IndieBound & Kobo: Supporting local bookstores

I've made it a habit to try and balance my book-buying between online stores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble with independent bookstores. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Where I constantly slip up is in remembering that many local bookstores now have eBooks available for purchase, too.

There is a fantastic website called IndieBound where you can search for books and authors. Once you find the book, you simply type in your ZIP code and a list of independent bookstores near you will appear on screen. If the shop doesn't have the book on the shelves, ask them to order it. It's an easy way to help keep indie bookstores open in your community. I did a quick search for my novels Conquering Venus and Remain In Light and my poetry collection, Render, at IndieBound and received a lengthy list of indie bookstores here in Atlanta where you can buy them, including Charis Books & More, Bound to Be Read Books, Eagle Eye Bookshop and A Cappella Books.

Those same stores I listed above, along with hundreds of indie bookstores around the country, have also partnered with Kobo to make eBooks available to their customers via their websites. For example, you can go to Charis Books & More's website, enter an author's name or title in the eBook search and see what's available. My novels are there and at the same price you'd pay at Amazon or B&N. But if you buy your eBooks through Charis, they get a cut of the sale.

So the next time you're thinking of buying a book, considering doing it locally. Check IndieBound or visit your local bookstore's website and see if they have eBooks available. It's a tiny extra step, but the dividends are priceless.