Highlighting the Helpers: Recent Supporters of the #SaveIndieBookstores Campaign

The #SaveIndieBookstores campaign, which launched on April 2 and continues through April 30, has received an outpouring of support from industry partners and friends, raising more than $700,000 in funds in its first two weeks.

Here are some of the campaign’s most recent supporters:

• The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association announced a $25,000 matching donation program for the #SaveIndieBooksores campaign. NAIBA’s goal was not only met, but exceeded.
• Bestselling author Michael Connelly has reopened his Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts T-Shirt fundraiser to benefit the #SaveIndieBookstores campaign. Connelly will match the first $10,000 raised for this cause. “The DNA of our society and culture is in our books, our stories,” wrote Connelly in a note supporting the campaign. “I want to help make sure the places and people who put those books in our hands get through this difficult time. You can help too, with this fundraising effort.”  
• BookCon hosted a virtual Read-a-Thon on Saturday, April 11, to benefit independent bookstores. The event was streamed via Facebook Live and featured more than 25 authors, including Laurie Halse Anderson, Melissa de la Cruz, Marie Lu, Ransom Riggs, and Adam Silvera. Throughout the event, viewers were invited to donate to the #SaveIndieBookstore campaign. 
• Shelf Awareness has launched a number of business initiatives to help bookstores during COVID-19:
  • On April 14, Shelf Awareness for Readers proprietary subscribers began seeing buy buttons that lead directly to Shelf’s Bookshop.org site; all proceeds from those sales will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) first through #SaveIndieBookstores, and then directly to Binc itself.
  • Shelf will also launch a monthly, store-branded and consumer-facing pre-order e-blast. Booksellers can view an example here, and those who are interested in signing up can email [email protected]. Bookstores that are not yet partners with Shelf Awareness for Readers are encouraged to try the program for a month; after the month trial, Shelf will buy a $50 gift card to the participating store. Learn more here. 
  • Additionally, through the end of June, all ads in Shelf Awareness for Readers are 50 percent off the normal rate with the code FIDDY. More information about each of these initiatives can be found here. 

Booksellers are encouraged to visit the media kit at SaveIndieBookstores.com to see press coverage and access a variety of digital assets to promote the campaign, including logos and social media images. 

Booksellers who would like to share their story with ABA and be featured among fellow booksellers encouraging campaign contributions can send an email and photo to [email protected].

To be considered for a grant, ABA member bookstores can visit SaveIndieBookstores.com to fill out a short application through April 27.  Funds will be distributed to eligible stores by May 15.