Independent Bookstore Day, a celebration of books, readers and indie bookselling, is Saturday, April 29, 2017. Started in California and taken nationwide in 2015, Independent Bookstore Day is modeled after the extremely successful Record Store Day. This year, more than 490 independent bookstores in 48 states will participate.

The Independent Booksellers of Piedmont North Carolina (IBOP*NC), a group of 12 independent bookstores located in the central region of the state, will be offering specials throughout the month of April, culminating with in-store events, author readings and exclusive offers in each store on April 29.

“Indie bookstores play a crucial role in our neighborhoods, towns and cities. They are spaces where ideas live freely, thought and conversation flourish and communities are nurtured and strengthened,” said Sarah Goddin, manager of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, one of the 12 IBOP*NC member bookstores.

Prizes will be given to visitors who pick up a Field Guide from any of the participating Independent bookstores (listed below) and collect stamps at each bookstore visited through April 29.

Prizes include an IBOP*NC button at the second store visited, a custom-designed wooden bookmark from the fourth store and a tote bag at the eighth. Literary champions who collect stamps from all 12 stores during the month of April will get to choose one of two prizes: their name used for a character in an upcoming book or a bookseller-for-the-day experience in one of the participating indie bookstores.

Piedmont-area authors helping celebrate indie bookstores during the month of April include Daniel Wallace, John Hart, Alan Gratz, Clyde Edgerton, Jill McCorkle and Lee Smith, to name a few.

“Independent Bookstores are vital and vibrant,” Goddin said. The number of independent bookstore locations in the United States has grown from 1,651 in 2009 to 2,311 in 2016.”

Visit www.IBOPnc.com for more information.

Listed below (in alphabetical order) are the members of the Independent Booksellers of Piedmont North Carolina (IBOP*NC) and their contact info.

Visit www.IBOPnc.com to find this list with a link to the bookstore websites and learn how they are celebrating during the month of April and on Independent Bookstore Day, Saturday, April 29.

Bookmarks, 251 N. Spruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. This store is opening summer 2017. Visit them on Facebook and like their page to earn a stamp for the Field Guide.

The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines, NC 28387, 910-692-3211 information.thecountrybookshop@gmail.com

Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (Historic Airport Rd), Chapel Hill, NC 27514, 919-942-7373, info@flyleafbooks.com

Letters Bookshop 313 W Main St, Durham, NC 27701, 919-973-2573 info@lettersbookshop.com

McIntyre’s Books, Fearrington Village, 220 Market Street Pittsboro, NC 27312, 919-542-3030 books@fearrington.com

Page 158 Books, 158 S. White Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587 919-435-1843 info@page158books.com

Purple Crow, 109 W King St, Hillsborough, NC 27278, 919-732-1711 purplecrowbooks@gmail.com

Quail Ridge Books, North Hills, 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27609, 919-828-1588 books@quailridgebooks.com

Read With Me, 111 E Hargett St #110, Raleigh, NC 27601 christine@readwithme.us

The Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth Street, Durham, NC 27705, 919-286-2700 regulatorbookshop@gmail.com

Scuppernong Books, 304 S Elm St, Greensboro, NC 27401, 336-763-1919 scuppernongbooks@gmail.com

Sunrise Books, 7 Hillcrest Pl, High Point, NC 27262, 336-397-3755 angel@sunrisebookshop.com