Booksellers Count Down to Independent Bookstore Day

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Booksellers around the country are preparing for the fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day (IBD), to take place this Saturday, April 27. Indie bookstores will be hosting author events and giveaways, offering exclusive books and merchandise, and more to celebrate the national event. Take a look below at what some stores have planned for the big day.The Independent Bookstore Day Logo, which features a hand holding a book with the number 5 superimposed on it, in honor of the events fifth anniversary.

Phoenix Books

Vermont’s Phoenix Books and Vermont Wild series author Megan Price will celebrate IBD by donating a portion of sales on Independent Bookstore Day to the Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, New Hampshire, which works to rescue, rehabilitate, and release orphaned, abandoned, and injured black bear cubs.

“When you purchase one of Megan’s books you know you’ll get great stories. Make a purchase in person or online April 27, and you’ll be helping some of the wildlife that inspires those same stories,” said Phoenix Books Manager Colleen Shipman. “The books are fun reading and make great gifts for ages 9 to 99.”

The Vermont Wild books detail humorous, true retired game warden encounters with moose, beavers, bears, and poachers. The books are used in schools from Maine to Texas to teach reading and writing. Hunters take them to camp and the books are read aloud in nursing homes as entertainment. The series was recently optioned by Geoffrey Sharp, a Hollywood producer who grew up in Middlebury and works with Morgan Freeman, for a potential TV series.

On April 27, Price will appear at Phoenix Books Burlington from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and at Phoenix Books Essex from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“This is an easy and fun way to celebrate local, independent bookstores, help the bears, and go home with a book that will make you laugh and appreciate the best the Green Mountains have to offer,” Price said. “I’m grateful to Phoenix Books for helping make this happen. When you stop in or call or shop online at Phoenix on April 27, please thank them for helping the orphaned bear cubs. How many bookstores do that?”

Loganberry Books and other Ohio stores

Northeast Ohio area bookstores have joined forces to publicize Independent Bookstore Day, and the fact that independent bookstores are alive — and thriving. Among other activities, the Heights Bicycle Coalition is hosting a scavenger hunt to various locations mentioned in Celeste Ng’s New York Times bestselling novel Little Fires Everywhere. The two-hour hunt will start from Appletree Books at 12:00 p.m. on April 27, where participants will pick up a checklist, and end at the same store that afternoon, where participants with completed checklists will be entered into a raffle.

To reacquaint Clevelanders with the many different personalities of bookstores in the area, local bookstores have produced a passport that features Appletree Books, Attenson’s Antiques & Books, Fireside Book Shop, The Learnéd Owl, Loganberry Books, Mac’s Backs, Strong Bindery, and Visible Voice Books. Passports are available at participating bookstores, Lit Cleveland events, Brews and Prose events, and coffee spots around town.

Bookmarks

Winston-Salem’s Bookmarks will be holding an Independent Bookstore Day celebration from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on April 27. Several events and activities will take place from open to close; all are free to attend. 

At 10:30 a.m., Bookmarks will hold a Drag Queen Storytime, followed by two hours of kid-oriented activities, including free face painting. Throughout the remainder of the day, food trucks will be available for customers to find a convenient local lunch; members of Bookmarks’ Teen Advisory Council (TAC) will be providing personalized recommendations for Young Adult books and talking more about TAC activities; and customers can participate in pop-up trivia in the store. There will also be hourly giveaways, a bookstore scavenger hunt, and special takeaways for children, and customers will be able to share why they love bookstores at an interactive station.

All sales proceeds support Bookmarks’ nonprofit outreach programs, including Authors in Schools and Book Build, which place authors and books throughout the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County community.

Left Bank Books

Festivities at Left Bank Books’ all-day Independent Bookstore Day party in St. Louis will include:

  • A one-hour used book sale, during which all used books are buy one, get one 50 percent off
  • A special Independent Bookstore Day children’s storytime
  • A pre-party with Left Bank Books Book Whisperer Shane, who will preview exciting upcoming titles as well as a few of his favorite new releases; attendees will get a special discount on any titles pre-ordered during the party
  • The 2019 St. Louis Independent Bookstore Passport, which invites customers to visit each of the stores featured in the passport on April 27 and to receive 20 percent off any purchase at each of the participating stores
  • Free audiobooks from audiobook partner Libro.fm
  • Blind date with a book, in which customers can choose a wrapped mystery book (with a few helpful context clues) to take home in exchange for a donation of any amount to the Left Bank Books foundation
  • A special Left Bank Books 50th anniversary backdrop for photos
  • A Left Bank Books 50th anniversary memory display, for which customers can write and share a favorite Left Bank Books memory or record a video testimonial to be featured in a special 50th anniversary video
  • Social media giveaways and promotions throughout the day

Left Bank Books will also offer exclusive day-of merchandise created especially for Independent Bookstore Day.

Books & Books

In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, Florida’s Books & Books has rolled out a month-long campaign, “We Are Books & Books,” which is showing off the smiling faces that make up its stores and cafés. These are the individuals who live, work, and read in Miami, and they are the local experts on all things literary. Head to the Books & Books Facebook page to see the full campaign.

Caroline McGregor of Books & Books said: “Follow along all month as we introduce you to some of our family and come in and meet them all on #IBD2019, April 27.”

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day Challenge

Seattle Times book critic Moira Mcdonald will be spending the day visiting every store on the list for Seattle’s Independent Bookstore Day Challenge.

The bookstores participating in the challenge are: Ada’s Technical Books, Arundel Books, Book Larder, Booktree Kirkland, Brick & Mortar Books, Eagle Harbor Book Co., Edmonds Bookshop, Elliott Bay Book Co., Fantagraphics Bookstore, Island Books, Liberty Bay Books, Magnolia’s Bookstore, The Neverending Bookshop, Open Books: A Poetry Emporium, Page 2 Books, Phinney Books/Madison Books, Queen Anne Book Co., Secret Garden Books, Third Place Books, The Traveler, and University Book Store.

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