Your 2024 Indie Bookstore Rewind is Here!

We’ve seen the popular end-of-year Spotify Wrapped* where users can see their top songs and artists for the year along with fun facts about their taste in music.

Let’s put an indie bookstore spin on it! Introducing Indie Bookstore Rewind–a year-end journey to revisit the stories that defined your customers’ reading year and celebrate the beloved indie bookstores that helped make it all possible.

*This year’s Spotify Wrapped is expected to launch towards the end of November. Please hold on sharing this campaign and assets until closer to then to feed off the buzz the campaign has every year!

What is Indie Bookstore Rewind?

Indie Bookstore Rewind is our take on a year-end wrap-up, spotlighting the books, genres, and authors that resonated with readers the most. It’s an opportunity for your customers to reflect on the titles they’ve loved, the genres they’ve explored, and perhaps even the reading habits they’ve discovered along the way.

This campaign offers a fresh way to reconnect with your community, celebrate the year in books, and create conversations around your store’s unique curation. By participating in Indie Bookstore Rewind, you’re adding to your customers' end-of-year excitement while showcasing the value of indie bookstores as places of discovery, connection, and personalized reading journeys.

How does this work?

• Create your store’s Rewind! Each indie bookstore can create its own unique version of this rewind, reflecting on the year’s highlights. This can include anything from the bestsellers of the year, staff favorites, or even the hidden gems that might have flown under the radar. We have included digital templates for stores to insert their own “Top Book Clubs” and  “Best Books.”

• Encourage customer Rewinds! Ask readers to look back on their own year of books. We’ve provided digital and printable templates where they can insert their own “Top Books,” “Favorite Authors,” and “Go-To Genre.” Encourage your customers to share their own Indie Bookstore Rewind experiences, tag your store, use #IndieBookstoreRewind, and spread the love for independent bookstores. 

There are also templates that stores can enter their own creative categories and lists! Think most beloved book clubs or best attended bookstore events!

Bringing Your Indie Bookstore Rewind to Your Store

Here are some creative ways to bring Indie Bookstore Rewind to life in your store and online:

• Create a “Top Reads of the Year” Display: Dedicate a display in your store to the titles that topped your year, based on customer purchases, reviews, or staff picks. Include shelf talkers about why these books stood out and encourage customers to share their thoughts, too!

• Highlight Customer Favorites: Invite your customers to participate by sharing their favorite reads of the year and feature these favorites as part of your Rewind

• Spotlight Indie Bestseller Lists: Curate lists based on categories like “Most Talked About,” “Best Debut,” “Hidden Gems,” and “Staff Obsessions.” 

• Run a “Reading Stats” Campaign: If you have any fun facts about your store’s bestselling genres, page counts, or author trends, share them! Let readers know if fantasy dominated your shelves, if debut authors ruled the year, or if your customers collectively read enough pages to circle the globe.