Let's Talk Indie.
Before I start sounding like a whiney old bookseller, let me just thank all of our customers who totally get it, the ones who come to our bookstore with lists of books they want to order, even when they know they're a click away on Amazon. (Don't forget, they're also a click away on our website too, http://www.justthebookstore.com/.)
Amazon is like the elephant in the room. We know he's there, you know he's there, and we agree not to mention it. You might come to our bookstore because you believe in buying local, or because you have a little independent streak and like the idea of an independent bookstore, or gosh, maybe you just like us and our recommendations. Whatever your reason, we thank you. We know there are alternatives out there.
So why do some people just not get it? We just received curious comment on our blog, thanking us for an older post on Little Bee by Chris Cleave, mentioning they couldn't find out that much about it in Seattle. And then they just happened to mention that they were excited to go buy it from Amazon. That's like saying, gosh your husband is really kind of cute, do you mind if I take him out for a quick date?
Yes, I mind!
Obviously, this guy from Seattle isn't going to order Little Bee from a bookstore in Glen Ellyn, but on the other hand it would have been easy to go to http://www.indiebound.com/ and order from a local independent bookstore. Or if he is going to break down and order it from Amazon, maybe he could just be polite enough not to mention it. On our independent bookseller's blog!
Again, maybe it's just the grumpy bookseller in me coming out (grrrrr!) but geez, your book buying habits make a difference to us. We believe our community is a better place with a vibrant, friendly independent bookstore on Main Street. And to make sure that's a reality, we all have to support it. Any by support, I mean the kind of personal commitment it takes to drive around the block 3 times looking for parking. The kind of commitment it takes to wait a couple of days for us to order the book you want instead of running over to Barnes and Noble. For those of you who do make that commitment all of the time, Thank You! To those who don't (yet), just think about it the next time you think about clicking over to Amazon. Do you want a bookstore in our community?
In honor of the 4th of July, make it personal. Declare your independence.
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I think people really believe that indie bookstores run off of fairy dust or something, because no matter how much it gets stressed that they need our business to survive, so many people just don't get the message and seem to think that everyone else will keep indies running while they buy on Amazon. And they simply refuse to get the message that they can buy from indies online and have the books shipped. I once suggested buying from indies and someone commented back "I don't want to drive X miles for a book." Um, that's why we have the post office and FedEx. *Headdesk*
ReplyDeletethanks, good folks of Just a Bookstore. We understand, share your pain, and need to vent a little too often ourselves. It is a simple concept, but for some reason the explanation is arduous and layered.
ReplyDeletefrom your friends at Loganberry Books, Cleveland OH