Five places to buy graphic novels instead of Amazon

Let’s get down to brass tacks. Amazon sucks. It operates at a loss to destroy small book publishers and has been for at least 10 years. The CEO just wasted 10 million dollars to send celebs into space during a time where people are unable to afford healthcare, housing and food. They routinely abuse their workers and suppliers, and use shady tactics to avoid paying taxes. 

Their most recent shady tactic is having a book sale that starts on the 23rd and runs through the 28th. Independent Bookstore Day is on the 26th. This is no coincidence being that this is the second year that Amazon has had a book sale a week before Independent Bookstore Day. So let’s stick it ‘em and get books at one of these places instead. 

• Bookshop.org
  •  A one-stop bookstore that donates their proceeds to over 2000 bookstores in the United States. You can select a specific bookshop in your area to support and directly buy from, or if you don’t have one close to you, you can order directly from the site and have the proceeds be donated to all shops.

• Bluestockings Cooperative
  • Established in 1999 and worker-owned since 2021, Bluestockings is one of the few bookstores that are feminist, sex worker positive, and diverse. They have a large selection of graphic novels with topics ranging from pronouns to queer mermaids. In an era where these establishments are under threat, it is important now more than ever to support cooperatives and worker-owned institutions. 

• Silver Sprocket
  • Established in 2012, Silver Sprocket is a bookstore, publisher, and gallery located in San Francisco. They specialize in experimental, radical comics whose subject runs the gambit from catholic vampires to a how-to guide on at home abortions. After the recent layoffs they’ve had to do, it’s important to support local and progressive retailers like this one. 
• Your Local Library
  • Seriously, if you don’t have money and live in a city of any kind, you have a local library. That library in most cases will have a website to access their book catalog. Put a book and hold and pick it up when it’s in store. If they don’t have it, you can always put in a request for them to buy it.

• Libby App
  • Maybe your local branch is far away, has ridiculous laws in place that keep from checking out the books you want, or like me, there are insane amounts of holds on the books you want (like Sunrise on The Reaping). Try the Libby App. If you have a library card you can enter it into the app and get started, if not it will guide you through the process of getting one. 

See? It’s that easy to get books other than Amazon. It’s easier for the workers and for the planet. Happy reading!

Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev