As a lifelong book lover, author and book publisher, Andy Hunter knew he wanted to keep independent bookstores alive and thriving. Using his experience in the publishing industry, Andy had the audacity to come up with a successful idea for taking on Amazon. Andy’s idea was Bookshop.org, an online platform that gives independent bookstores an easy to use, full service platform for selling books online. Bookshop handles the distribution marketing, and shipping of online book sales, and doesn’t take a cut so bookstores keep all the profits. Since the majority of book stores cannot afford an online storefront, they can partner with Bookshop for online sales to add profits to their stores.
Since independent bookstores already have small margins, being able to sell online can be the difference between staying open or shutting down. Independent bookstores add so much value to communities. Research shows bookstores attract more business to other commerce and the property values rise since bookstore are a community gathering spots that bring people together. In our conversation, Andy shares how the challenges and adversities of his childhood fostered his love for books, and how his career in publishing led him to the path he was meant to pursue. We hope you will be inspired to shop from Bookshop and to encourage your local bookstore to sign up for Bookshop.org. We wish for every community to have their own beloved local bookstore!
