Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, discusses his journey to creating the revolutionary organization that donates over 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Learn about the challenges faced and how to support local bookstores through Bookshop.org. They also talk about the value of bookstores, personal recommendations, and their love for math and novels.
Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that shares its profits with independent bookstores, providing a way for customers to support local bookstores while shopping online.
Bookshop.org aims to give independent bookstores a greater market share in online sales, offer curated book lists, and expand its offerings to include ebooks, ensuring the survival and thriving of independent bookstores in an increasingly digital landscape.
Deep dives
Bookshop.org: Supporting Independent Bookstores
Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that shares its profits with independent bookstores. Founded by Andy Hunter, the platform was created in response to the dominance of Amazon in the book-selling industry and the negative impact it had on local bookstores. Bookshop.org allows customers to support their favorite independent bookstores while shopping online. With over 1,900 independent bookstores currently on the platform, it aims to give these bookstores a greater market share in online sales and provide them with more financial stability. The platform also offers curated lists that are human-curated, providing a more interesting and diverse selection than the typical top-seller lists found on Amazon. In the near future, Bookshop.org aims to expand its offerings to include ebooks, allowing readers to support their local bookstores even when purchasing digital books.
The Origins of Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org was born out of Andy Hunter's concern for the future of independent bookstores in the face of Amazon's growing dominance. In 2011, he envisioned creating an indie version of Amazon, but struggled to secure funding for the idea. Years later, Hunter was approached by the American Booksellers Association (ABA) to consult on improving their indiebound program, designed to help independent bookstores compete with Amazon. This sparked Hunter's ideas for Bookshop.org, which he started building in 2018. Despite initial challenges in securing investors and developing the website, Bookshop.org launched in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pandemic caused a surge in online book sales, with Bookshop.org quickly onboarding 1,200 bookstores and becoming a lifeline for struggling independent bookstores throughout the United States.
Supporting Independent Bookstores on Bookshop.org
To support independent bookstores on Bookshop.org, customers can visit the platform's website and use the store finder feature to locate their preferred local bookstore. By purchasing books through Bookshop.org, customers can contribute to the financial success of their favorite independent bookstores, especially during times when in-store shopping may not be feasible. Bookshop.org offers a wide range of curated book lists created by independent bookstores, providing readers with unique and interesting recommendations. For bookstores that are not yet on Bookshop.org, customers can encourage them to join by highlighting the platform's user-friendly nature and commitment to supporting independent bookstores. Bookstore owners can easily create their own Bookshop.org pages, allowing them to sell books online and reach a broader audience.
The Future of Bookshop.org: Expanding and Making a Systemic Change
While Bookshop.org has achieved significant success, there is still a long way to go in making a systemic change in the book-selling industry. Currently representing only 1% of all books sold online, the goal is for independent bookstores to have a similar market share in the online space as they do in physical stores. This would require significant growth for Bookshop.org, aiming to capture 5-10 times more of the online book-selling market. By achieving this, bookstores would have more financial security, allowing them to pay fair wages and provide benefits to their employees. Bookshop.org is also working on expanding its offerings to include ebooks, enabling readers to support independent bookstores when purchasing digital books. Ultimately, the mission of Bookshop.org is to ensure the survival and thriving of independent bookstores in an increasingly digital landscape.
Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that donates more than 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Launched in 2020, Bookshop.org has already raised more than $27,000,000. In this interview, Andy Hunter, founder and CEO discusses his journey to creating one of the most revolutionary new organizations in the book world. Bookshop has found a way to retain the convenience of online book shopping while also supporting independent bookstores that are the backbones of many local communities.
Andy Hunter is CEO and Founder of Bookshop.org. He also co-created Literary Hub.
Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network.
