I paid off my last debt on April 2, 2019 and launched Shelves Bookstore 2 months later on June 22, 2019. In full transparency, I did not intend to start a business right after getting out of debt nor did I originally envision myself fulfilling my dream of opening a bookstore lugging around crates of books in the back of my car and setting up a pop-up shop within various small businesses across Charlotte, NC but that’s exactly what I did for 9 months before the plandemic temporarily shut us down. Thankfully, everything I did up until that point to keep Shelves alive was an act of faith in God and it all worked out for my good in ways that I still testify about 5+ years later (and I’m still debt-free too). Plus, we’ve been able to carve out a pretty cool niche for ourselves on Harriet Tubman’s internet through our Reading Is a Lifestyle Book Subscription. But enough about me, keep reading to see what I’d recommend you do that I didn’t.
Build an e-commerce store for your indie bookstore
When I first started Shelves, I was your stereotypical “I love books and want to spend my days reading in a warm & cozy bookstore of my own”. I was initially against selling online because I was convinced that we needed more physical bookstores for people to shop at. This was a silly way of thinking in 2019 and it’s lunatic to think this way in 2025. The fact of the matter is that bookstores need to sell online and I strongly recommend that every aspiring bookstore owner launch an e-commerce store within the first 6 months of business even if you only sell pre-orders or a Bookish product in the beginning.
Become a New York Times Best Sellers reporting bookstore
No, you don’t automatically get to report your book sales to the New York Times simply because you own a bookstore nor does your American Booksellers Association (ABA) member status have anything to do with it. You must apply and I personally think it’s worth it. For example, being a NYT reporting store can possibly get you more event opportunities with authors whose books do well, including those who prefer to work with bookstores that report their sales to the Times. Keep in mind that working with an author is a two-way street and you have the right not to do business with anyone whose values don’t align with your own.
You must sell more than books
Listen, I get it. You’re convinced that books make the world go round and they kinda do but there are other products out there that do really well too like our Reading Is Freedom apparel and our Praying Is a Lifestyle journal. Plus, once you become a bookstore owner, you realize pretty quickly that you can’t afford not to sell what our industry refers to as “sideline items” because of the profit margins for books. Remember, you’re banking on customers paying the price that’s listed on the books you sell despite the fact that they can purchase the same books at a discount from some of your favorite department stores. So, before you open up shop, make up your mind that you will sell more than just books.
Build your mailing list and establish your SEO trail immediately
Social media is a great tool that most of us enjoy and discover new businesses on. However, the reality is that they’re free and since you don’t own the platforms, they can boot you off at any time and take away the audience you’ve built. Having a mailing list for your bookstore ensures that you retain direct access to your customers and allows you to drive traffic to your physical and online store as well. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) does the same thing but in a different way. SEO relies on keywords used on the various pages of your website for Google search results and it’s not an overnight winner, winner chicken dinner. It requires consistency and strategy, and you might have to go down a YouTube rabbit hole to make sense of it all.
Hire a bookkeeper or an accountant
Profit & Loss Statements and Balance Sheets aren’t fun for the average person (Quickbooks is anything but quick!) but they matter and you can avoid looking like a plum fool if you decide early on that you’d rather not have to figure out later how much you need to pay in taxes each year. Don’t feel bad. There are some things that you can’t do on your own that’s why God created gifted people called Certified Public Accountants.
I hope you found this information to be helpful and in the event that you don’t plan on opening your own indie bookstore or starting your own business but love to support those of us who have, then I invite you to shop our Clearance Sale and check out our Reading Is a Lifestyle Book Subscription, where we’re giving new members $10 off your first 3 months!