With bookstores shuttered and author tours cancelled, the publishing industry has already been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Further, Amazon has de-prioritized shipping "nonessentials," including books.

Looking to stock up on reads while social distancing? Here's how to do so while staying safe—and helping the book world at the same time.

For a bookworm, there's nothing quite like walking into a bookstore and searching for the "right book." Unfortunately, wandering through a bookstore's aisles has been cancelled for the foreseeable future, thanks to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Deemed a "nonessential" industry, bookstores around the country have been forced to shutter stores and lay off staff. Avenues for online shopping have been affected, too: Amazon warns customers that shipments for nonessential items, like books, could be delayed a month.



Ironically, for many, books have been an "essential" component of getting through the alternating pangs of boredom and anxiety that characterize social distancing. Stuck at home, people are turning toward books for entertainment and a therapeutic off-ramp from the news cycle.

"My reading habits have changed in two major ways: I finally have more time to read, and I find myself being drawn to lighter and escapist reads," Ariana Valde, a 26-year-old from Washington, D.C. who works at a community non-profit, tells OprahMag.com. "Reading allows me to properly unwind, which is more important now than ever for me."

During this trying moment, consumers and booksellers can work together to keep bookshelves stocked, and keep bookstores open. For bookstores, the moment is urgent.

"What's become clear to me, in having to stay home, is just how much the small shops matter to our social lives—our sense of community and neighborhood," says A.N. Devers, founder of The Second Shelf, a London-based bookstore specializing in rare and contemporary books by women. "If we want that back when things change and we are all able to return to our lives, we have to spend at the indies now."

In the absence of in-person stores, a thriving online community has popped up to support writers and booksellers and help connect readers with books. Here are ways to keep reading.

Where to Buy Books

Order books online through indie booksellers.

Coronavirus struck just as indie bookstores had been hitting their stride, with sales growing at 7.5% over the past five years, per the American Booksellers Association. Readers can help keep the momentum going by purchasing books directly from stores. "Every sale makes a difference," Devers tells OprahMag.com.

While most bookstores offer shipping, some have also introduced drop-off and curbside pick-up services to connect with customers. For the most up-to-date information, Devers recommends giving the bookstore a call.

To track down your local bookstores, head to IndieBound's Bookstore Finder or Book Store Link. Or, take a tour through the bookstores of the U.S. with this Twitter thread.



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Let's get something good going:



Boston indie bookstore @papercutsjp just newslettered a reminder that they sell online - see below.



BOOKSELLER CHUMS: Please reply with the link to your store



READERS: Look for your local below & shop!



EVERYONE: Retweethttps://t.co/4fHNHrPJNF — Dennis Johnson (@MobyLives) March 14, 2020

Shop through Bookshop.org.

Launched in 2020, Bookshop.org is a new online bookselling platform that works alongside independent bookstores. As opposed to Amazon, Bookshop.org shares 10% of the list price with its indie bookstore partners.

As a response to coronavirus, Bookshop.org will now share 30% of every sale to indie bookstores, per LitHub.

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Not sure which of your local bookstores are on Bookshop? Browse your area on our new map! And if your fave is missing and doesn't sell through their website, encourage them to join!https://t.co/e0R0DQA9rv — Bookshop (@Bookshop_Org) March 20, 2020

Buy e-books.

Want the book now? You got it. E-books can be accessed through Amazon, Apple Books, or Scribd, which offers access to books, audiobooks, and magazines for $9.99/month–and the first month free. All can be immediately downloaded on your device.

Get lost in an audiobook.

Take a break from the news broadcast with the dulcet tones of a novel read aloud. For instance, Libro.fm is an audiobook platform that makes it possible to buy audiobooks from your local store. Right now, Libro.fm is offering a membership package designed to keep indies thriving.

"When you start a membership with code SHOPBOOKSTORESNOW, you’ll get two audiobooks for the price of one ($14.99), and 100% of your payment will go to your local bookstore," the website reads. So far, Libro.fm reports that $46,000 has been raised for indie bookstores so far through the "Shop Bookstores Now" campaign, divided between nearly 600 shops.

Alternatively, Audible subscriptions begin at $14.95/month, after a 30-day free trial. Here are some of our favorite audiobooks, to start:

Purchase a gift card.

If your bedside table is already toppling with books but you want to support your local shop, your best bet is to buy a gift card to redeem at a later date.

"The gift certificate purchases matter so much," Devers says. "It's our customers paying for books now, that they will receive later, with a lot of hand-selection and love. And it means the difference of our existence or not."

Find Out What to Read Next

Call a bookseller.

It's more than the coziness of the aisles. The beauty of bookstores lies in a booksellers' vast body of literary knowledge. Luckily, many bookstores continue to offer customers recommendations, even as their stores are shuttered.

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True facts, readers: we will pick books out for you! pic.twitter.com/IiTMcCQd7W — Elliott Bay Book Co. (@ElliottBayBooks) March 23, 2020

"We love to practice bibliomancy—the art of conjuring up a book for a customer to read and love that they didn't know they needed," Devers says of the Second Shelf.



Scour the internet for recommendations.

So, you know where to buy books. But which book to buy? As a response to coronavirus, Twitter has mobilized with recommendation threads, promoting new releases and old favorites like. Check out a few recommendation threads here, here, and here.

username='EvanLSolomon']https://twitter.com/EvanLSolomon/status/1240035839037538304[/twitter]

Other options? Subscribe to bookstores' newsletters, follow book accounts on Instagram, and read round-ups from publications—like OprahMag.com's. And to further keep your finger on the pulse of publishing, check out Angela Lashbrook's thoughtfully compiled list of new releases, updated weekly on Medium.

Attend a virtual book tour.

Now's also the time to support authors, whose books are landing amid bookstore closures and tour cancellations. Douglas Stuart's , came out on February 11. Not long after the high of a jam-packed New York reading on February 12, Stuart's entire tour was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Shuggie Bain: A Novel amazon.com $24.49 Shop Now

"When that opportunity to tour vanishes, the fear is that your book can go unseen," Stuart tells OprahMag.com. "I was looking forward to the tour; I just wanted to be present and enjoy every minute of connecting with readers. It’s been a dream for so long." Stuart has been working on Shuggie Bain for over 10 years.

Like many other authors and publishers, Stuart is in the process of setting up digital readings and interviews. The Rumpus has a weekly round-up of all virtual book events, like a talk with Emily St. John Mandel on March 24 and a star-packed non-fiction panel on the 25th.

For coverage of weekly releases, head to the Mighty Blaze's Facebook, a project started by Caroline Leavitt and Jenna Blum that signal-boosts writers with upcoming books. Expect interviews with novelists, readings, and round-ups of new books.

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“We’re two technophobe female novelists in yoga pants trying to save authors from canceled tours and indie bookstores from being shuttered, and we’re doing it every Tuesday," Leavitt explained of the venture in a recent interview with Publisher's Weekly.

Set your calendars for Penguin Random House's Virtual Con.

Penguin Random House recently announced "Virtual Con," an online alternative to in-person author events. The event will take place on April 24, starting at 9 a.m.

"Get ready for author AMAs, exclusive content, giveaways, an interactive Geek Geek Revolution game show, author videos, and more," the official website reads.



Treat yourself to a book subscription box.

Get a little box of joy in the mail with these book subscription boxes, which arrive monthly with a new selection. For a more personalized box, try Page 1 Books, which has customers fill out a taste profile to facilitate custom picks.

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Alternatively, many bookstores offer their own subscription services, like Powell's of Oregon or the Strand of New York. The Ripped Bodice, an L.A.-based bookstore that specializes in romance, ships out steamy "care packages"—get on the waitlist here.

Join an online book club.

Even though you likely read solo, reading can be a powerful tool to connect with others, and even while "social distancing," you can start or join a book club.

After her home city went on lockdown, Lily Herman, a writer from New York, swiftly moved her romance book club's meetings from in-person to online. She uses Facebook to communicate with members, and Zoom video conferencing to hold virtual meet-ups.



"This book club and the people in it are a main source of joy right now. Plus, organizing the book club keeps me busy; it’s really fun to field suggestions and curate lists for everyone to vote on," Herman tells OprahMag.com.

Connect with authors and readers on social media.

Book lovers, your time has come: Be loud and proud about your bookish passion. Reading is something done alone and together...kind of like social distancing. During this time, don't be afraid to talk up your favorite bookstores, and books, on social media.

As Stuart says: "As a writer, if someone is moved by your work and wants to share that with the world, what more can you ask for?"

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