What you can do

Are you worried about the future of literacy, and the potential downfall of publishing as we know it?  Are you a reader looking for a way to ensure you’ll have something worth reading in years to come?  Are you an author who wants to get people excited about books and to do your part to create a future for good books?  Here are some easy things you can do:

• Readers:
• Think about the message your book buying sends to publishers.
• Shop locally owned book stores, or buy directly from publisher’s websites

• Authors:
• Connect with local readers - not just once (ie: a single reading), but in an ongoing way
• Curate good writing, so you have something to recommend to readers who have already read all your work

I'm doing my part by reaching out to my local Farmers Market to create a presence of books and authors with the sort of people who I think will be most receptive to this message.  People who already take the time, make the effort, and put their money behind their beliefs with regard to conscientious food buying seem like a good starting place to encourage conscientious book buying.  I've reached out to other authors in my area, and we're going to work together to change the way people think about their relationship with books and with their creators.  I'm beginning to think about what books I'd recommend to people who sincerely desire to invest their time, thought, and money in excellent writing - beyond my own attempts to create something worth reading, and into the larger world of modern literary work.

You can do your part in the same way, or you can come up with other things to try - I would love to hear your ideas about how we can wake people up to the importance of shopping for value rather than simply shopping for the lowest price or the most familiar experience.  It's only when each of us does our part to reach out to other authors and other readers and to everyone else in the chain of industry that currently connects us (agents, editors, distributors, book stores, et cetera) that we can begin to make a difference.  It'll be slow-going at first, but every dollar spent intelligently on books is another vote for a more intelligent publishing industry and a more literate future.

National chain book stores are an important part of the publishing ecosystem, and like national fast food chains they create what appears to be an easier and cheaper alternative to seeking out independent and locally-owned book stores - but thoughtful book buyers like you can make sure that a vibrant and variegated market is maintained.  If you can't find a locally-owned bookseller to shop at, at least be sure you're telling the major chains that you want more good books by putting your money where your mind is.  Buy better books, pay the price the publishers set, and invest in intelligent and independent voices.