5 Things You Need to Know About Online Bookstores
Every reader knows the thrill of walking into a bookstore and smelling the distinctive book smell. It feels like coming home. We love browsing the different shelves for treasures—both new discoveries and books we’ve been searching for. Nothing will ever truly beat that, especially with new specialty bookstores like romance-only stores popping up all over the country. However, online bookstores are becoming more and more popular as a way to reach audiences outside of their local area so here are five things you need to know:
1. Browsing Books is Still Possible—and Fun!
Just because a bookstore is online doesn’t mean you can’t have fun browsing! Every store is so different on what they specialize in. Some are fantasy-only, some romance-only, some do special editions. The list goes on! You might discover some pretty cool finds. For example, The Reading Chamber is only for young adult fiction books and we have a combination of traditionally published and independently published authors.
2. You’re Helping a Bookstore Get Started
A lot of online bookstores are working on setting up a physical store so a website is a stepping stone to something bigger. Having a physical location sometimes isn’t possible at the moment because the upfront cost of a storefront and inventory can be a huge hurdle. Starting out with an online store can help grow the bookstore’s presence and build excitement for a physical location. Sometimes online stores expand into pop-ups to test the physical waters so always follow your favorite bookstores on socials and find out when they might be in your area!
3. Customer Service is Very Prevalent
Just like asking a bookseller at a brick-and-mortar bookstore, you can always ask online stores for recommendations or special requests! We are very eager to help find what you’re looking for so you can DM a store on social media or email them depending on what they prefer. At The Reading Chamber, most people will email us at hello@thereadingchamber.com, but we respond quicker to DMs! We love suggesting new titles.
4. Authors Benefit More
Supporting an online bookstore helps authors more directly than purchasing a book from Amazon. Bookstores purchase books through distributors like Ingram or directly from publishers, both of which don’t take as high of a percentage as Amazon does. While shopping physical bookstores also supports authors more so than Amazon, with online stores you can shop at home in your pajamas just like Amazon! Many even offer free shipping too (hey, that’s us!).
5. Online Bookstores Have a Larger Reach
Online bookstores are so much more than just selling books; we’re building communities! Some stores have online book clubs to join, some do virtual author events, and some support other small businesses through the merchandise they sell (like these!). An online presence allows readers who don’t have local independent bookstores or a close Barnes & Noble to still participate in the book community.
When you’re shopping online bookstores, you’re supporting a love of literacy. Browsing different online bookstores doesn’t mean you should completely stopping going to physical locations (you definitely can’t get the book smell through your screen), but vary your book shopping habits and check out some awesome new stores that could become one of your favorites!
