Authors 'Round the South

Tim Dorsey held a signing for his novel Atomic Lobster at Book Bank USA in the Largo Mall in January. "The staff worked hard to make it happen," Dorsey said. "The good thing about independent bookstores is they know their customers. They're able to spread the word, and it turns into a good event."

Creating memorable events is not a problem, said Amy Schmaedeke, who has owned the store since 1998.

But making a profit is a different story. In two years, sales at Largo's only freestanding bookstore have dropped 20 percent.

With readers gravitating to chain stores and the Internet, Schmaedeke, 58, says she needs more support from area readers to stay afloat.

"I want to tell the community to buy locally,'' she said. "It is sad that people have lost the idea of going into a neighborhood bookstore.''

With 4,000 square feet, the store — three doors down from the movie theater — holds 80,000 titles and includes a new and used book section. . .read full story