Indie Bound

IndieBound is a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. It brings together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and anyone else with a passionate belief that healthy local economies help communities thrive. Supporting local, independent businesses means that pounds, jobs, diversity and choices stay local, creating strong, unique communities and happy citizens.

The American Booksellers Association designed IndieBound as the successor to the successful Book Sense marketing program and took the book-related intelligence of indie booksellers, added a dash of youthful energy, and blended in pieces of the growing ‘shop local’ phenomenon before introducing the program in June 2008. The BA’s Independent Booksellers Forum (IBF), seeing what had happened in the US and keen to create strong, positive messages about independence and the high street in the UK, adopted the programme on behalf of its independent members in November 2009, taking the first step in making IndieBound global.

Independent bookshops are increasingly a destination of choice, growth, and surprise, especially for customers who want to be part of their community. Very often, bookshops are already at the heart of a community, and a place where customers discover their next great book and where they meet somebody to talk with about it. Independent booksellers are uniquely placed to talk to their customers about independence and about sustaining a healthy high street.

Consumers in the UK today are aware in a new way of the importance of independent businesses and the health of the high street. The growth of farmers’ markets, the Transition Town movement and many other campaigns show how important it is to shoppers to shop local, and we want IndieBound to be a key part of booksellers connecting with these community-aware customers and taking the positive message outwards to other indie retailers and businesses.

Why support independents?

When you shop at an independently-owned business, your entire community benefits:

Based on US statistics, £100 spent at a local business means £68 of that stays in your community, as opposed to only £43 if spent at a national company

• Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
• Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Shopping in a local business district helps create a healthy and vibrant high street.
• Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
• Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national companies.
• More independents mean more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community