Independent Bookstores in the Pandemic

Independent bookstores are hurting. Two weeks ago, the American Booksellers Association launched the “Boxed Out” campaign to call attention to the pandemic’s toll and Amazon’s dominance. On Friday, The Strand released a public letter asking New Yorkers for help and revealing that its revenue had dropped by 70 percent compared to last year. Alexandra Alter, New York Times reporter covering publishing and the literary world, joins us to take a close look at how independent bookstores are faring more than seven months into the pandemic.