Why Do I Use Bookshop.org?

Like most book lovers, I have two bookish hobbies. The first is reading, of course, and the second is collecting book to read (and stare at). I talk a lot about the reading portion on this blog, but I pretty much only talk about the book collecting when I haul books in my monthly wrap ups, and at the end of the year, when I talk about my book buying habits. So I think it’s time I talked more about one of my favorite ways to purchase books, Bookshop.org.

If you’ve been around this blog for a bit, you’ve probably caught on to the fact that I’m a Bookshop.org affiliate. Something that may have given it away is this post about why this blog became affiliated with Bookshop.org. In case you didn’t catch on at that point, I gave you all a reminder last year with my post about what I learned after being an affiliate for a full year. So you may be thinking that what I really like about Bookshop.org is the fact that I make a commission from it. And honestly, that’s certainly a part of it. But that’s definitely not the only reason I love using the site. So why don’t we go into all the little details of why I end up buying a large portion of my books from this site.

Now, I think it’s important to note that where I’ve acquired my books from has changed over the years. When I started this blog I probably only got the majority of my books from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. However, in 2021 I made the conscious decision not to use Amazon for books anymore, after hearing about how authors, publishers, and independent bookstores were being harmed by the low prices. So from then on my mentality shifted. I started purchasing more books from any source other than Amazon, which usually mean either Bookshop.org or Barnes & Noble.

Me needing options of where to buy books

Me being me, I started coming up with an unofficial system to choose how I’d acquire a book. While Barnes & Noble or an independent bookstore still were my first choice if I was able to browse for books in person, Bookshop.org became the place where I started browsing for books online. But again, why?

Honestly, the first reason truly is because of Bookshop.org’s mission statement. They truly want to help support those independent bookstores that I love to visit. That’s something I can definitely get behind. Not only that, but they support those that want to support bookstores. That’s right, they value their affiliates. So much so that this post is actually a partnership with Bookshop.org! Yes, that’s right. Bookshop.org apparently knows who I am!

You know how us bloggers have always wanted to get paid for promoting books? Well, when I post a list recommending books I love, the commission I receive does just that. And you know how us bloggers always dream of having a partnership with a bookish entity? Well, this blogger’s dreams just came true!

I’m not saying all this to show off. I’m sharing this information for several reasons. One, because it’s important to be transparent. I was asked to write this post as part of an exchange, and I will always disclose such transactions. Two, because it’s important for us bloggers to know that there are companies out there who value us and what we’re doing. And three, because this partnership really shows me how much Bookshop.org cares about their mission statement. They obviously care about book stores or their entire platform, designed around supporting independent book stores, wouldn’t exist. But they also care about those who appreciate books and bookstores! That’s why they have an affiliate program! That’s why I was asked to partner with them! They’re a bookselling platform designed for booklovers to buy books online while supporting physical bookstores, and possibly other bookish creators as well. And that’s a mission statement I can get behind!

But that’s not the only reason why I love the site. Lest you forget, I was in the middle of making a list. We covered reason number one in great detail, but what is reason number two? Well that would be the ease of browsing.

You see, in person, it’s really easy to find books. You just walk up and down the shelves and randomly pull books off shelves or the displays that have been set up. But what if you can’t go in person to the bookstore, but you still want a book? If you don’t have a specific book in mind, online browsing usually isn’t the greatest. So what I’ve done in the past is browse in other places. I’d look up blog posts, Booktube videos, random lists, go on Goodreads. And then after I had a list of books I was interested in, I’d look for them online. And that’s a perfectly fine method. But Bookshop.org makes it easy to find books because of their lists.

You may have seen the lists I’ve posted on my Bookshop.org affiliate page. No one should be surprised that most of them tend to feature romances or graphic novels that I recommend. Every affiliate has a page like that where they curate lists to recommend to those that are interested. What’s even better though, is that the Bookshop.org homepage features a variety of lists each week. There are bestseller lists, lists of books that have special sales, lists of books that correspond to the upcoming holidays or time of year, lists of books featuring a genre, theme, or marginalized group. You name it, there’s a list for it! I love checking every Tuesday to see which new books and lists are being featured! There are also lists on every genre home page for you to check out! Sci-fi fan? Find out what other sci-fi lovers recommend! Romance lover? Check out these romances featuring royalty, or food, or road trips! I’ve used these kinds of lists plenty of times to get inspiration as to what sort of books I’m in the mood of purchasing that day!

But say you don’t care about lists. Say you know exactly which 15 books you want to purchase. Except, of course, you need to narrow down your choices to 2-3 book, because 15 books is way out of your budget! So you put the remaining 12-13 books on a wishlist. And there they wait until your next bookish shopping spree.

But what if you could share those books with everyone you know who might be interested in purchasing you one of those books? Well, now you can! Bookshop.org created registries for just this purpose. Registries are wishlists that you set an address to. Then, you share your lists and if someone buys you the book, it gets shipped straight to you, without the purchaser even seeing your address! So you maintain your privacy while still maximizing the amount of books you can get sent! If my explanation wasn’t clear enough, here’s how Bookshop.org explains it!

And what better way to learn about these registries than to try them out for yourself! Now you may be thinking that there’s no point in creating one, because who will ever buy a book from that list. Welllllll, I might! You see, as a reward for reading through this very lengthy post, you get a giveaway!

Giveaway Details!

Create a registry with at least 5 books on it, and share it in the comments below to enter! I will randomly pick one winner, and they will be sent one of the books from their registry that costs up to $20! Unfortunately this giveaway is US only, so bear that in mind. You also must be following this blog in order to win a book from your registry! However, you can double your chances of winning by heading over to my Instagram, where I’m hosting the very same giveaway, with very similar rules of entry! This giveaway will end on December 25th, at midnight, and I will pick a winner from those that have entered on the 26th!

And there you have it! Those are some of the reasons I love Bookshop.org! I love their mission statement, their lists, their registries! I love the fact that they reached out to me to work with me! I’ve acquired over 50 books from the site since I began using it, featured several lists, and made a few posts about them, and I couldn’t be happier to share my love of this platform with all of you today!

Have you used Bookshop.org before? What’s your go to online book selling site? Do you like getting books as gifts for the holidays?

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