On missing BookExpo America, and on the new IndieBound

This is the first year since 2002 that I haven't been at BookExpo America, the massive annual convention for the book industry. I like going, not so much for the mobs of people and the free books and the "scene" (which are all overwhelming) as for the people and the ideas. There are many people I don't see elsewhere that I won't be visiting with this year.

The convention opens today in Los Angeles, and I'm at my desk in my basement office, just as if today was a normal day.

The massive computer problems I've had this year ate up both my time and any cash I might have diverted to pay for the trip. I usually find a local hostel to stay in, so the big-ticket items are airfare and the pre-BEA educational gatherings sponsored by what used to be PMA and is now, more appropriately, The Independent Book Publishers Association. So it's a lot less expensive trip for me than for many attendees, but still out of reach this year. I need to be here working on the book that will be published in October (Ethnic Knitting Exploration: Lithuania, Iceland, and Ireland, by Donna Druchunas).

Nonetheless, I can read about what's happening at BookExpo.

This morning, Bookselling This Week, which arrives in my inbox on a more regular basis than I have time to keep up with, let me know that the American Booksellers Association has announced a new program called IndieBound, connecting independent booksellers to the "live locally" movement. Here's the gist of what they said about it:

• "Following a year of study and planning, ABA designed IndieBound to tap into the growing national localism movement, with fresh ways for independent booksellers and other independent businesses to better convey their core strengths —independence, passion, community—to customers. A community-based website, IndieBound.org, has launched today as well, and will serve as the gateway for the entire indie community, with access to The Declaration of IndieBound manifesto, book-related related content, and more functionality planned for the coming weeks and months."
• "The program is designed to unite booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and others in support of local activism and local economies and to lead an Independent Revolution."

Anything that brings independents together is a good thing. It's too easy for any independent business to feel like it's the only one swimming against the corporate tide, and sometimes our arms get tired and we want to rest for a while, but if we do that we'll end up being swept out to sea and drowned.

The project's website talks about the title and focus of the endeavor:

• "Each page of a book carries something totally incredible and unique, but when they are all brought together, they build something infinitely greater."

And here's a quote from a bookstore owner about the project:

• "An integral part of IndieBound's purpose, to bring together local businesses of all stripes, is what appeals to Kelly Justice of the Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia. 'The most exciting thing to me about IndieBound is being able to officially partner with my neighbor businesses in our pride and passion for the city of Richmond and the things that make it unique. . . . [T]his flexible, modular revolution allows me to focus on relationships with my fellow merchants and customers. . . . I'm ready to save the day in my hometown! Are you?"

I think, in lieu of a trip to BookExpo this year, I might splurge on a t-shirt. But which one?

Comments

[Leslie]

I've recently run across a professor who has studied the carbon impact of ordering books online versus buying books locally. The only time it makes sense to buy online is if you live in a rural setting. Otherwise, when accounting for the packaging, transpo., etc. ordering online leaves a much bigger carbon footprint.