IndieBound Blog & Features

New Book Lists, Onscreen

paige — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:23:59 -0400

Here's a video walkthrough on everything our updated Book Lists have to offer.

Create as many lists as you want, make notes, export to any website and much more, as you can see below:

There's more information here, and to get started just login and find My Book Lists in the blue navigation bar above.

Check out the newest lists from our community members here!

Independents Week

paige — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:07:54 -0400

It's right around the corner—Independents Week! Time to celebrate all the great locally-owned independent businesses in your city.

A few goings-on we've heard about so far:

Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana, along with NOLA independent business alliance Stay Local, are celebrating all week. They're kicking things off with a showing of Independent America: Rising from the Ruins, a documentary about how vital independents have been in rebuilding New Orleans. Check StayLocal.org for more on the week's events.

Next Page Bookstore and the Summit Independent Business Alliance in Frisco, Colorado are planning a countywide celebration with over 100 indie businesses.

Quail Ridge Books of Raleigh, North Carolina, along with Shop Local Raleigh are planning huge events for Independents Week, and spreading the word online. Check out Shop Local Raleigh on Facebook and Twitter.

Any Independents Week celebrations going on where you live? Let us know!

IndieBound Updates

paige — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:35:05 -0400

Check out the most recent updates to IndieBound.org!

IndieBound Book Lists
Now you can have as many Book Lists as you want, with lots of sharing tools and fun features.
New Book List Builder
Fast editing, arranging, rearranging of all your Book Lists.
Annotate Book List Books
Add a note to every book on your list.
Share Your Lists
Print, mail or export your list easily.

IndieBound Book Widgets
A fun, visual way to display any of your Book Lists or any list of indie-recommended titles we provide.

Read Matt's blog entry for full details on all the new updates, plus a hint at what's coming next!

Indies Choice Book Awards

paige — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:08:32 -0400

On May 29, we held our Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon, hosting the inaugural Indies Choice Book Awards. The Indies Choice winners are voted on by indie booksellers across the country, chosen to reflect the unique titles championed by indies. Here are the categories and winners:

Best Indie Buzz Book (Fiction): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Best Conversation Starter (Nonfiction): The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell  
Best Author Discovery: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski  
Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book (Fiction): The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman  
Best New Picture Book: Bats at the Library, by Brian Lies  
Most Engaging Author: Sherman Alexie

While most of the winning authors came to the ceremony (and they were awesome), some couldn't make it, but sent acceptance videos in their place. Check out the following from David Wroblewski, Brian Lies and Sarah Vowell.

David Wroblewski:

Your Summer Reading Lists

paige — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:00:37 -0400

Two new, summery lists of indie bookseller-recommended titles are out now—in stores, online, and on the IndieBound app for iPhone.

The Summer 2009 Kids' Indie Next List looks great. Recommendations are categorized by age groups, from four-ish to teen-ish—or, if you're like me, well into adulthood—plus an overall Top 10 list.

The Spring/Summer 2009 Reading Group Indie Next List has a Top 10, as well as thematic lists like Memorable Women, The Impact of War, and Visiting Other Worlds—featuring one of my favorite writers, Amelie Nothomb.

You can look through all these lists here on IndieBound.org, but you can also browse and buy recommended titles on your iPhone. The IndieBound app for iPhone regularly updates these and other book lists, like the monthly Indie Next List and weekly Indie Bestseller Lists. You can also see archives of months past, right in the app.

Use the Indie Store Finder, also in the app, to find indie bookstores near you and see these lists in person!

Indies in NYC

paige — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:36:13 -0400

The Independent Booksellers of New York City (IBNYC) are spotlighting NYC indies on their blog. Booksellers are recommending favorite independent businesses near their bookstores—the ultimate indie guide to New York City!

Kelly at Book Culture in the Upper West Side listed her local favorites including The Hungarian Pastry Shop and Bazaar de la Paz—in addition to fellow booksellers Bank Street Bookstore and Morningside Bookshop.

powerHouse Arena in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn recommends Almondine Bakery and Halcyon Music, among others.

Jessica of McNally Jackson in Nolita suggests Cafe Gitane, Wine Therapy and Pinche Taqueria.

Planning a visit to to New York? Check out these locations and visit the IBNYC blog for more, or visit them now if you're in the area! I know where I'll be eating this weekend...

The Indie 100 Tour - New England

marcfitten — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:49:53 -0400

Another Indie 100 Tour update from Marc Fitten. This time he's traveling through New England—specifically visiting Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boston, MA.

I should have studied more in high school.

I should have studied and then gone on to a university in New England. Then I could have spent weekends at the Cape. I could have learned to sail and ski. I could have gone on to marry a Kennedy…or maybe a Westinghouse…or perhaps a General Electric…or one of the Amway girls. Or maybe I’d have gone another route and married a plucky girl from a small village.

Although, in thinking of skiing, I imagine New England winters suck. It’s May and trees are only just starting to bloom. That scares me. After years of winter in Eastern Europe, I decided I hate winter. I couldn’t really live here for that reason. So, I guess it’s fine I didn’t study after all.

The Indie 100 Tour - Atlanta

marcfitten — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:50:41 -0400

Paige's note: I'm very happy to bring you a guest blogger, author Marc Fitten. He's got a cool independent bookstore project that I'll let him explain:

I'm going on an extensive book tour in support of my new novel, Valeria's Last Stand. Only, to spice things up, I've decided that while I'm on the road, I will visit 100 independent book stores and blog about what I think makes them unique. It's a road trip, from city to city—100 stores, as long as it takes.

Marc's first stop on the Indie 100 Tour is A Capella Books in Atlanta, GA. He sets the scene for us here.

ATLANTA - A city is never one thing. Atlanta is a corporate town, a college town, a gay town, a black town, a southern town, and a transplant town. The reason it works is because above all else, it’s utilitarian. It’s just so freaking convenient. Have you seen the airport? It’s a metaphor for how the city works.

Of course, traffic sucks. There might be chain pharmacies, chain restaurants, chain discount stores, and a mall within one mile of every citizen, but none of it matters as they usually take forty minutes to reach.

Buy Indie Day

paige — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:03:19 -0400

May 1^st has been declared Buy Indie Day. The idea: buy one book—paperback, hardcover, audiobook, whatever you want!—at an independent bookstore near you.

I think writer Kevin Guilfoile said it well when he posted:

"There's an opportunity here to make something very cool happen—near simultaneous, informal meet-ups of readers and writers in independent bookstores all over the country—and it can happen with practically no effort at all."

You can RSVP, invite friends and discuss with other indie shoppers on Buy Indie Day's Facebook page, and find an indie bookstore near you on the Indie Store Finder map.

Where you will be buying indie on May 1^st?

April is Genocide Prevention Month

paige — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:55:05 -0400

The Genocide Prevention Project and the American Booksellers Association have partnered to help commemorate April as Genocide Prevention Month, and developed the Books of Conscience list.

The books selected testify to the historical realities and human tragedies of genocide—and the acts of courage and commitment of those dedicated to fighting genocide.

Browse through the list here and look for a Genocide Prevention Month display at your local, independent bookstore.

For more information and to get involved, visit GenocidePreventionMonth.org.