Amazon Just Happens to Hold Book Sale During Independent Bookstore Day

April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day, an yearly contented organized by the American Booksellers Association that is entering its 12th twelvemonth and has taken spot connected the last Saturday of April since its conception. And, wouldn’t you cognize it, Amazon conscionable truthful happens to beryllium hosting its 2nd yearly publication merchantability (two being little than 12, if you’re keeping count) from April 23 done the 28th, encompassing the time that has been claimed by section store crossed the country.

If you are tempted to springiness Amazon a walk present for possibly accidentally encroaching upon their competitors’ space—and if you are, bless your saccharine innocence—it’s possibly worthy noting that their first large publication merchantability lawsuit successful 2024 took spot from May 16 done the 20th, notably a fewer weeks aft Independent Bookstore Day. So, to immoderate grade thing you’ve done for precisely 1 twelvemonth tin beryllium called a tradition, the institution has already breached that successful favour of squeezing indie booksellers.

(In a statement to Variety, Amazon said, “The overlap was unintentional. The dates for our merchantability were acceptable this twelvemonth to accommodate further participating countries.” Take that with arsenic galore grains of brackish arsenic you deem necessary.)

You could conscionable accidental that Amazon is going backmost to its roots. After all, the institution got its commencement selling books astatine a loss to undercut the prices of brick-and-mortar competitors, until it pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy. Then, arsenic if to creation connected their graves, it started opening up its ain carnal bookstore locations (which it yet shuttered without overmuch fanfare due to the fact that it never truly cared astir the product itself). Now that indie booksellers person recovered a mode to carve retired a niche, the institution looks similar it’d similar to get backmost successful the concern of undermining them.

The indies, understandably, aren’t thrilled. More than 1,600 bookstores, including participants successful each 50 states, volition observe Independent Bookstore Day with their section community, but they’ve besides taken a deserved infinitesimal to side-eye Amazon a bit. Speaking to Variety, booksellers took shots astatine the retail giant’s determination to clasp its publication merchantability astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic their yearly event. Andy Hunter, laminitis of Bookshop.org, called it “cynical, manipulative, and cruel.” Leah Koch, proprietor of the Ripped Bodice, successful Los Angeles, California, kept it simple:  “Fuck Jeff Bezos,” she told Variety. “May helium beryllium precise miserable surviving unsocial connected the moon.”  Ripped Bodice does ship domestically and internationally, by the way, successful lawsuit you’re looking for a caller book.

In a way, Amazon’s merchantability is much petty posturing than thing that volition really interaction the indies. Local publication shops person managed to person a moment, thriving contempt the expanding dominance of Amazon online by creating bonds with their section assemblage and offering a buying acquisition that Amazon can’t replicate. They’ve besides adapted to the online ecosystem to enactment competitive, portion Amazon failed to works roots with its ain brick-and-mortar shops.

Remember, you don’t person to hold for a peculiar time to sojourn your section bookstore. Go immoderate time, store around, inquire for recommendations. You mightiness beryllium shocked to find that you’ll get overmuch much retired of picking the brains of your section bookworms than you volition from a proposal algorithm.