Square Books - Best Bookstore

Publisher's Weekly Names its Best Bookstore of 2013

News by Christopher Shultz
Now in it's 20th year, PW's annual award goes to a little shop frequented by a famous author.
President Obama & Daughters Indie Bookstore Small Business Saturday

President Obama and Daughters Support Indie Bookstore on Small Business Saturday

News by Dan Shewan November 26, 2012 (3) comments
President Barack Obama and his two daughters went shopping at an independent bookstore in Arlington, Virginia, on Small Business Saturday.
Amazon Steps Up Publishing Game, Kobo Throws In With Indie Bookstores

Amazon Steps Up Its Publishing Game While Kobo Throws In With Indie Bookstores

News by Rob W. Hart August 30, 2012 (1) comments
Amazon will make its eBooks available to sites like Kobo and Barnes & Noble. Meanwhile, Kobo will partner with indie bookstores to sell eBooks--will they succeed where Google failed?

Indie Bookstore Spotlight: The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle

Column by Hanna Brooks Olsen May 22, 2012 (1) comments
Seattle's cornerstone bookery, The Elliott Bay Book Company, survived a giant move and lived to tell the tale.
Pagie M. Gutenborg

Could A Printing Press Save Independent Book Stores?

News by Kimberly Turner May 15, 2012 (7) comments
Harvard Book Store's in-house printing press gives customers instant access to millions of out-of-print, rare, and public domain books. Is it the great equalizer in the Amazon vs. indie retailers war?
Google Axing Its eBook Reseller Program

Bad News For Indie Bookstores: Google Axing Its eBook Reseller Program

News by Rob W. Hart
Google will no longer assist indie bookstores in selling eBooks--a blow to the stores that could have used the additional revenue (had the program ever taken off).
Publishing Industry Afraid Of A Future Without Barnes & Noble

Publishing Industry Afraid Of A Future Without Barnes & Noble

News by Rob W. Hart January 30, 2012 (6) comments
The big publishing houses are watching Barnes & Noble with crossed-fingers--if the big-box bookseller falls victim to Amazon, it could mean bad things for the publishing industry.

Can't Everyone In The Publishing Industry Just Get Along?

Column by Rob W. Hart January 16, 2012 (11) comments
We spend a lot of time arguing over what's better--print vs. eBooks, traditional vs. self-publishing, indies vs. Amazon--but can't we just agree that both sides have their benefits?
Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin wants tax incentives for writers

Ian Rankin Calls For Tax Breaks For New Authors

News by Rob W. Hart January 16, 2012 (3) comments
Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin calls for the United Kingdom to adopt tax incentives to support new writers, now that publishers are taking less risks and paying out less for advances.
Harvard Bookstore video asks book-buyers to stop showrooming

Harvard Book Store Encourages People To Buy Where They Browse

News by Rob W. Hart January 12, 2012 (1) comments
The Harvard Book Store has put together a video that dissuades people from using bookstores as a showroom for Amazon.
Another Baffling Article By Farhad Manjoo

Another Baffling Bookstore Article By Farhad Manjoo

News by Rob W. Hart December 22, 2011 (9) comments
After bashing indie booksellers in Slate, Farhad Manjoo is back with another piece that makes it sound like he's never set foot in a bookstore in his life.
George Whitman, founder of Shakespeare and Company in Paris, has died

Founder of Paris’ Shakespeare and Company Bookstore Dies

News by Rob W. Hart
George Whitman, the founder of Shakespeare and Company in Paris, a bookstore that served as a haven to writers, died Wednesday at the age of 98.

Why Independent Bookstores Matter: A Rebuttal To Slate's Farhad Manjoo

Column by Rob W. Hart December 14, 2011 (17) comments
Farhad Manjoo's Slate piece, 'Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller', makes the claim that Amazon is the true supporter of literary culture--but by my measure, it is riddled with hollow arguments.
Amazon War on Book Stores

Amazon Wages War On Brick-And-Mortar Stores

News by Rob W. Hart December 7, 2011 (5) comments
Amazon will offer discounts to shoppers who scan bar codes at stores and upload them through the Amazon app--a practice that could spell bad news for indie bookstores.