I canceled my Amazon Prime account more than six years ago and haven't bought a single thing with it since, that is, until a couple weeks ago when I was helping my daughter with a last-minute move in Washington, D.C. Her roommate had left with the couch, brooms, coffee maker, bathmat, dishes and trash can, and I succumbed to the easy accessibility of everything in one spot, clicked a button, and quickly resolved the problem without the hassle of navigating multiple stores and the D.C. parking situation. The guilt has been weighing on me ever since, though I'm well aware that one person boycotting Amazon makes no difference whatsoever to them. I am only hurting myself by creating the unnecessary hardship of tracking down unrelated household items in multiple stores the old-fashioned, more expensive, way.
"We must work together to support local booksellers everywhere so that they can continue to thrive and champion books on a local level with the personal touch and human connection that we all need, now more than ever."
— Amanda Gorman, Indie Bookstore Ambassador 2023-2024
Yet I find myself recommitting to my Amazon-ban despite this moment of weakness. Why? Because I own an indie bookstore, and Amazon puts indie bookstores at risk.
In January, "The Nation" reported on the antitrust lawsuit brought on by the FTC and 17 states against Amazon, reporting that Amazon earns $28 billion a year from book sales, controls more than 50% of the print book market and 80% of the e-book market. The latest American Booksellers Association white paper on Amazon gives a documented history of tax evasion, price predation and unprecedented control over the supply chain, all which led to the monopolistic power of Amazon today that controls the economics of an industry, and the algorithms that steer not just buying decisions, but the representation of authors and ideas.
On the other hand, independent bookstores are intimately integrated into our communities — sanctuaries of safe spaces, champions of free expression, investigators of thought and stewards of knowledge and progress. We are seekers of truly great literature. Our booksellers provide guided expertise through mountains of possibility and are reliable advocates of progress and change. We share a mission based on the understanding that literature inspires empathy and connects readers across time and cultures and borders. We elevate diverse, underrepresented, and marginalized voices, champion free speech and ensure continued access to banned books.
Amazon is not going away, and I'm sure there will be another moment in my future where I "have to" buy brooms and coffee makers from Amazon again. But we don't have to buy everything from Amazon, and we never have to buy books from them. By making the choice to shop for books at indie bookstores, you keep us here, and make us a destination.
I can't overemphasize how big an impact you make by choosing to buy a book at an indie bookstore. I'm seven years in and still have months where I struggle to make rent, payroll and keep all the bills paid on time. Whereas Amazon doesn't notice or care if I boycott them for a decade, every single purchase at an indie is significant and allows us to keep our doors open. The conversations and laughter, the discourse of ideas, the space to sit and catch up with a friend, the author events, the book clubs, the storytimes, the books that change us, comfort us, enlighten us, and connect us — we cannot do any of it without you.
"A purchase from an independent bookseller produces more than 2x the local economic activity as the same purchase from Barnes & Noble, and 4x more than Amazon."
Source: CivicEconomics Unfulfilled Report
Independent Bookstore Day, observed annually on the last Saturday in April, is when the nation celebrates independent bookstores across the country. This year it feels even more essential to recognize the vital place that bookstores hold in the community, and the good work they do all year long, whether it's through the support of schools and fundraisers, local authors and book clubs, or simply keeping the doors open, community space intact and new books and voices on the shelves every day.
This year, Independent Bookstore Day is Sat., April 27. Roundabout Books is bringing back our Annual Indie Bookstore Tote Bag Giveaway. The first 60 customers to spend $50 may pick up the annual exclusive $15 Indie Bookstore Day tote bag that our staff fills to the brim with FREE books, galleys, gifts and more.
There are also four other incredible indie bookstores in Central Oregon celebrating the day: Dudley's Bookshop Café, Paulina Springs Books, Herringbone Books, and Sunriver Books & Music. If you live outside of Central Oregon, check out the interactive map of participating stores to find an Indie bookstore in your town and join the celebration. No matter who your favorite local bookstore is, I hope that you'll try to pop in this Saturday and join this national celebration of independent bookstores, because the future is indie!
"Aren't bookshops wonderfully strange, sitting there with quiet menace, as if they were just a shop and not an entry point to 30,000 universes?"
— Matt Haig, author of "The Midnight Library"
