How to Support Your Local Bookstore and Celebrate the Joy of Reading
Every last Saturday of April, booksellers and book lovers celebrate what many (okay, this author) consider “the best holiday of the year”: Independent Bookstore Day. Taking place this year on Saturday, April 26, the day is a chance to celebrate independent bookstores in all their glory, including their unique personalities and the communities they build. Started in 2014 as California Bookstore Day—inspired by Independent Record Store Day—the event has since gone on to expand nationwide, with over 1,500 stores participating in 2025!
Read on for ways to support your indie this Bookstore Day and beyond!
Why Independent Bookstore Day matters
There are countless reasons why we love independent bookstores at Libro.fm. From booksellers and their personal recommendations to the great kids events they host, independent bookstores are for book lovers and beyond.
Indie Bookstore Day provides a wonderful opportunity for us to champion our favorite stores—as well as the importance and impact of shopping locally. The event builds buzz and excitement around our neighborhood sellers, convincing not just us routine customers to show up and support, but new folks as well (a great example of building community).
In addition to the usual atmosphere bookstores and their sellers are adept at creating, Bookstore Day gives them permission to go above and beyond if they so choose. We’ve seen bookstores with petting zoos, giveaways, limited-edition merch, author readings, book signings, baked goods, and plenty more.
In fact, Indie Bookstore Day can be a huge revenue generator for these stores, something they need more than ever in a time of economic uncertainty and big tech competition.
How to support your local bookstore on Indie Bookstore Day
While we encourage readers to show support for independent bookstores all year long, there are also specific ways to show support leading up to and on Independent Bookstore Day.
Visit your indie(s) in person:
See what’s on their agenda! Even if it’s nothing out of the norm, use the day as an opportunity to swing by and thank the booksellers for their work. You can even make an event out of it with friends and visit a few stores. Many bookstores in nearby communities work together to create bookstore crawls or passports. If you visit them all, you get a prize!
Join the Golden Ticket Giveaway:
Want free audiobooks? Check out our Golden Ticket Giveaway! If you find the ticket in a participating store on Indie Bookstore Day, you’ll get 12 free audiobooks. See the list of participating stores.
Shop the Libro.fm Bookshop Appreciation Sale:
Can’t visit in store? That’s ok! You can still support them online by buying books directly from the store and by shopping our sale. The week leading up to Indie Bookstore Day, we’ll have thousands of great audiobooks on sale to celebrate.
Grab limited-edition merch:
The American Booksellers Association releases merchandise each year, from clothes to exclusive books only available in store.
Shout-out your indie on social media:
Share photos of your Indie Bookstore Day with the hashtag #IndieBookstoreDay!
Spread the word:
Let your friends and family know about the celebration, and encourage them to participate.
Want to learn more about Indie Bookstore Day?
Visit www.libro.fm/ibd