OK, folks, here is your long wonky thread about how to keep your local bookstore open when no one is leaving the house. Links will be to @PorterSqBooks. Your indie is likely to be different in some ways. Onward...
1st, even successful small businesses rarely have a lot of "cash on hand." Bookstores tend to operate on a thin profit margin, so even though they are keeping the lights on, they need money to be coming in constantly to stay afloat. This is why...
recessions of any kind hit small businesses hard. They just don't have the cash to pay bills/rent/employees if their income drops significantly or stops completely for three weeks, a month, two months. So...
Step 1. Sign up for their newsletter & follow them on social media. If they need a gofundme, community investors, sell special memberships, etc. you'll want to know about it. (PSB's Newsletter: bit.ly/39Fvm7O)
Step 2. Paid Online Preorders. You know that book you want that's coming out in August? September? Ordering it during a downturn doesn't cost you anything and gives the store cash when they need it. (here are some titles PSB is looking forward too: portersquarebooks.com/featured-pre-o…)
Step 3. Warehouse Fulfillment. Many stores can actually have books shipped directly to you from a warehouse. Anything on PSB's website that has an inventory status of "Available at Warehouse" like, say, portersquarebooks.com/book/978037570… can be...
sent directly to you without going through the store. If you want to do this, make sure to pay with a credit card, & tell the store in the order comments they can fulfill from their house if that works from them.
Step 3. @librofm Many indie bookstores (including PSB: libro.fm/portersquarebo…) sell digital audiobooks through Libro. They pay quarterly which can be a challenge (see Step 1) but digital audiobooks represent cash coming in no one needs to leave the house for.
Step 5 (sorry, messed up the thread). Ebooks. Many indie bookstores (including PSB: portersquarebooks.com/kobo/help/about) sell ebooks, which are another great "nobody has to touch anything" source of income.
Step 6. Buy a Gift Card. Maybe you don't have anything you want to buy now, but still want to support the store. Buy a gift card online (portersquarebooks.com/indiebound-gif…) Think of this as a no interest loan that will give the store income when they need it, that you collect on later.
Step 7. Donate to @BincFoundation Binc helps booksellers impacted by natural disasters, health problems, etc. I honestly don't know what their plans are for COVID-19 but if you've got it, it couldn't hurt: bincfoundation.org
Step 8. Support the Booksellers. The biggest challenge for many stores will be payroll. Obviously, it's hard to pay your employees when no money is coming in & no one is actually working, but...
many, many booksellers are something else, writers, teachers, artists, podcasters, etc. They might have a SoundCloud or a Patreon, or a Ko-fi. Search the store on twitter & see who else pops up. Some kind of extra income will help the booksellers stay with the store...
even if the store can't pay them, which is good for the store too as they can retain the knowledgeable talented staff that make them so important to you. Finally you could always...
Step 9. Stock Up Now. Books are, of course, shelf stable and cash is, as ever, still cash. Further, for many stores, March is when sales start to pick up after the post-Xmas drop of Winter, so losing sales now could be very challenging for many stores. If you don't...
have a big ole TBR (which would be very surprising) most stores have staff picks online (here's PSB: portersquarebooks.com/staff_picks) that will give you great recommendations. PSB even has a Virtual Bookseller to give you personalized recommendations (portersquarebooks.com/virtual-bookse…)
If you don't have a local bookstore check out @ABAbook's IndieBound to find one close to you: indiebound.org/indie-bookstor… Also, if a store gives you a little joy on this hellsite, send them a sale or two. I know...
indie bookstores are a source of joy for many of you (well, if you follow me, probably all of you), but landlords still don't accept rent payments in joy.
Addendum: If you are really motivated, get in touch with your local & state governments. Do they have plans to support small businesses during a quarantine/recession? If they don't, shouldn't they? Politicians talk a BIG GAME about small business being the backbone of the...
economy blah blah blah but almost never actually put any $$$ into that backbone. Maybe now is a good time to start.
