Industry & Advocacy News
June 21, 2013
Many authors love indie bookstores, but author Loreen Niewenhuis actually shows the love by giving independents preferential treatment.
From Shelf Awareness comes the story of how she sold her latest book, A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Walk (Crickhollow Books) exclusively at 12 Michigan independents for the first two months of its release this spring:
“I think the independents are vital to keeping literature and reading alive,” said Niewenhuis, whose story of walking the entire perimeter of Lake Michigan, A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach, was published in 2011. “Independents embraced it, and made it a bestseller in the heartland. As a thank you to them, and as a way to support them, I decided to get them books two months before Amazon had access.”
When she did eventually put her book up for sale on Amazon earlier this month, she posted this on her page at the site:
“I so appreciate you checking out my books on Amazon.com, but I encourage you to purchase my work from your local independent bookstore. I believe that independent bookstores are vital to our communities and to keeping literature rich and varied and alive.If you’re not sure where your closest indie bookstore is located, go here:
http://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder
“Thank you!”
What does Amazon make of her author’s page? , “I don’t think they’ve noticed, but it’s there,” Niewenhuis told Shelf Awareness.
