Bookshop (company)
 | |
| Industry | E-commerce |
|---|---|
| Founder | Andy Hunter |
| Website | bookshop |
Bookshop is an online book marketplace founded in January 2020. Its stated mission is "to financially support local, independent bookstores."[1]
Bookshop, a privately held company, has been certified as a B Corporation.
History[]
Bookshop was founded by publisher Andy Hunter, who had previously co-founded Literary Hub and Electric Literature. It is a collaboration between Hunter, the American Booksellers Association, and the book wholesaler Ingram.
On November 2, 2020 Bookshop 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]
Model[]
Bookshop, 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 lets authors, publishers, and reviewers also sign up as affiliates.[3]
Bookshop, 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 instead, intercept potential Amazon customers.[3]
Controversy[]
Independent booksellers and independent publishers have expressed concern that Bookshop is, rather than benefiting them, a new long-term competitor in the publishing ecosystem.[4]
It has been estimated that sales through Bookshop.org may be 13-20% less profitable than if customers bought directly from an independent bookstore.[5]
References[]
- ^ "About BookShop". bookshop.org. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Flood, Alison (November 2, 2020). "'This is revolutionary': new online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ a b Lyons, Gila (December 11, 2019). "An Indie Alternative to Amazon?". Poets & Writers. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ Alter, Alexandra (June 16, 2020). "Bookstores Are Struggling. Is a New E-Commerce Site the Answer?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ "Why Bookshop.org is not the saviour the book world needs". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
Further reading[]
- Bhanoo, Sindya N. (April 24, 2020). "The little book sellers that could: How indie stores managed to take a slice of Amazon business". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Chow, Andrew R.; Gutterman, Annabel (April 22, 2020). "Indie Bookstores Are Fighting to Survive the Pandemic. A New Movement May Have the Answer". Time. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Italie, Hillel (April 2, 2020). "New online store offers help to indie bookstores shuttered during coronavirus pandemic". Associated Press. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Knibbs, Kate (January 30, 2020). "This Startup Wants to Help Indie Booksellers Take on Amazon". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
- "US Independent booksellers rally together via Bookshop.org". Books+Publishing. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Warner, John (January 15, 2020). "Bookshop.org hopes to play Rebel Alliance to Amazon's Empire". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
External links[]
- American companies established in 2020
- Retail companies established in 2020
- Internet properties established in 2020
- E-commerce in the United States
- Online bookstores