Bookshop is an online book marketplace founded in January 2020. Its stated mission is "to financially support local, independent bookstores."
Bookshop, a
privately held company
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...
, has been certified as a
B Corporation
In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...
.
History
Bookshop was founded by publisher Andy Hunter, who had previously co-founded
Literary Hub
Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter.
Conte ...
and ''
Electric Literature''. It is a collaboration between Hunter, the
American Booksellers Association
The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and t ...
, and the book wholesaler
Ingram.
On November 2, 2020 Bookshop opened a branch in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
in partnership with wholesaler
Gardners Books
Gardners’ is an international wholesalers of books, eBooks, music and film. They work with multi-channel retailers worldwide, both online and on the high street, to supply physical and digital products. They offer back to store or direct to co ...
, which runs a similar profit sharing program with independent bookshops in that country.
Model
Bookshop, operating on an
affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a marketing arrangement in which affiliates receive a commission for each visit, signup or sale they generate for a merchant. This arrangement allows businesses to outsource part of the sales process. It is a form of ...
model, receives and fulfills orders for independent booksellers through its online storefront and returns a set portion of profits to the bookseller. Bookshop lets authors, publishers, and reviewers also sign up as affiliates.
Bookshop, conceived as a response to
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
's industry dominance, has set the goal of claiming 1% of the $3.1 billion in United States book sales handled by Amazon as of late 2019. Its strategy is to offer an online storefront with the accessibility and convenience of Amazon and, by convincing media outlets that review and advertise books to link to Bookshop instead, intercept potential Amazon customers.
Controversy
Independent booksellers and independent publishers have expressed concern that Bookshop is, rather than benefiting them, a new long-term competitor in the publishing ecosystem.
It has been estimated that sales through Bookshop.org may be 13-20% less profitable than if customers bought directly from an independent bookstore.
This suggests however that the seller still retains 80-87% profit on a sale they might not otherwise get from foot traffic.
References
Further reading
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American companies established in 2020
Retail companies established in 2020
Internet properties established in 2020
E-commerce in the United States
Online bookstores
External links
* {{official website