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Independent Bookstore Day is a national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April.
Every store is unique and independent, and every party will be different on April 24. In addition, there are exclusive books and literary items that you only can get on that day and nowhere else, a news release stated.
The celebration will be a hybrid event in 2021, with both in-store and online events and exclusive items.
Glennon Doyle, activist and author of the bestseller “Untamed,” always has been a champion of independent bookstores, and is this year’s Author Ambassador for Independent Bookstore Day. She encourages her readers to buy local.
Doyle is championing indie bookstores because, “I have been to one million independent bookstores. I have met the booksellers who founded them and own them. I have fallen in love with them,” she stated in the release. “Zero jerks own independent bookstores. They just don’t. They are – always – people who believe in and deeply invest in communities and art and ideas. And during this pandemic, in which we have lost one local indie per week, we need to prioritize investing in these local businesses who invest so much in us.”
Independent bookstores, like so many small businesses, were hit hard by the pandemic. More than 70 independent bookstores closed this past year. Bookstores also rallied during the pandemic: 42 new indie bookstores opened in 2020, online sales at independent bookstores increased by 680%, and hundreds of stores pivoted and found new ways to support their communities and spread their love of books.
More than 700 independent bookstores across the country are participating in the seventh annual Independent Bookstore Day.
This year’s observance will include socially distanced in-store and virtual author events and activities as well as the sale of 16 literary exclusives and special projects available in limited quantities at participating IBD stores and on their websites. These items are available only on April 24; a sampling includes a story by Stephen King and Joe Hill in book form for the first time; a signed, special edition Nigella Lawson book of essays and recipes; a special bound transcript of a conversation between poet Nikki Giovanni and Glory Edim of the Well-Read Black Girl book club; and a print of “The ABCs of Black History” for children.
Check out our area’s participating booksellers to see what each shop has lined up for the big day.
Harvey’s Tales
216 James St., Geneva
630-232-2991
Anderson’s Bookshop Downers Grove
5112 Main St., Downers Grove
630-963-2665
Prairie Fox Books
719 LaSalle St., Ottawa
815-433-7323
The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn
475 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn
630-469-2891
Read Between The Lynes
111 E. Van Buren St., Woodstock
815-206-5967
Anderson’s Bookshop Naperville
123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville
630-355-2665
Just added, The Book Shop at 15 N. River St. in downtown Batavia offers a buy-one-get-one-free offer both Saturday and Sunday. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/thebookshopbatavia.