there? Rarely.

It's great for my little town to have ANY bookstore (B&N wasn't even here when I moved here), so I support it by buying coffee and games and greeting cards and music and movies and newspapers there.

And my book is on the shelf there, which I appreciate.

But I buy most of my books from independents either nearby or in communities around Lake Michigan.

On my website, you'll see a link to buy my books from Brilliant Books in Suttons Bay, Michigan. I have partnered with Brilliant Books because it's a great indie and I launched my book there.

That's another thing that the indies do:
they support emerging writers.

If you are a writer and you buy your books on Amazon or at the big chains, you are jeopardizing your own future as a writer because it is the indies that will work with you to build your career. Just as the smaller publishers will take a chance on publishing you before the big New York houses will.

Here is an excerpt from a blog post by Mara Lynn Luther, the owner of Chapter One Book Store, an independent bookstore in Montana.
It will give you a window into the life and frustrations
of the indie bookseller.

"Confessions of an Unapologetic Indie"

"I'm not an economic priest. My bookstore is not a confessional. I'm tired of handing out 'Hail Locals' to guilt-riddled shoppers. If you bought a Kindle as your sole reading device, you have cut out your local bookstore when there are options for e-readers that don't eliminate indies. It's your choice, but don't come whining to me that you really want to shop local, but you have to be 'smart about your money.' I agree, you should be smart about your money. You should know that local businesses hand out thousands of dollars worth of donations and items to schools, organizations, and clubs throughout your community every year. Maybe shopping local isn't a priority for you. Fine. Talk to Amazon about donating a silent auction item for your son's school trip to D.C. and ask for a discount on books purchased for your school district. I'm sure Wal-Mart would sell your dance recital tickets or put a bucket on the counter for summer camp applications. Maybe Costco will supply the food for a fund-raiser, but I doubt it."

Check out the entire post here.

Mara brings up a good point about e-readers. If you use a Kindle you can ONLY get books from Amazon.com. If you choose a Nook (or other e-reader), you can buy your e-books from many indies that sell e-books.