Around Indies

Nantucket Bookworks Buys Penguin’s Mini

Last year, Penguin Books created an “Anniversary-Mobile” – a 2010 Mini Cooper with black Penguin logos on the door and hood. The car trekked cross-country, racking up 16,000 miles, all the while promoting literacy, The Nature Conservancy, and Penguin authors along the way.

After the tour, Penguin put the car up for sale with the proceeds benefiting the New York Public Library. Wendy Hudson, owner of Massachusetts’ Nantucket Bookworks loved the story behind the vehicle, and decided to purchase it and use it to promote her store.

Hudson hasn’t finalized the car’s new look, but plans to re-name it the “Booksworks-A-GoGo-Mobile,” with the subtitle, “Books by land, sea, and cloud,” to promote the Google Editions^TM that she is now selling through her store’s website.

“My vision is to have a lot of book images in a border around the body,” she told Boston Overdrive. “I know it will turn a lot of heads and remind people that little bookstores are places that have a lot of fun and a lot of character.”

A Bookstore Pops Up in New York

From April 25 to May 1, during the week of the Pen World Voices Festival of International Literature, in New York City, a pop-up bookstore will be open in the Living Room of the festival hotel, The Standard. The store will be curated by New York’s McNally Jackson, and will offer visitors a selection of world literature, as well as other festival-related merchandise, including tattoos, T-shirts, pens, and more.

Online Campaign Helps Keep Rock City Books Alive

Lacy Simons, a longtime employee, was given the opportunity to purchase Rock City Books & Coffee, in Rockland, Maine. However, her current financial situation provided an obstacle that would have to overcome.

Simons turned to her social media skills, starting a campaign for fans of Rock City and indies in general to donate any amount of money to help her buy the store. She is $1,000 away from reaching her $5,000 goal, which she hopes to receive by the end of the month, according to the Bangor Daily News.

“We’ve had some local people, but overwhelmingly it’s been from people who have never even been to the store,” Simons told the newspaper. “I think people tend to think of Twitter and Facebook as being kind of impersonal, but when random strangers entrust their money to you because they support your cause, it feels really personal and organic. You really do feel connected.”

Sundance Bookstore and Music Honored

On March 31, Nevada Humanities presented Sundance Bookstore and Music, in Reno, Nevada, with the Judith Winzeler Award for Excellence in the Humanities. The award recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses that make and outstanding and lasting contribution to Nevada communities by using the tools of the humanities to strengthen and enhance the lives of Nevadans.

The store was nominated by Joe Crowley, president emeritus of the University of Nevada, Reno, who said, “The store’s owners and staff think of themselves as servants first. The cause they serve is culture.”

The bookstore’s many contributions to the town include regularly bringing in authors for signings and readings, and providing enthusiastic support and a public forum for local authors to market their books. Sundance also collaborates with many local nonprofits.