#SaveIndieBookstores Campaign Ends at $1,239,595
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At its close on May 5, the #SaveIndieBookstores campaign raised a total of $1,239,595 to support independent booksellers across the country with immediate funding to offset business lost due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The campaign kicked off on April 2 with the support of James Patterson, the American Booksellers Association, and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), which worked together to promote the campaign and encourage contributions. More than 1,800 donors contributed to the cause.
“This incredible effort was supported wholeheartedly by extremely hard-working volunteers, the ABA team, Binc staff, and countless book-lovers from all over the country and even the world. Their individual efforts came together in a campaign the scale of which we have never seen before at Binc,” said Binc Executive Director Pam French. “Everyone’s collective efforts mean that hundreds of indie bookshops across the country will be getting emergency disaster assistance that they would not otherwise have received. This message of support from book lovers and from every sector of the book industry clearly demonstrates how deeply people value independent bookstores and the roles they hold in their communities. I am proud of our accomplishments and grateful to all those who made this happen. Thank you.”
The campaign was supported by a number of events and initiatives, including but not limited to:
- Rick and Becky Riordan’s pledge to double donations
- Isaac Fitzgerald and the #SIBAYAAfterDark Tweet-a-Thon
- Stephen King and John Grisham’s promoting of the fund during a virtual event
- Publishers participating in the Bookscan Challenge
- Shannon Hale’s Austenland reunion
- Europa Editions’ My Brilliant Friend event series
- Michael Connelly’s T-shirt fundraiser
- Libro.fm’s #SocksForBinc campaign
Binc will begin writing and distributing checks to eligible bookstores later this month.
To learn more about the campaign, visit SaveIndieBookstores.com.