Independent Bookstores

Bookstore Celebrates 200 Year Anniversary

The Boston Globe | Brian Benson | Posted 12.03.2009 | Books


The store - the second oldest in the country after a bookstore in Pennsylvania - features a fireplace, reading nooks, and a popular weekly author seri...

Cyber Monday Brings Bump In Book Sales

Christian Science Monitor | Marjorie Kehe | Posted 12.01.2009 | Books


For some shoppers, post-Thanksgiving shopping means dreams of an Olympus 10.0 Megapixel or a widescreen Bluetooth GPS navigator. But there are also co...

Brooklyn Bookstore Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

The New York Times | CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY | Posted 11.11.2009 | Books


Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers observed its 10th anniversary Tuesday morning with a ceremony on the sidewalk in front of the shop, on Bedford Avenu...

Brits Complain That Chains Stores Are Killing Books

The Guardian | Stuart Jeffries | Posted 11.10.2009 | Books


"They simply treat books as a commodity," says Nicholas Spice, publisher of the London Review of Books, and one of the chain's sternest critics. "Ther...

Evolve or Die: Why Reinvent Independent Bookstores?

Praveen Madan | Posted 10.29.2009 | Books


Praveen Madan

We believe that independent bookstores can have a great future and we are betting our careers on it.

Not a Simple Price War -- It's a Fight Over What You Get to Read

William Petrocelli | Posted 10.28.2009 | Books


William Petrocelli

What looks like a simple price war between Amazon, Target, and Walmart over a handful of bestsellers is symptomatic of a much deeper problem in the book business.

Indie Bookstores Reject Bestseller Price Wars

The Cleveland Plain Dealer | Janet Cho | Posted 10.22.2009 | Books


Independent booksellers say they have no intention of joining the fight among the bigger chain stores over the $9 prices of 10 highly anticipated best...

Fire Sale on Bestselling Books? Not Quite.

Geoffrey Jennings | Posted 10.21.2009 | Books


Geoffrey Jennings

For major online retailers the entire category of books is a loss leader. They want to sell you anything and everything; their lure is cheap books.

"I Didn't Like That Book": How Booksellers Earn Your Trust By Un-Selling Books

John Mesjak | Posted 10.21.2009 | Books


John Mesjak

A sales rep's credibility (whether they be independent or house) is boosted as much by a sense of when to "un-sell" as it is by the ability to make a strong recommendation for a beloved new book.

Why I Bought a Bookstore

Jeff Mayersohn | Posted 10.14.2009 | Books


Jeff Mayersohn

In October of 2008, as the financial world was crumbling, my wife and I bought a bookstore. This might strike some as slightly crazier than buying up the world's supply of phone booths or carbon paper.

Chicago Bookstore Doing Things Differently

Publishers Weekly | Claire Kirch | Posted 10.13.2009 | Books


Considering that in 1967 Don Barliant bought a four-year-old Chicago bookstore largely to provide some "diversion" from his day job as a practicing at...

Why All the Fuss About "Independent" Bookstores?

Praveen Madan | Posted 10.13.2009 | Books


Praveen Madan

We started writing this week about why independent bookstores have to reinvent themselves, but then it occurred to us that we ought to step back and first discuss what an independent bookstore is.

Kindle Confessions

Jane Isay | Posted 10.09.2009 | Books


Jane Isay

I read like a madwoman. I would get drowsy, and on those long reading afternoons when the Kindle slipped from my hand, it fell silently on the pillow and I slept.

I Sell Books. More Specifically, I Sell Time.

Geoffrey Jennings | Posted 10.09.2009 | Books


Geoffrey Jennings

The number of independent booksellers is growing, and the explanation is very simple. Independent booksellers sell books.

Why Did We Quit Our Cushy Corporate Jobs to Reinvent Independent Bookselling?

Praveen Madan | Posted 10.05.2009 | Books


Praveen Madan

"You did what?" is the typical response when we tell our friends that we quit our cushy corporate jobs and bought an independent bookstore in the heart of San Francisco.

Why I Held My Book Launch Party in a Hair Salon

Dr. Irene S. Levine | Posted 10.05.2009 | Entertainment


Dr. Irene S. Levine

Although many people were surprised before I explained why, deciding to have my launch party at Donna Hair Design in Chappaqua was a no-brainer

Independent Bookstores Prospering As Chains Falter

Chi-Town Daily News | BRIAN ORTBAL | Posted 04.03.2009 | Chicago


There's little question the recession is hitting book sellers, with Borders announcing last week it would close its flagship Magnificent Mile store. ...