Why Bookstores Are Dying (And What We Can Actually Do About It)

Hey guys, lately more and more bookstores are shutting down. Super sad, right? Those were our go-to spots for book hunting, chill hangouts, and vibing with fellow bookworms, now they're kinda going extinct! There are a bunch of reasons why this is happening, and it's important we understand the impact on our communities. But even more important, we need to take real action to help keep bookstores alive and thriving. In this blog, we’re gonna talk about the harsh reality of bookstore closures, why they’re happening, what it means for us, and what we, as true #BookLovers can actually do to support our fave bookstores!

WHY ARE BOOKSTORES SHUTTING DOWN?

💸 STONKS DOWN!

Sales keep dropping = less income. And with that, how are they supposed to pay rent, bills, staff salaries, or even restock new books? Eventually, they need to shut down. Pain.

📈 OPERATING COSTS GOT US STRESSED

Rent, electricity, water, insurance, and buying new book stock? If the store's in a pricey area, it’s instant headache mode. Add low income to that? Yeah, not sustainable.

🛒 E-COMMERCE BE LIKE: "I GOT THIS"

Tokopedia, Shopee, Amazon, they sell books cheaper, with way more options, and just one click away from your doorstep. Physical bookstores? Kinda hard to compete with that.

📱 READING HABITS = UPGRADED

People now prefer e-books or audiobooks over physical ones. Plus, reading trends keep changing. If bookstores don’t keep up? Visitors: gone.

🦠 PLOT TWISTS WE DIDN’T ASK FOR

Life hits hard sometimes, like economic crises or pandemics. People stop buying books, especially physical ones. During lockdown? No one's visiting bookstores. Sales = nosedive.

WHAT HAPPENS IF BOOKSTORES DISAPPEAR?

🏫 NO MORE SAFE SPACE FOR BOOKWORMS

Bookstores aren't just for buying books, they're like a second home for book lovers. A chill spot to talk about books, meet fave authors, or just vibe with the smell of new pages. Imagine that disappearing? Big sad.

📚 LESS ACCESS TO PHYSICAL BOOKS

Not everyone likes e-books or owns fancy gadgets. Bookstores make sure everyone can get books, especially those who enjoy flipping real pages.

✍️ LOCAL WRITERS & PUBLISHERS TAKE THE HIT TOO

Bookstores are a key for local authors to show off their work. Without them, it’s way harder to sell books or reach readers. Are we really okay with our local authors going broke?

💼 JOBS GONE, MONEY GONE, VIBES GONE

Bookstore staff lose jobs, nearby businesses lose customers, and less foot traffic = less money circulating. Local economy? It takes a direct hit.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?

🚀 IF YOU’RE THE GOVERNMENT OR RELATED AGENCIES

This part’s long, because let’s be real, y’all have the power and love to complain about low reading interest in Indonesia like you're the victim?? Hmm?? Prove you actually care!

✔ Give subsidies or tax breaks. If rent’s crazy high, why not offer discounts for local bookstores? Like: 50% rent subsidy for indie bookstores downtown. Lower land taxes for building owners who rent to bookstores.

✔ Make literary events tax-free. Easy win.

✔ Host monthly book fairs with cheap booths for local sellers, invite local authors and lit communities too!

✔ Send out mobile library vans that also sell cheap books from indie bookstores. Hit those neighborhoods!

✔ Launch a "Shop at Local Bookstores" campaign. Like a discount book fest or school/college collab event.

✔ Create multi-purpose creative spaces, like turning local libraries into mini book markets + event hubs.

✔ Require schools to buy textbooks and novels from local bookstores (not online/import ones).

✔ Grant funds to revamp old bookstores.

✔ Turn iconic bookstores into lit-themed tourist spots.

✔ Free digital marketing training for bookstore owners.

✔ Cap book discounts on e-commerce at 30%.

✔ Allocate city funds to help local bookstores thrive. Ex: use city budget to build coworking spaces in bookstores.

✔ Crack down on illegal book sellers, both online and offline. Go hard on those selling pirated books.

✔ Don’t charge "security fees" for bookstore events or book discussions. Just let them happen safely.

✔ Expand the list of tax-free books (including rare imports).

✔ Offer tax cuts for publishers that distribute to small bookstores.

✔ Make it easier to import educational books without crazy customs fees.

✔ Let state-owned companies (BUMNs) be regular sponsors of bookstores.

✔ Give skill training vouchers for bookstore employees.

✔ Require government offices to have a reading corner stocked by local bookstores (especially the small ones!).

✔ Use your creativity to draft bills and push them through, this time, to protect local bookstores from extinction, support small publishers and authors, and actually fight piracy for real.

📝 IF YOU’RE A BIG PUBLISHER

✔ Help supply books without asking for upfront payments. Split profits after they sell.

✔ Sponsor literacy events. Fund book talks or writing contests hosted at indie bookstores.

✔ Give local bookstores special discounts. Offer cheaper wholesale prices so they can keep up with online stores.

📢 IF YOU’RE A PARKING GUY / STREET BOSS / LOCAL GANG ORG

✔ Support the bookstore. Help with security or promote their events for free. No strings attached. Be chill. When else are you gonna do something good?

✔ If you can’t help, go chill by the sea. Plenty of fish there.

✔ Don’t charge fake fees just because you can. Indie bookstores are already struggling, don’t make it worse.

🧑‍🏫 IF YOU’RE A TEACHER OR LECTURER

✔ Recommend books from small bookstores. When assigning reading, say: "This book is available at XYZ Bookstore."

✔ Take your students on field trips. Study visits to bookstores + real-life literacy practice = win-win.

☕ IF YOU OWN A NEARBY BUSINESS

✔ Put a mini book rack near your cashier. Stock a few bestsellers, split the profit with a local bookstore.

✔ Use books as part of your decor. Buy aesthetic or theme-matching books from local stores to spice up your café/shop vibes.

🩷 IF YOU’RE A READER

✔ SHOP LOCAL, SUPPORT LOCAL. If you’ve got the budget to buy a book, start at your local bookstore. Don’t rush to swipe on online marketplaces. Paying a little more is worth it to keep small businesses alive!

✔ SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Post your fun local bookstore experiences on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Use hashtags like #SupportLocalBookstore. Tag the store, drop a real review, and tell your friends. Free promo for them!

✔ GO TO EVENTS. Book signings, discussions, writing workshops, show up and join in! It’s fun and supports local bookstores and authors. Plus, you might just bump into a fellow bookworm crush. Just saying. 👀

✔ JOIN A BOOK CLUB. You’ll get solid recs. Like when I joined Neverland Bookclub challenge and discovered The War That Saved My Life and Na Willa, ended up buying the physical copies at a local store! (Spoiler: I got two Na Willa books!)

✔ MAX OUT SOCIAL MEDIA. Follow local bookstores, like and comment on their posts, and share them. Help them reach more people. Algorithms are cruel—but your engagement can save them!

✍️ IF YOU’RE AN AUTHOR

✔ Distribute your books through indie stores. Don’t just go with big e-commerce, let small bookstores stock your work too.

✔ Create bundle promos like "Buy my book at Store Y, get exclusive merch!"

🫂 IF YOU OWN A BOOKSTORE

✔ Offer unique experiences. Host author talks, used book bazaars, or cozy book club meetings. Make your space a vibe.

✔ Partner with local cafés or small businesses. Let people read while sipping coffee, and help each other grow.

✔ Sell exclusive merch. Stickers, totes, or special edition books that people can only get at your shop.

FUN COLLABS TO SAVE BOOKSTORES

🤝 BOOKSTORE X LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local governments can team up with bookstores for funding or other kinds of support. Create reading programs, run literacy campaigns, or revamp bookstore spaces together. It’s a win-win situation!

🎓 BOOKSTORE X SCHOOLS / UNIVERSITIES

What if bookstores partnered with schools and colleges? Give special student discounts, host author visits, or curate book recs by major. Schools can also direct students, teachers, and parents to buy textbooks and study materials from local bookstores.

📖 BOOKSTORE X LIBRARIES

Same mission: get more people to read! Bookstores and libraries can team up for joint programs, share resources, and promote each other. Libraries can suggest visitors to buy books from local bookstores, and bookstores can point people to the library if they want to borrow first before buying.

📝 BOOKSTORE X LOCAL AUTHORS

Book launches, meet-and-greets, or discussion sessions with local writers can bring traffic to bookstores. The store gets more visitors, the author gets more exposure. Everybody wins!

☕ BOOKSTORE X OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES

Imagine a bookstore teaming up with a café to create a reading corner. Or a merch shop making tote bags with quotes from bestselling books. Or a bundle promo like "buy a book, get a coffee discount."

CLOSING THOUGHTS

When a bookstore shuts down, it’s not just a business closing, it’s a cultural loss for all of us. We lose an intellectual space, access to diverse books, support for local creators, economic potential, and a sense of community. But hey, don’t lose hope! With teamwork between bookstores, government, schools, and most importantly us (the readers) there’s still hope to save physical bookstores. So, what’s your move? Start small: shop at local bookstores, spread the word, attend their events, join a book club, or just engage with them on social media. Every little thing matters! Together, we can keep the reading culture and love of books alive for future generations. Because honestly, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of flipping through textured pages and smelling fresh ink while chilling in a cozy bookstore corner, right?