You don't know what you've got 'til its gone -- Joni Mitchell
Independent bookstores have been the lifeblood for independent publishing, reading, and thinking for generations. They are the places that always stocked the titles that were too controversial for the so-called mainstream stores. They stocked the poetry and literature that was nowhere near the best seller list. They did it for love of books, reading, ideas, and literature. Yeah, sometimes they made money, and more power to 'em. Unfortunately, independent bookstores are an endangered species in America. They are mostly a victim of the big chains (Barnes & Noble, etc.) and online bookstores.
As much as I appreciate the buy blue campaign, when it comes to books, you can buy bluer. You can support independent bookstores, and sometimes you can buy direct from the author.
A few years ago, some indies won (or settled, I don't recall the details) a federal antitrust suit against the big chains which had used outrageously anticompetitive practices against them. The money they won in the suit was put into developing the e-commerce section of the trade association of the indie booksellers, the
American Booksellers Association, This has helped the indies stay competetive, and lots of indies do e-commerce now.
To find an independent bookstore in your area -- or anywhere -- you can use this handy store locator. Some indies, like City Lights in San Francisco, are so historic that its worth the visit when you are in town. Most college towns and big cities have at least one great indie bookstore. I always seek them out when I travel.
Another excellent way to vote with your dollars, is to buy direct from authors who -- unless they are named Bill Clinton or otherwise already famous -- not compensated nearly enough for their work. I won't get into all the details of the economics of publishing from an author's point of view (another diary for another day), but suffice to say authors are at the bottom of the publishing food chain. In response, many authors have established thier own ecommerce enterprises as well. (I have followed the example of fellow authors and done this.) Thanks to the miracle of PayPal, authors can become thier own mini-bookstores.
Buying direct from authors is the best way to reward an author for thier work. Authors at certain events, who are selling thier own books, are making more per book by cutting out the middle men (the distributor and the retailer). They have bought thier own book from the publisher at a typically 40-50% discount. This way, they get the money directly. Most of the time, authors only get 10-15%, and royalties are paid quarterly or twice a year. (At booksignings at bookstores, it is the store that is selling the book, not usually the author. But this is still a good way to support your favorite author.)
We vote with our dollars all the time. I am a Democrat, and I like the idea of buying blue. But in this case, I say vote independent. In the end, its the blue thing to do.