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When Margaret Osondu of Osondu Booksellers in Waynesville, North Carolina, opened her July, 2006 copy of O Magazine and saw that Oprah was encouraging her fans to buy books at Amazon, she got motivated. Osondu created a grass roots campaign to bring Oprah to an independent bookstore and discover a community of readers as passsionate about books as she has always been on her show.
Readers, authors and booksellers have begun a passionate letter-writing campaign to bring Oprah to Osondu Booksellers, and to raise her awareness of the importance of independent bookstores.
But why stop there? In this section we invite you to write about your favorite independent bookstore. Click on the link below!
I love this bookstore because. . .
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Written by Authors Round the South
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Wednesday, 21 February 2007 17:00 |
Several years ago I started a grassroots movement called Bookstore Tourism. The idea is to celebrate and sustain independent bookstores by organizing group "road trips" to cities and towns with great bookshops, literary sites and libraries.
Cultural tourism of all kinds has become a powerful economic force in the U.S. and abroad, and indie bookstores deserve to be part of this growing trend. One way they can do that is through Bookstore Tourism.
I never would have imagined four years ago when I led the first "bookstore road trips" from Harrisburg, PA to the wonderful indie bookshops in New York City and Washington, DC that booklovers around the country would be following my lead and organizing their own trips. But they are. And it's helping to raise awareness that the indies are worth supporting.
Booklovers don't just love books, they love bookstores. They love their individuality, their community spirit, and their literary treasures -- qualities that are gradually disappearing from America's reading landscape.
Imagine busloads of booklovers around the country making an adventure out of visiting the indie bookstores in another town. Imagine bookstores in that town finding ways to attract booklovers from all over.
Hop on the bookstore bus, Oprah. You're always welcome, my friend.
Best wishes,
Larry Portzline
www.bookstoretourism.com |
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Written by Elaine Cremadi
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Wednesday, 17 January 2007 17:00 |
When I moved to Mississippi from Los Angeles-Boulder-Chicago, I fell for the state's bad reputation and was worried about my children's education and about this northern, liberal, Jew ever fitting in. We now have a wonderful public school system in Oxford, and my sanity was saved by the store where I now work, Square Books.
Square Books, founded in 1979, reflects the taste of its owners Richard & Lisa Howorth and is a model of intellect, wit and integrity applied to business. For me and for many of our customers, the joy of the store is that you can always find a good book. You may think that is obvious for a bookstore, but it is not. The large stores can put out everything, but we need to discriminate on what we choose, what we display, what we put in our bimonthly newsletter. Our clerks are all readers and work hard at finding books for our customers. While most of us are liberals lost in the wilds of Mississippi, we are diligent to provide books with all viewpoints and you can find Ann Coulter displayed next to Michael Morris. Our mantra is to provide good service. While we do not have the shelf space of the big stores, we will make every effort to find the book the customer wants.
It is a struggle for independent bookstores to survive. We cannot offer the discounts found at Walmart or our local grocery or Amazon. We have to depend on loyalty and the desire of our patrons to keep the store going, even to pay a premium to do so.
You have done an amazing job promoting reading, and I loved your switch to classic titles. Oxford was William Faulkner's home, and I was gratified (and, in fact, stunned) when you chose "The Sound and the Fury," a book I struggled with for 25 years. In fact, many of your titles are my favorites, particulary "East of Eden" and "Cry the Beloved Country." So, thank you. Now can you please add a plug for the independents.
If you can ever visit here, I know you would love it. We specialize in Faulkner, Southern authors and Southern studies, and books about Mississippi and by Mississippi authors. There is a new book of photographs by Ken Murphy ("My South Coast Home") called "Mississippi." The photos are luminous. Take a look.
Again, thank you for all you have done to promote reading and books and for the grace and integrity you bring to the world.
Sincerely,
Elaine R. Cremaldi
Square Books
Oxford, Mississippi |
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Written by Authors Round the South
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Friday, 22 December 2006 12:14 |
Dear Oprah,
This letter will be a little different from the others because I am an author, not a book seller. I just want to say how wonderful independent book stores are and how supportive they are to the authors that visit their stores. Recently, (December 6) I had a book signing scheduled with Windows, A Book Shop, in Monroe, La. Elisabeth Grant-Gibson and her partner Pat Grant went out of their way to make me feel welcome. They also did an enormous job at making sure people knew I would be there. Elisabeth set up three radio interviews and also a morning show interview with local television station KNOETV for that morning. She did so much to ensure my book signing was successful and also to promote my other events. I just can't say enough about how much this independent book store has done for me.
I know you are an advocate for books and for reading, please support independent book stores. They give so much to our communities, our readers and to everyone who cares about books.
Sincerely,
Terri Hoover Dunham
Author of "The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story"
www.terrisbooks.com |
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Written by Authors Round the South
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Thursday, 14 September 2006 16:30 |
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Dear Oprah, You should definately stop by Osondu to hear a voice that will represent so many independent bookstores all over the country! Ginnie Gale,
Sylvan Dell Publishing
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Written by Authors Round the South
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Thursday, 14 September 2006 16:26 |
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Dear Oprah, What cannot happen is the extinction of the independent bookstore species. These booksellers are book lovers and book readers like you. If anyone can help, you can. I know it! I hope to meet you one day-- Catherine McCall, author
Lifeguarding
Harmony Books, 2006
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