A number of industry members have gotten together to form Love Your Bookstore, a campaign aimed to help draw attention to all physical bookstores as the holiday shopping season begins

“Bookstores are amazing and important places for us all culturally, and we know that booksellers help readers discover and share the magic of books,” said Dominique Raccah, publishers CEO of Sourcebooks and a member of the steering committee that created the campaign. “They create communities of readers that make a difference because books change lives. We want to give everyone a way to celebrate their favorite bookstore.”

Love Your Bookstore will debut on Saturday, November 10, and run through Friday, November 16. A key element of the initiative is the week-long Love Your Bookstore Challenge. The challenge encourages readers and authors to go into their local bookstore and take a picture of the book they are most excited to gift this holiday season or a book you love or want to receive.

Participants can then post their photos to Instagram or Twitter between November 10 and 16 with the hashtag #loveyourbookstore. Anyone who makes a post will be automatically entered to win book-related prizes. Readers and authors are also encouraged to challenge friends to join the campaign.

TIn addition to Raccah other members of the steering committee are of George Slowik Jr., President of Publishers Weekly; Becky Anderson, co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshops and past president of the American Booksellers Association; Carl Lennertz, executive director of the Children’s Book Council.

“Any grassroots campaign to promote reading and great books in such a positive, spontaneous way is balm for America’s soul during these times,” said Lennertz. “I truly hope this new campaign becomes a new annual tradition!”

The organizers have also set up a website, www.loveyourbookstore.com, which includes more information about the program as well as access to materials designed to promote the new campaign.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include other steertng committee members.