BIG! Book and Comic Book News

After a year of waiting, the next two Saturdays are going to be EPIC!

Saturday April 27 is Independent Bookstore Day!

Saturday May 4 is FREE Comic Book Day!

Although they are two separate events they both do one thing the same: celebrate the importance of reading AND the need for a thriving book store and/or comic shop in our communities.

Here's the details and where you can get in on the celebrations in the United States.

Independent Bookstore Day: Saturday April 27 2024

With around 1000 stores officially participating in the event you know it's going to be BIG! Here's a map of the stores that signed up to participate.

Just HOW each store participates will vary. Some of the things most common are:

• story times throughout the day
• crafts to do in the store or take home
• special discounts
• exclusive tote bags
• exclusive t-shirts
• grab bags for early visitors
• drawing for gift cards
• yummy snacks
• chance to seek out a Golden Ticket for audiobooks from Libro.fm

(Pro Tip #1: check out the social media pages of your local store to get the up-to-the-minute details!)

(Pro Tip #2: EVERYONE can get special $5.00 audiobooks from Libro.fm, even if you can't get to a bookstore this weekend! Here's the IBD link to do that, and it's valid now through Sunday 4/28/24:

Some cities are even having 'Book Crawls', with a map of participating stores, passports to have stamped, and activities at each participating store.

Many stores are using the day to highlight a favorite charity. Funds for the charity may come from change jars, a portion of the sales, or the opportunity to 'round up' the purchase price and donate less than a dollar to the fund. That can really add up and make a difference. Charities may benefit a local group like a food bank, school, or family in need, or a national organization.

Many stores are choosing to 'round up' for Binc (Book Industry Charitable Foundation), the only national foundation that held the employees and owners of bookstores and comic shops when unforeseen financial emergencies cause a crisis.

(Pro Tip #3: Speaking of comic shops: your neighborhood comic shop might ALSO be participating in Independent Bookstore Day. Many comic shops sell books and graphic novels, just as many bookstores sell comics, too. If you haven't been in a comic shop for a while you might be surprised at what you'll find there!)

Free Comic Book Day: Saturday May 4th

Now, isn't it perfect that this event happens on the coolest day of May? Nope: not Mother's Day (bless her!) or Cinco de Mayo. It's the day when anyone can be Jedi-cool and into solemnly: "May the 4th be with you!" Sometimes it just works out that way: Free Comic Book Day is always the first Saturday in May.

Here's an easy way to find a store near you that will have FREE comics on May 4th 2024:

And you will NOT believe the comics that you can get just for stopping by your local participating comic shop on Saturday May 4th, 2024:

Is there a catch to getting free comic books on FCBD? No. The number of free comics you can get at a store on that day vary due to all or some of the following:

• availability. The stores need to BUY these to GIVE AWAY for FREE. So, the number at each store will vary, and some of them may go quicker than others.
• store's rules. Stores are permitted to limit the number of each title (ex: limit one book per title per person) or number of free comics (ex: up to five free comics per person).

(Pro Tip #4: Just like buying a fountain drink when using the restroom in a gas station (what? That's just me?!) it's polite to spend some time and perhaps buy a comic or two when stopping by your local store for free comics.)

Then What?

During the event: take a moment and snap a selfie with your favorite shelfie (see what I did there?) and post it on your social media accounts. Tag the store and let them know that you were there and enjoyed what you found.

After the event: No need to wait until these exciting yearly events roll around in 2025: you can visit your neighbors in your local bookstores and comic shops ANY DAY!

Many stores have things like game night, local musicians, magicians, Summer reading programs, local authors, roleplaying championships, sidewalk sales, and much much more.

In the Comments of this article: Let me know where you went, what you saw, what your favorite part was, and your opinion: Marvel or DC?