Adventures in Indie: Canned Spaghetti Sauce

In case you haven't noticed, I've quite posting associate links to Amazon.com on my blog.  Why?  Because, with the exception of being given a gift card I don't want to waste, I don't want to spend any more money on books at Amazon, the same way I hate spending money at a big box department store when I could support an independent business that my family's own indie business neighbors.  I'd much rather know that that money is going to enter my very depressed/recessed local economy in a very personal way, through the business owners, who usually have families of their own.  To me, having witnessed the ups and downs of the family business, this is a very personal decision.  (And to be honest, I made a grand total of $3 through that program in about ten months, so it's not a loss.  Not that I'm making anything more through IndieBound, but at least I'm directing you to businesses I care about.)

To quote something I read in my back issues of Shelf Awareness this morning:

"Saying that bookstores won't be around in the future because Wal-Mart and Amazon sell books is like saying Italian restaurants will go out of business because we have canned spaghetti sauce."--Michael Norris, a senior analyst at Simba Information, in a Houston Chronicle piece headlined "Booksellers buck e-trend: Analysts say there's a place for stores that do their job well."

My indie bookstore isn't always spectacular.  Maybe canned spaghetti sauce and Italian restaurants isn't really a fair comparison.  My experience there isn't hugely different than my experience when I walk into Barnes & Noble.  But it's definitely a big step up from shopping online at Amazon.com (I hate shopping online), and I know where the money's going.  Yeah, it costs more.  I'll be able to buy fewer books.  But personally, it's better to know that I'm making sure the author, editor, agent, publisher, cover designer, etc., etc. get their fair share in the long run, that I'm providing much-needed jobs in my area, and that I'm supporting local authors whose books are stocked, too.

So go check out IndieBound (www.indiebound.org) and pull up their map, find the indie bookstores in your area, and give them as much support as you're able.  It may not be much, but everything helps!

Sorry for the long-winded venture onto the soapbox, but occasionally, I just have to share how I feel. =)