original link sent via Jess on twitter!
Bloggers and bookstores are often kindred spirits, but many bloggers link to the Amazon page for books they discuss in their posts. IndieBound recently added a book-linking feature that provides a user-friendly alternative: bloggers can link to book information and cover art on IndieBound, and users who follow the link and want to purchase the book can enter their zip code to find it at a local store.
The bookseller/blogger Bookavore is on a mission to rally her fellow bloggers in support of independent bookstores. “I’d like to encourage as many people as possible to, when using a link that is about a book, link to IndieBound,” she writes in a recent post. “I’m not asking anyone to stop linking anywhere, just to start linking to IndieBound as well (although, of course, I won’t stop anybody who decides to exclusively link to IndieBound; in fact, I might kiss them).”
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March 2nd, 2009 at 2:57 pm #
Yay! I’m always wishing there was a good alternative to linking to Amazon.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:43 pm #
Thank-you! I was also wishing that same thing.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm #
Oooh, it’s awesome to know there’s a good alternative to Amazon.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm #
Is this international? The site won’t open for me for some reason.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:23 pm #
Yeah, I was just going to mention that, about it not being international (far as I know). That point was brought up on another thread somewhere.
I still think it’s a good idea, though – maybe with an additional link to amazon or an international IndieBound equivalent.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 pm #
Exciting! I’m going to do this on my site (assuming the international thing gets figured out).
March 4th, 2009 at 4:57 am #
Thanks for passing this on, BFP.
Also note that you can link to the book publishers website which often has a lot more information about the book, including author interviews, link to reviews and chapter excerpts. I do this quite often.
March 6th, 2009 at 5:32 am #
Thanks for the post. I always hated bloggers (especially leftist ones) linking to amazon or any type like that. That’s why I always find the website of the publisher, search for the book, and then link to that.
March 7th, 2009 at 10:59 pm #
Hmmm…I should have said, “I always hated WHEN bloggers…” No that I “hated bloggers…” That’s what happens when one types too fast.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:29 am #
LibraryThing is maybe worth a mention here too.