I'm not great at keeping track of obscure holidays and festivals, so I was thrilled to learn of Independent Bookstore Day before the actual day. And yes, it's today, April 30!
My city is sadly devoid of independent bookstores that sell new books for general audiences. Yes, we do have a Barnes & Noble (we used to have two but one lost its lease, which is a crappy reason for bookstore closure and I gather that Barnes & Noble seeks a new location). We also have several stores devoted to used books, which is a wonderful thing. But there is no independent bookstore with a quirky, individual mix of old favorites and exciting newly published titles, and this is a sad thing for the community. It also eats at me as I try to determine where to celebrate my novel's launch in just one month. Will it work out to launch at Barnes & Noble? (Maybe, but they're just now trying to remember how they used to do in-person events.) Could I launch at the library or my local cafe instead? (Maybe, but neither has much of a history of author events to draw in people who don't know me.)
And so I say to you, if you have a local independent bookstore, or more than one, go forth and visit them today. Let them know you appreciate them.
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