Bookshop (company)

Bookshop.org was founded by publisher Andy Hunter, who had previously co-founded Literary Hub and Electric Literature. It is a collaboration between Hunter and the American Booksellers Association.

On November 2, 2020 Bookshop.org opened a branch in the United Kingdom in partnership with wholesaler Gardners Books, which runs a similar profit sharing program with independent bookshops in that country.[2]

Bookshop.org, operating on an affiliate marketing model, receives and fulfills orders for independent booksellers through its online storefront and returns a set portion of profits to the bookseller. Bookshop.org lets authors, publishers, and reviewers also sign up as affiliates.[3]

Bookshop.org, conceived as a response to Amazon's industry dominance, has set the goal of claiming 1% of the $3.1 billion in United States book sales handled by Amazon as of late 2019. Its strategy is to offer an online storefront with the accessibility and convenience of Amazon and, by convincing media outlets that review and advertise books to link to Bookshop.org instead, intercept potential Amazon customers.[3]

At launch, some independent booksellers and independent publishers expressed concern that Bookshop.org is, rather than benefiting them, a new long-term competitor in the publishing ecosystem.[4]

Since launch, the site has earned over $26 million for local stores and support has grown. In 2023, Bookshop.org has replaced IndieBound as the American Booksellers Association official platform for supporting independent, local bookstores when linking to books online. [5]

It has been estimated that sales through Bookshop.org may be 13–20% less profitable than if customers bought directly from an independent bookstore, but the stores do not have the overhead costs of fulfilling the orders themselves.[6]

• Official website