Independent bookstores in more than 30 cities across six continents will participate in the first synchronized Global Bookstore Crawl on April 26, coinciding with Independent Bookstore Day in the U.S.
The initiative is being coordinated by Federico Lang, key account manager at Librería Luces in Malaga, Spain; Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, owner of Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Brid Conroy, co-owner of Tertulia Bookstore in Westport, Ireland. The idea for the initiative, which was inspired by successful bookstore crawls in Brooklyn and Chicago, struck the group after the trio met at various international book fairs and realized, as Lang put it, that “we all had similar problems, we shared concerns, and we all shared a passion for what we did.”
The initial group of booksellers includes multiple stores in major metropolitan areas. The United States program encompasses stores in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Cape Cod, New Orleans, the Puget Sound region, and Washington, D.C. Australia features participating bookstores across Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, and the Blue Mountains. Brazil's participation includes stores in Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, while Sweden's program spans Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Uppsala.
Lang envisions the initiative fostering deeper international connections. "We could tell our book club members, 'Next month we're going to read a book from an Austrian author, but we're going to do the reunion in a bookstore in Vienna,'” he said. “Our hosts could prepare a cultural visit to the city, and then they come to Malaga and we do the same with them.”
Lang emphasized that the initiative is intended to demonstrate that the indie bookstore community, when working together, is more than enough to compete with bigger players. “I'm tired of the characterization of small businesses and indie bookstores as victims of Amazon,” Lang said. “We're not victims of anything. Our basic strength is our bond with the community and we have to make something out of it and work for the betterment of the services and the experience we provide.”
The organizers have partnered with Malaga-based digital marketing agency Windup to coordinate social media promotion. Participating stores will offer various local incentives including stamps, discounts, and raffles. More information about participating stores and local events can be found at www.globalbookcrawl.org.