Kathy Hamilton Bookshop.Org has arrived with a bang in the UK. After selling £415,000 books in its opening week, its mission is clear. To prove that you can buy books online AND support independent bookshops at the same time.
I’d like to begin by telling you a little story. When I was a child, there was a bookshop in my town called ‘Hill’s Bookshop’. It had a red front and to get to the children’s section you wound yourself up a small staircase into a room bursting with delights, including a train filled with books! For a budding bibliophile like me, it was heaven. It opened on Christmas Eve, 1852, weathered over 150 years of change, but finally closed in 2006. Like countless independent bookshops, it was no match for multinational chains and a new world of online shopping.
But the funny thing is, although nearly fifteen years have passed, the hole left behind by Hill’s Bookshop has never really been filled in my hometown. It is that magic that Bookshop.Org is trying to capture and also to help preserve.
How do I support independent bookshops online?
For many the reasons buying books has become a Catch-22. We are caught between the simplicity and budget-friendliness of buying books online. And the wish to support independent bookshops in our local areas. Complicating matters even more, for many of us- the loss of bookshops on our highstreets mean that whilst we want to support independent bookshops it can be quite hard to know how.
Of course, many bookstores have their own websites, which is great. However the issue they have is competing against the likes of Amazon. Small, often family run, these shops have little ability to cope with the power of Amazon. This is where Bookshop.Org is hoping to make a difference.
What Makes Bookshop.Org different?
Bookshop.org, which describes itself as a socially conscious alternative to Amazon. It was set up by the founder of Lit.Hub and launched in the US in January 2020. But what makes it different? And crucially, how does it actually help to support local bookshops?
Basically, the whole website is geared up to make it simple to find bookshops. They show up on the home page, there’s a handy search feature. Even receipts from purchases will feature information about local bookshops you can support.
Most importantly for the socially conscious book shopper though. is the fact that Bookshop.org is a benefit corporation (currently awaiting certification in the UK). This means that it is created with the mission “to benefit the public good by contributing to the welfare of the independent literary community”. Crucially, this means that it can never be sold to any major US retailer, including Amazon.
How Does Bookshop.Org make money?
That’s all well and good, but how does Bookshop.org make money? Well, firstly the sales model is geared towards bookstores. Affiliated bookstores are able to make their own virtual shopfront within the site. If a book is bought from here, the stores receive the full profit margin (30% of the cover price).
Alternatively, you can search the website itself for a book. With a small portion (10% of sale value) then going into a community pot. Which is redistributed to support independent bookshops on the site. Handy if you don’t have a specific shop in mind.
Finally, they have a robust affiliate links programme. This means that anyone who advocates for books gains a 10% commission on every sale, with a matching 10% being given to independent bookshops. Basically, this means that anyone who loves books can help bookshop.org make money.
What About The A Word?
In 2020, it’s hard to imagine a world without the digital behemoth that is Amazon. I’m willing to bet that most of us frequently use Amazon, even if we try not to. And the way Amazon can effectively ice out independent retailers through sheer purchasing power. But we like its ease of use and we definitely like next day delivery so we keep on buying. Can anyone ever rival that?
Well, perhaps not right away. And the moral question is, do we want it to? Bookshop.Org and other websites like it are hopefully the sign of a new direction when it comes to online shopping. There will always be a conflict between the warmth of the independent high-street and the faceless ease of websites like Amazon. But online shopping, however convenient, can never truly replicate the magic of a book shop run by passionate individuals who want to share their love of books with everyone. Maybe, just maybe, Bookshop.org has found a way to be both. We’ll just have to wait and see.
This is not a sponsored post and no affiliate links were used at this time. I’m simply excited to share the news with you!
