Barnes & Noble had a big sale on hardcover books this week: 50% off! Sounds great, but of course stores like B&N can afford to shoulder the loss. Independent bookstores, can't be so generous with their prices, but their owners and employees are rich in knowledge of local writers, of genres and subgenres, and, well, it's not just a job to them. It's a lifestyle, a career. A passion. Wouldn't you rather get a book rec from a place where people live and breathe books than a place that also sells records, puzzles, toys, coffee, and, well, you name it--B&N will sell you anything if they can. Even a shoe horn, probably.
Independent bookstore recommendations introduced me to so many great independent presses and authors through my work as a reading series host at Bird in Hand in Baltimore. They are also a great place to meet other writers, join book and writing groups, and forge connections. And, as a writer, they're open to hosting readings.
Anyway, one of my New Year's resolutions is to continue to support independent bookstores, and I hope you do, too. I'm so grateful to the indies that carry or will order You'll Be Fine, and I'm giving a brief shout-out to some of them here. If you've been meaning to get a copy of You'll Be Fine, definitely consider ordering from one of these great indies!
Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, California
Elm Street Books, New Canaan, Connecticut
Kizzy's Books and More, Winter Garden, Florida
Virginia Highland Books, Atlanta, Georgia
Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, Iowa
Book People, Sioux City, Iowa
Carmichael's Bookstores, Kentucky
Atomic Books, Baltimore, Maryland
The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, Maryland
The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Massachusetts
BookHampton, East Hampton, New York
McNally Jackson, New York
Powells Bookstore, Portland, Oregon
One More Page Books, Arlington, Virginia
A Room of One's Own, Madison, Wisconsin
