Andy Hunter is the founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, an online book retailer where readers can order books online while supporting independent bookstores. Since launching in 2020, Bookshop.org has raised over $47 million for local bookstores. Andy is also the co-founder of Electric Literature magazine, the Lit Hub literary website, and co-founded Catapult, an independent literary publisher.

Bookshop.org has always championed independent bookstores—how does this new partnership with Draft2Digital expand that mission?

This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for us. We’re supporting indie authors, expanding our catalog for our readers, and creating a sustainable revenue stream for our 3,500+ indie bookstore partners across the U.S. and UK. We’re very excited about bringing hundreds of thousands of self-published titles to the indie bookstore ecosystem for the first time. When someone supports a bookstore by buying an ebook on our platform, 100% of the profit goes directly to the bookstore they selected.

As Bookshop.org’s ebook catalog grows, how might that change the way readers discover and browse books on the platform?

As the ebook catalog expands, readers will be able to search and discover books on our ebook platform through a curated, indie lens. Readers will receive recommendations directly from their community. From booksellers to fellow readers who genuinely love reading, not via an algorithm. Indie ebooks already drive consistent sales across major retailers, power genre communities, and shape discovery on BookTok and beyond. Now all that energy and momentum can flow through the indie bookstore ecosystem instead of being concentrated with a singular retailer. We are also building search filters and personalization to make sure every reader can find the perfect book, and every book can find the perfect reader.

For readers wanting to support indie stores and indie authors, how does this partnership make that possible?

About 25% of readers in the U.S. prefer ebooks, but until now they had no way to buy them from their local bookstore. They had to choose between convenience and their values. Now they don’t. This partnership means ebook purchases can go directly to the indie bookstore of their choice. Readers get an enormous catalog of indie voices to explore, their dollar stays within the community, and they get to build that relationship with a bookstore they care about.

Indie bookstores are often seen as community hubs. How do ebooks fit into that sense of connection and curation?

This is something we think about a lot. Indie bookstores are not just retail spaces, they’re community anchors. The good news is that transition into digital doesn’t change that. Digital shelves can absolutely reflect a bookseller’s unique voice through their recommendations, curated lists, and staff picks. It’s still very much rooted in relationships and curation, not just transactions. We’re expanding these community hubs into the digital age while preserving everything that makes indie bookstores so special to so many people, myself included!

Many readers may not realize how their purchasing choices impact the book ecosystem. What difference does it make to buy ebooks through Bookshop.org now?

Since launching in January 2020, we’ve raised over $47 million dollars for indie bookstores in the U.S. alone. That’s real money going back into communities. Beyond that, every purchase signals to the market that people care about independence. When readers choose to buy through us, they’re actively shaping the future of bookselling. Now with this partnership with Draft2Digital, self-published authors can list their work, extending their reach beyond major retailers and directly into indie bookstores.

What kinds of readers do you think will benefit most from this expansion into indie ebooks?

All readers will benefit from this expansion, especially the new generation of readers who are actively seeking diverse, undiscovered voices and fresh perspectives beyond mainstream publishing. These are the readers finding their next favorite book on BookTok or Instagram, supporting self-published authors they discover online. Indie authors are increasingly successful at driving discovery themselves via social platforms. Now those same readers can buy self-published ebooks while supporting their local bookstore.

Looking ahead, how do you see Bookshop.org shaping the future of how readers engage with both indie bookstores and indie authors?

As we grow, we have a real opportunity to make independent voices far more visible and accessible. Discover can shift away from algorithm-driven recommendations towards more community-based ones. Instead of one company controlling what gets discovered, you have thousands of indie bookstores each with their own opinions and niches. This creates a much richer, more democratic landscape for everyone, especially authors.

What excites you most about this moment for readers?

The most exciting part for me is supporting the stores and authors you love is no longer a trade-off. It’s truly as easy as a click. Readers have real power to shape the future of books. Not only through what they read, but how they choose to support the entire literary community. For the first time, someone who discovers a self-published author and falls in love with their writing can buy that ebook in a way that directly supports their local bookstore.