Welcome to Bookshop.org!

Look no further if you’re a socially conscious book buyer, with a hankering to support your local independent bookshop. Bookshop.org gives you the chance to buy books online and give 10 per cent of what you spend to the bookshop of your choice (if it’s signed up to the website).

While I don’t always buy indie – I’m guilty of using a big supermarket or Amazon because it’s more convenient – I’m now more aware of how difficult it is for indie book shops (and indeed small publishing houses) at present.

The pandemic means they’ve had to close their physical doors, which makes it much harder to get sales. Overheads haven’t gone away, but customers have. Book buyers have lost out too because they no longer have the personal service of the independent bookseller.

So, what can we do?

During the pandemic, a number of independent publishers have tweeted about their fears for the future. I’ve responded to that by buying books from two of them. I don’t know what those books will be like – I don’t know the authors – but I’m prepared to take a chance.

Buying indie is good. I use Etsy for craft materials that I can’t easily get in my local area. I can also get earrings for my sister that she’s unlikely see on anyone else. By doing that, I’m supporting someone’s small business.

That’s why I’ve become an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I’ll be shouting from the rooftops to encourage people to buy their bookworm’s presents from the indies. (This is in exchange for a small percentage of the sales if people buy using my links). I’ll be curating lists of authors – indie and traditionally published – to encourage readers in my sphere to support indies everywhere and keep them in business.

After all, if we don’t use our local indies, then we lose them, and the high street will be a much worse place for that.

You can view my ‘bookshop’ here.

If you’re buying from Bookshop.org, don’t forget to choose your local bookshop first to make sure your donation is going where you want it. Unallocated funds go into a central pot which is then divided among the bookshops registered on the site.