PYMNTS.com: “…Despite pandemics and Amazon, independent bookshops are finding a way to get the job done. Thanks to two new eCommerce sites, this “nonessential” category is actually seeing new life in the age of COVID-19. Part of that life is in the rise of new partners competing with Amazon. The first is a startup called Bookshop, which launched in January of this year. Bookshop supports independents in two ways: 10 percent of its regular sales online sales are added to an earnings pool that is distributed to participating independent bookstores every six months, per its website. The company claims that $1 million has been doled out so far. Stores sell books online using Bookshop by sharing their designated link on social media, email newsletters or their websites. They earn 30 percent of the cover price on any sales they generate – that is the entire profit margin, which means all profits go to the store. Bookshop’s profits come from sales executed through its site without a bookstore redirect. All orders are fulfilled through Ingram Distribution…

• “A similar eCommerce site has found new popularity, this one covering audiobooks for independent booksellers. Libro.fm was born in 2014…: “Listen on Your Term – We believe you should listen to audiobooks in a way that works for you. That’s why we offer monthly memberships, à la carte listening, and extra benefits when you switch from another audiobook provider…”