Backlist Picks to Hand-Sell to Benefit #SaveIndieBookstores

In coordination with the American Booksellers Association and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), publishers and small presses are teaming up to join the Bookscan Challenge with the goal of supporting #SaveIndieBookstores. Currently participating are Archipelago, Beacon, ECW, Grove Atlantic, and Steerforth.

Each publisher has identified one backlist title — an enduring hand-sell with a proven track record — for which they will donate 100 percent of the profit as a multiple of weekly Bookscan unit sales through the week ending May 2. For example, if a title clears $3 per copy and has a Bookscan sell-through of 100 over the course of a week, the donation would be $300.

Publishers are invited to sign up to participate by emailing the book’s title, author, ISBN, format, cover price, and high-res cover file to ABA’s Gen de Botton with the subject line “Bookscan Challenge.” At the same time, publishers should make their initial donation.

#SaveIndieBookstores will create electronic materials featuring the titles designated by each publisher, and ABA, Binc, participating publishers, and booksellers will promote the titles.

See the current title list here and visit SaveIndieBookstores.com to learn more about the campaign.