April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day, an annual tradition organized by the American Booksellers Association that is entering its 12th year and has taken place on the final Saturday of April since its conception. And, wouldn’t you know it, Amazon just so happens to be hosting its second annual book sale (two being less than 12, if you’re keeping count) from April 23 through the 28th, encompassing the day that has been claimed by local shop across the country.
If you are tempted to give Amazon a pass here for maybe accidentally encroaching upon their competitors’ space—and if you are, bless your sweet innocence—it’s perhaps worth noting that their first big book sale event in 2024 took place from May 16 through the 20th, notably a few weeks after Independent Bookstore Day. So, to whatever extent something you’ve done for exactly one year can be called a tradition, the company has already broken that in favor of squeezing indie booksellers.
(In a statement to Variety, Amazon said, “The overlap was unintentional. The dates for our sale were set this year to accommodate additional participating countries.” Take that with as many grains of salt as you deem necessary.)
You could just say that Amazon is going back to its roots. After all, the company got its start selling books at a loss to undercut the prices of brick-and-mortar competitors, until it pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy. Then, as if to dance on their graves, it started opening up its own physical bookstore locations (which it eventually shuttered without much fanfare because it never really cared about the product itself). Now that indie booksellers have found a way to carve out a niche, the company looks like it’d like to get back in the business of undermining them.
The indies, understandably, aren’t thrilled. More than 1,600 bookstores, including participants in all 50 states, will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with their local community, but they’ve also taken a deserved moment to side-eye Amazon a bit. Speaking to Variety, booksellers took shots at the retail giant’s decision to hold its book sale at the same time as their annual event. Andy Hunter, founder of Bookshop.org, called it “cynical, manipulative, and cruel.” Leah Koch, owner of the Ripped Bodice, in Los Angeles, California, kept it simple: “Fuck Jeff Bezos,” she told Variety. “May he be very miserable living alone on the moon.” Ripped Bodice does ship domestically and internationally, by the way, in case you’re looking for a new book.
In a way, Amazon’s sale is more petty posturing than something that will actually impact the indies. Local book shops have managed to have a moment, thriving despite the increasing dominance of Amazon online by creating bonds with their local community and offering a shopping experience that Amazon can’t replicate. They’ve also adapted to the online ecosystem to stay competitive, while Amazon failed to plant roots with its own brick-and-mortar shops.
Remember, you don’t have to wait for a special day to visit your local bookstore. Go any time, shop around, ask for recommendations. You might be shocked to find that you’ll get much more out of picking the brains of your local bookworms than you will from a recommendation algorithm.
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