The Bookish Mindset

Have you ever wondered why myself and others end up banging on about supporting independent bookshops over some of the giants? Well you’re in luck. Scroll through and let’s talk.

Please remember this all comes with a precursor – it’s an absolute privilege to be able to spend money on extra joys like books. If you have the means to spend extra on books then this was meant for you. If you don’t, then this isn’t.

Indie’s, or independent bookshops, are bookshops not owned by global corporations. They’re owned by locals in your area, by partnerships and usually only have one store. They’re important because of the local culture, creativity, local income and jobs that they bring to their community. They’re also a safe space for many too.

At the start of 2024, it was reported that we had another record opening of indie bookshops, woohoo! However, it saw another increase in closures. Data is collected at the end of each year, so we’re still waiting on this year’s results but the trend isn’t good.*

So why would you choose an indie over a giant rainforest let’s say? Firstly, please enjoy Bookshop.org’s marketing on threads because it’s gloriously funny. Amazon wants market share of online book sales, it’s as simple as that. they actively choose to make a loss on books to do this. That’s why they’re often cheaper or much cheaper than the books on the shelves. By consistently undercutting RRP’s, it continues to grow.

Since book prices are printed on the covers, indie’s can’t do much about what they charge and with already small margins, they’re left competing with a giant that is consistently cheaper. If we look past the price point, it gets worse (taxes, workers rights, more concerned sending their CEO to space..)*https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/sep/26/amazon-uk-pays-corporation-tax-for-first-time-since-2020

So how can you support local bookshops?

Find your local bookshop! Don’t know where to find it? The Booksellers association has a great search feature here.

Bookshop.org is an online bookshop that supports local bookshops. if you choose their shop, they will get 30% of the cover price from your sale*.

If audiobooks are more your thing then you’ll need to check out libro.fm. Similar to bookshop.org, but only for audiobooks, they are a great audible alternative and donate a portion of your subscription to the independent bookshop you sign up with.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this blog. If you like what you’ve read and would like to access more content, I’d love if you could take a look at my patreon and consider supporting my content on there too. You can also find more content on my Instagram here.

If reading more is something that you’re looking at doing this year then should check my reading challenge out here! Read nine books from nine prompts over the first six months of the year and be entered into a draw to win a bundle of bookish goodies.

And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 28/02/2025