Affiliate
Most of you probably know that I proudly support independent bookstores. To my mind, this is just another facet of the attitude you often find on this blog: The small and the diverse need to be protected against the large and monotonous. Whether you're growing tasty heirloom peaches that corporate grocers won't carry, or selling poetry that a big chain wouldn't, you need protection from the monstrous stores who want to eagerly grab your tiny market share. I try not to eat at chain restaurants, why should I shop at chain bookstores? So when I link to a book I try to always link to its entry at Cody's Books in Berkeley.
But this has some disadvantages. First, I'd rather you bought from your local independent bookstore, not mine, just as I'd rather you buy from a local farmer and not one a plane flight away. Second, Cody's doesn't have an affiliate program like Amazon.com, where a reader who clicks through to that site from mine nets me a small kickback if s/he buys the book. [Ed: Actually, they do. Thanks to Jack for pointing this out. See comments for my response] This hasn't been a big deal—it's not like I look to this blog to fund my Bay Area house purchase—but it is something I think about occasionally, and it probably prevents other bloggers from taking the same subversive action.
Inspired by a question from Clotilde, I wrote BookSense.com to ask if they have an affiliate program. It turns out they do. BookSense.com is an association of independent booksellers, and if you buy a book from them, the bulk of the money actually goes to an independent bookseller close to you.
So I am now a BookSense.com affiliate. This means that if you click on a link for a book I mention, and then buy that book, it will come from your independent bookseller (if you live in the U.S.) and I'll get a teensy tiny kickback. Simple as that. I converted the links in my review of The Botanist and the Vintner if you want to try it out.
I'm glad to see BookSense.com supports this, and I'd encourage all my fellow bloggers to switch to their program. Independent bookstores contribute to real people in your local economy, not the bank accounts of Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble shareholders. Just like good food, a good bookstore is worth protecting.
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