Amazon has been revealed to be the donor of a massive $310,000 donation to a fundraiser that aims to support independent bookstores in the UK and Ireland.
Like many other non-essential businesses, bookstores around the world were forced to close their stores because of the global pandemic. With no source of income, booksellers have been asking for both government and individual help to keep themselves afloat.
Concerned individuals from the London Review Bookshop, Daunt Books and Picador initiated an online crowdfund to support The Book Trade Charity. Established in 1837, the organization has long worked to financially support former or current workers in the book trade sector.
According to their website, The Book Trade Charity provides a wide range of help from medical support to housing for those who have worked in the business. That includes everyone from the retail workers to distributors and printers of books.
The online charity fundraiser had already raised $84,000 prior to Amazon’s donations. Other big names in the business had already contributed to the cause. World renowned publisher Penguin Random House has donated $62,000 while The Booksellers Association donated $37,000.
According to Dan Hicks, the chief executive of The Book Trade Charity, Amazon contacted the organization directly rather than using the online link. In an interview with CNN, Hicks added that Amazon wanted the donations to be “low-key”.
In that same CNN interview, Hicks explained that bookshops have been under financial strain in recent years. Like other physical retail stores, they have had trouble attracting enough customers even before global lockdown measures. Hicks believes that some stores will find it difficult to survive through this pandemic.
Booksellers have been struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing market. Some have argued that the development of eReaders such as Amazon’s Kindle will bring the death of physical books.
From their eReaders to physical book depositories, Amazon has received much flak from traditional booksellers. However, Hicks still expressed his gratitude for the company’s big donation.
Hicks stated that the $310,000 from Amazon accounts for almost half of their annual budget. He told CNN that their organization can put that extra money to good use. On Thursday, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that Amazon was the benefactor.
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Replaced!