Apropos of nothing (really, I just starting thinking about this in the shower), here's where you should buy your new books, ranked:

1. Indie bookstore. Obviously my preference is @HarvardBooks, but any indie will do. In person is ideal (less administrative work for us), but especially in Covid times, we're grateful for any order you send our way.

2. @Bookshop_Org through a bookstore affiliate link. We get a fairly significant portion of these sales. Not as good as buying from us directly, but still pretty good.

3. @Bookshop_Org through any other link. For sales that don't go through a specific bookstore affiliate, a (smaller) portion of the sale goes into a general indie bookstore pool and is periodically distributed to participating stores.

4. Other independent store. If your local gift shop, coffee shop, hair salon, etc. sells books as an add on, go for it!

5. Bricks and mortar chain bookstore. When I started bookselling, B&N was the enemy. Now it's clear that a future of diverse books requires bricks and mortar stores. They're still our competition, but we don't want them to disappear.

6. Publisher website, particularly if it's a book by a small press.

7. Bricks and mortar general chain store. Buying books at Target or Costco isn't my favorite, but at least bricks and mortar stores employ people and pay taxes in your community.

Note: This order would vary depending on the book and your community. If you have a favorite non-profit fundraising through Bookshop, buy from them! If your local B&N has particularly fantastic booksellers, but you know the location is in danger of closing, buy from them!

8. Never buy new books from Am@zon. There's always another option.

In sum, indie > chain, bricks and mortar > online (mostly). Oh, and libraries are also great and a perfect substitute for any of these.