Bookshop.org is what the publishing world has been waiting for
In publishing we often talk about things that we are “excited” and “delighted” about, so much that sometimes I think the words have lost their meanings. However, when readers, publishers and independent bookshops shared their delight about the new books retail platform, Bookshop.org, launched on Monday, it was the result of some of the most exciting news we’ve had in publishing for aeons.
Following its success in the US, Bookshop.org has arrived in the UK and promises something we have all been asking for – an ethical and transparent platform for buying books that amplifies the uniqueness of independent bookshops, with reading lists curated by humans rather than algorithms.
Despite books being deemed nonessential items by the government, the publishing industry has seen record sales this year. But as we enter a second lockdown, there are a number of the 870 independent bookshops in the UK that have been unable to create a functioning website where their customers can buy books directly from them. Bookshop.org allows any independent shop to customise its own online store front, select books to recommend and, any time a bookshop directs a customer to the site through one of its links, it gets 30% of the sale.
The importance of supporting local bookshops as a vital part of the community has been increasingly recognised, and is further reflected on this platform, as every time a reader buys a book from an author, publisher, magazine or influencer page, 10% of that purchase will go to the page owner and another 10% into a profit pool for independent bookshops. In the US more than $7.5m has been raised to share among 900 bookshops. On day one of being established in the UK, the pot was
already at £12,500.
As bookshops close once more, this new platform offers practical solutions to keep our indie bookshops thriving, and our writers reaching scores of readers. No wonder everyone is excited and delighted.