INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOPS: BELOVED AND NECESSARY, A SANCTUARY AND A SOLACE

Independent bookshops: beloved and necessary, a sanctuary and a solace

SAN FRANCISCO, CA VIZ Media believes that all communities should have access to their local bookshop and be encouraged to develop a love of reading, and for that reason VIZ Media proudly partners with Bookshop.org, a new online platform supporting independent bookstores as well as authors and publishers.

There are few places during the current Coronavirus crisis where everyone can find comfort, solace, and a sense of community but the local bookstore is one of them. Now, thanks to Bookshop.org you can browse the aisles of independent bookshops around the country, read their shelf-talkers, and learn the staff picks , not to mention experience the serendipitous joy of random discovery all without leaving home.

Bookshop.org allows independent bookstores to operate an online storefront while removing the necessary overheads and man power of keeping inventory, picking, packing, shipping and handling customer enquiries.

How it works: 10% of all non-bookstore affiliated sales are donated to participating American Booksellers Association shops who have opted into the program, with the overall earnings being divided among the stores twice a year. Those affiliated and selling books directly through the platform can earn 25% commission on sales, while sales generated from Bookshop-affiliated individuals earn commission as well.

Brad Woods VIZ Media CMO said We fully support Bookshop's founder Andy Hunter and his initiative. We know independent booksellers do a fantastic job of nurturing and encouraging readers but these funds will help them do even more, and most importantly help them to keep operating.

All affiliate fees generated from VIZ Media sales will be donated to Bookshop.org through to the end of 2020. We are thrilled to partner with Andy and help support independent bookshops and the publishing community, added Kevin Hamric, VIZ Media Vice President Publishing Sales.

About VIZ Media:

An international authority on manga for more than three decades, VIZ Media is leading the way in what's now, new and next. Reaching one in four millennials and half of all GenZ manga readers, VIZ is at the forefront of America's Japanese pop-culture phenomenon, which today dominates multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming.

VIZ is proud to be the #1 destination for manga in America and home to some of the most prestigious anime brands driving the industry. Combined with a market share footprint larger than household names collectively, VIZ has pivoted from a localization company to a market leading pop culture publisher and producer. For more about VIZ Media, please visit viz.com and bookshop.org.viz

About Bookshop.org:

Bookshop.org launched in January 2020 as an online bookselling platform and affiliate network with a mission to financially support independent bookstores. Bookshop's founder, Andy Hunter, is also publisher of Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull Press, websites Literary Hub, Crime Reads and Book Marks, and co-founder of Electric Literature. For more about Bookshop, please visit bookshop.org and bookshop.org.viz

LINK:	https://www.viz.com/news/newsroom/v/1006715...
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