As many businesses have been shut down amid the pandemic, many of us are checking in on friends and loved ones. If you have not already, please add your local bookstore to this list. After all, your bookstore is certainly there for you when times are tough, and, I believe, it’s all booklovers obligations to be there for our bookstores when times are tough for them. Here are some of the things I’ve noticed indie bookstores doing amid the pandemic. 

Ecommerce

Ordering books online through an independent bookstore that either ships them directly to you or offers curbside pickup. Different bookstores are doing this different ways. Those who already had an ecommerce set up on their website probably had the easiest transition, in that they were merely promoting it more. However, others may have launched ecommerce on their websites or are utilizing social media. Instagram and Facebook both offer live videos, stories and posts through which users can comment “sold” and then fill out shipping/credit card information elsewhere. 

Virtual book clubs

Just because we’re all stuck at home, doesn’t mean book clubs have to end. All of the video tools that are allowing us to work and be together virtually, also offer a platform through which to connect for book club! It’s really the same set up as before, only cozier, as you can log in from your favorite chair in your favorite sweat pants with your cup of tea and chat with fellow book lovers. My personal favorite platform is Zoom, but there are others out there too!

Live events

I am beginning to think it’s even easier to connect with authors and and ask them questions nowadays! I mean we all have a little extra time on our hands, right? I’ve been loving the institutions that invite authors to go live with them and broadcast it to their audiences. It’s a great, and usually rather intimate, way to interact. 

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? One of the bright and shining benefits of this time will be all of the creative and innovative ways that we have cooked up to connect with one another. Perhaps, if you’re having a hard time of it, that’s a good thing to reflect on. 

Happy reading!