The #SaveIndieBookstores campaign has raised a total of $1,239,595 to support independent bookstores, Bookselling This Week reported.

More than 1,800 donors contributed that was originally to have ended on April 30 but was extended to May 5 to give people more time to donate and, as the organizers said, “save these irreplaceable, vital parts of our communities.”


All the money raised will be given to independent bookstores, who are encouraged to apply for a grant.

The campaign was a partnership of James Patterson, who donated $500,000, the American Booksellers Association and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc).

The campaign began April 2 with a $500,000 donation from James Patterson.

Besides James Patterson, major contributors include:

Rick and Becky Riordan who announced they would give a $100,000 matching grant campaign.

John Grisham and Stephen King, who appeared in conversation on King's YouTube channel to talk about their new books Camino Winds and If It Bleeds, respectively and promote #SaveIndieBookstores. The event was free, but attendees were encouraged to donate to the campaign;
 
The regional booksellers associations, some of which had matching grant campaigns;

Europa Editions' Our Brilliant Friend event series;

SIB-YA After Dark, an hour-long Twitter Ask Me Anything (AMA);

Libro.fm's #SocksforBinc campaign raised $28,731 with 3,858 pairs of socks sold to more than 1,300 people. And these socks are really cute. Libro.fm had partnered with a group of illustrators, authors and designers to create 10 designs for pairs of socks that it sold to book lovers. One sock designer was the 11-year-old daughter of Libro.fm's creative director. He told her that if she sold more than 1,000 pairs of socks she designed, she could pick anything she wanted from DoorDash. She sold 1,049 pairs.

The minimum price for a pair of socks was $15, but many buyers added donations to their order.  

The #SocksforBinc pitch: “Pull on your socks, put on an audiobook, and stay safe at home while supporting booksellers across the nation.”

The #SaveIndieBookstores campaign is supported by the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. All monies will be given to independent bookstores in mid-May.

For more information, visit #SaveIndieBookstores.

Photo: James Patterson at Murder on the Beach bookstore in Delray Beach, Florida