From the American Booksellers Association:
Acclaimed author Sherman Alexie has launched Indies First, a grassroots movement that calls on authors to show their support of independent booksellers by signing up to work at their favorite indie bookstore on Small Business Saturday, celebrated this year on November 30, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The movement emanated form a conversation a year ago between ABA Vice President Betsy Burton, co-owner of The King’s English Bookshop, and Nancy Stauffer, Sherman Alexie’s agent. It started with the question, “What can authors do to help the indies?” Over the Labor Day weekend, Alexie start the movement with a letter to a small group of authors, whom he called on to become “superhero[es] for independent bookstores.”
Independent bookstores are the backbone of the book community. For those of us who write non-commercial fiction (books that are more often than not overlooked by chain stores), they are a lifeline. I’m thrilled to participate in the first ever Indies First this Small Business Saturday!
Alamosa Books has played a huge role in the success of MAY B. They hosted my launch party back in January 2012, have mentioned my book in Publisher’s Weekly, have come to sell books during my school visits, suggested me as a speaker for the 2013 New Mexico Library Association’s luncheon, and hand sell my book like crazy.
It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to give back.
I’ll be celebrating Alamosa Books along with Albuquerque authors Vaunda Michaeux Nelson and Katherine Hauth. If you live nearby, please consider stopping by (I plan to arrive at 1:00). And if you live elsewhere, I encourage you to visit your own local indie on Saturday.
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