Bookseller's Facebook Group Promotes Interests of All Indies

Tattered Cover Media Marketing Coordinator Patty Scott Miller is a pro at using social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, to promote the popularity of the legendary Denver bookstore. Now, however, she has taken on the cause of all indie booksellers. Scott Miller recently launched "Challenge: Keep Independent Bookstores Around the World Thriving" on Facebook, and it quickly attracted more than 550 members. Her goal, she said, is to start "a grassroots effort to get more people to buy their books online via IndieBound."

The new Facebook group encourages members to "Unchain yourself. Add IndieBound or your favorite local indie bookstore website as your Top Book Link at Goodreads, Shelfari, et al. Do it now. Tell your friends. Help IndieBound rise above Amazon on the links. It's about books. It's about place. Don't let your indie close its doors forever." It also features a link to www.indiebound.org, provides bookselling news, and has a discussion board about bookstores.

While Scott Miller appreciates sites like Shelfari (acquired by Amazon in August 2008) and Goodreads, she doesn't like their default choices for buying books. "I noticed how they funnel everyone to Amazon," she told BTW. "The only way to change that is for each [user] to go into their individual account and change the order of the links. I just envisioned that they could push up the visibility of IndieBound on their links, so Amazon won't always be at the top, and they would encourage friends to use IndieBound instead of automatically going to Amazon."

In addition to promoting IndieBound and its member stores, Scott Miller wants to provide a "hub for conversation" and start a discussion about favorite bookstores. Those already featured include Annie Blooms in Portland, Oregon; Mac's Backs in Cleveland, Ohio, and Octavia Books in New Orleans.

IndieBound's own Facebook profile now has about 3,700 fans. The site is updated regularly with announcements of new features, photos and videos, each month's Indie Next List, and more. IndieBound Facebook also links to the Indie Bookstore Finder, so people can find a bookstore immediately.

To create a Facebook profile, visit Facebook.com. To become a fan of IndieBound, visit the IB profile and click "become a fan." --Karen Schechner