How to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling

Danny Caine's How to Resist Amazon and Why — first published as a 15-page zine in 2019 and now in its second edition as a full-fledged book — was a game changer for me as a consumer, and continues to be an absolute gift for me as a bookseller. I often refer to it as, "the hours-long conversation I wish I could have with every customer, in book form," so my bookseller heart leapt with joy when I heard he had something new in the works, about something very dear to said bookseller heart: bookstores. Caine is one of the industry's most passionate and vocal advocates, and his forthcoming book is sure to give readers the info and inspiration they need to become advocates themselves. (He of course gets an extra gold star for teaming up again with Portland's own Microcosm Publishing!) Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com

Why bookstores matter and how we can help

Can bookstores save the world? As bastions of culture, anchors of local retail districts, community gathering places, and the source of new ideas, inspiration, and delight, maybe they can. But only if we protect them and the critical roles they fill in our communities.

Danny Caine, author of the best-selling sensation How to Resist Amazon and Why and co-owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, makes a compelling case for the power of small, local businesses in this thoughtful examination of the dynamic world of bookstores. At once an urgent call to action and a sincere tribute to everything bookstores can do, Caine's new book features a brief overview of 20th-century bookselling and how it got that way, plus case-study profiles of 13 of the most interesting, creative, and progressive bookstores of today, from Minneapolis to Paris.

Through examples, analysis, and well-informed advocacy, Caine offers a cohesive road map for a sustainable future of bookselling, including policy suggestions, strategies for community-based action, and tips on what consumers can do to help. A captivating read for any lover of books, patron of bookstores, or champion of the survival of these vital institutions, How to Protect Bookstores and Why makes the strongest possible case for the importance of a resilient, inclusive, and progressive bookstore landscape.

"Even devoted bookstore aficionados will learn a lot from this book-about a dozen inspiring, unique, community-driven bookstores across the country, and about how to help support and protect the bookstores in one's own neighborhood. Danny is one of our industry's best boosters, in part because he offers both enthusiasm and a critical eye, and I always look forward to his missives. One brief warning: I imagine it will inspire more than one reader to join our ranks." — Emma Straub, bestselling author and owner of Books Are Magic

"A sort of bookseller Profiles in Courage, How to Protect Bookstores and Why is an invigorating, entertaining, and insightful portrait of contemporary bookstores by one of our country's finest booksellers. Danny Caine is the bard of bookselling!" — Jeff Deutsch, Director, Seminary Co-op and author, In Praise of Good Bookstores

"With How to Protect Bookstores and Why, Caine solidifies his role as an insightful leader among our nation's booksellers. By documenting independent bookshops at the perilous intersection of sociopolitical upheaval and 21st-century commerce, Caine shows that such businesses aren't just pillars of community, which would be enough; they are also, in many cases, inherent defenders of democracy." — Sarah Smarsh, National Book Award finalist and author of Heartland

Danny Caine is the author of the book How to Resist Amazon and Why, as well as the poetry collections Continental Breakfast, El Dorado Freddy's, and Flavortown. One of the owners of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, he was named Midwest Bookseller of the Year in 2019. More at dannycaine.com.