I've Opened an Online Shop with Bookshop.Org

I've just opened a new online bookshop via uk.bookshop.org. It is a new online portal that aims to financially support local, independent bookshops as well as authors and publishers.

The founder of bookshop.org, Andy Hunter, said: "We believe that bookshops are essential to a healthy culture. They’re where authors can connect with readers, where we discover new writers, where children get hooked on the thrill of reading that can last a lifetime. They’re also anchors for our high streets and communities. As more and more people buy their books online, we wanted to create an easy, convenient way for you to get your books and support bookshops at the same time."

You can buy books using the website in pretty much the same way as you would from other online bookselling sites, the difference is that money goes to local bookshops. You can support a specific store, perhaps the one local to you, by finding them on the sites' map before ordering your books. They will get the full profit from the order. Otherwise, an earnings pool is evenly distributed among independent bookshops.

Bookshop.org also supports people who advocate for books by offering an affiliate programme. That includes bloggers and those who run book clubs as well as authors and publishers. The scheme pays them 10 per cent commission on sales as well as supporting independent bookshops. That's exactly what I signed up for. It means you start your own shop, and earn a little for listing your books or those you recommend. You can find my shop here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/lucyastarza

The picture at the top is a screengrab of my shop at uk.bookshop.org, the picture in the middle shows the main website.