Susie (she/her) is a queer writer originally from Little Rock, now living in Washington, DC. She is the author of three rom-coms: QUEERLY BELOVED, LOOKING FOR A SIGN, and BED AND BREAKUP, all from Dial Press/Random House. Susie is also a bookseller at her favorite local indie bookstore and a cupcake enthusiast. You can find her on Instagram @susiedoom.
I’ve spent most of the past decade reading, writing, reviewing, and talking about books. But it wasn’t until I became a bookseller that I realized just how powerful independent bookstores are when it comes to helping connect readers and great books they’ll love.
Booksellers develop a special talent for pairing readers with the perfect books. (Maybe we should be called book sommeliers?) They know what books speak to their specific community and customer base. Staff picks from my favorite bookstores consistently lead me to new favorites. And I’m not alone! Our 2025 Book Riot Reader Survey found that independent bookstore newsletters are one of the most popular ways folks stumble upon new books. If you’re looking to escape the algorithms and bestseller lists to find great, lesser-known books, hit subscribe on these best bookstore newsletters.
As a bookseller myself, I’m obviously a bit biased. My personal favorite bookstore newsletter comes from Loyalty Bookstore, the Black, Asian, and queer-owned indie in Washington, DC, where I work (co-owned by Hannah Oliver Depp, a former Book Riot contributor!). But while helping write some of Loyalty’s newsletter, I’ve had a chance to peruse other great newsletters from beloved indie bookstores around the country for inspiration. These BIPOC and/or women-owned bookstores bring fresh, new perspectives to their newsletters — and plenty of great book recommendations.
Baldwin & Co. (New Orleans, LA)
New Orleans’ historic Marigny neighborhood is home to visionary, community-centric, Black-owned bookstore and coffee shop Baldwin & Co. If you visit the store, you’ll find a space for perspective-shifting conversations and social justice inspiration. But if you can’t visit in person, you can learn about B&C’s great work, the diverse authors they love, and their vision for a better future through their newsletter.
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Bel Canto Books (Long Beach, CA)
Filipina-owned Bel Canto Books offers a welcoming space for readers in Long Beach to discover excellent books by BIPOC and women authors. By subscribing to their newsletter, you’ll get personal perspectives on books they love and insights into the joys and challenges of running a small independent bookstore. But warning: you might also get a little jealous of all the amazing community events they host.
Birchbark Books (Minneapolis, MN)
Owned by beloved and best-selling author Louise Erdrich, Birchbark Books celebrates Indigenous books, art, and community in Minneapolis and beyond. By subscribing to their monthly newsletter, you’ll hear about excellent new books by Native authors, events Birchbark is hosting in their community, and some beautiful musings from the brilliant mind of Louise Erdrich. (You’ll also get occasional updates on their booksellers’ adorable pets.)
Café con Libros (Brooklyn, NY)
Brooklyn’s lovely Café con Libros (AKA Intersectional Feminist Book Land) dreams of a better world, starting with their collection of books celebrating BIPOC, women, trans, and non-binary writers. Their newsletter includes many great books and opportunities to help make the world a better place. I particularly loved their most recent Banned Books Month newsletters, where different booksellers shared the banned books that helped shape them. You’ll always find something new to explore with recommendations from the Café con Libros team.
Photo courtesy of Albert Ting, c/o East City BookshopEast City Bookshop (Washington, DC)
Located in DC’s Capitol Hill, East City Bookshop is home to some of the nation’s best book recommenders and regularly hosts authors from around the globe. Their staff picks have helped me find some of my personal favorite reads. And their newsletter, written by a rotating group of booksellers at ECB, consistently puts excellent new and backlist books on my radar. (But if I’m being honest, my favorite part of ECB’s newsletter is the “Dogs of the Week” section.)
Octavia’s Bookshelf (Pasadena, CA)
If you’re looking to explore more books by BIPOC authors, Octavia’s Bookshelf has just the newsletter for you. Octavia’s Bookshelf, inspired by brilliant SFF author Octavia E. Butler, is a Black-owned store in Pasadena that celebrates classic and contemporary BIPOC writers. In their newsletter, you’ll find curated lists of staff picks, behind-the-scenes updates on what’s going on at the store, and calls to action in the Pasadena community. Even better, subscribing to their Patreon will get you a 10% discount while shopping in the store.
The New Romantics (Orlando, FL)
Romance lovers, this one’s for you! Orlando’s romance-only bookstore, The New Romantics, is the place to find swoon-worthy love stories, and each week, their newsletter spreads the word about great books, special pre-order campaigns, upcoming events, and more. You’ll fall in love with this delightful bookstore through their newsletter.
Uncle Bobbie’s Books (Philadelphia, PA)
The vibes are always right at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and they carry those vibes right over into their newsletter, too. Founded by writer Marc Lamont Hill, Uncle Bobbie’s motto is “Cool people, dope books, great coffee.” You’ll hear about some of those dope books in the newsletter, along with peeks into their amazing programming and links to their extremely stylish merch.
Photo c/o Under the Umbrella BookstoreUnder the Umbrella Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT)
Looking to queer your reading life? The booksellers at Under the Umbrella, Salt Lake City’s lovely little queer bookstore, have excellent taste. Join their newsletter to hear their team shout about LGBTQ+ books they love, what’s going on in the queer book world, and all the joy they’re spreading in their neighborhood.
Underbrush Books (Rogers, AR)
Underbrush Books blossomed from a passionate book club in the heart of the Ozarks, and their booksellers’ infectious enthusiasm for the stories they love has helped foster a beautiful bookish community in northwest Arkansas. Their newsletter spreads the word about the upcoming books their team is most excited to sell, with particular interest in genre fiction and LGBTQ+ authors. Underbrush hosts an array of active book clubs, so their newsletter is a great place to learn about unique book club picks.
Whose Books (Dallas, TX)
Based in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, Whose Books is a social-impact focused independent bookstore with a mission to eliminate book deserts in their region. By subscribing to their newsletter, you’ll learn about books their community is loving lately, conversations with brilliant authors, and the great work their nonprofit arm, Activating Reading Communities Organization, is doing to uplift reading culture in the Dallas area.
Photo by Jacques Morel c/o Yu & Me BooksYu & Me Books (New York, NY)
A cozy, welcoming space in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown, Yu & Me Books is an excellent place to discover immigrant stories and diverse books with a side of coffee and beer. Yu & Me strikes a great balance between buzzy new books and lesser-known, older books that don’t get the attention they deserve. You’ll hear about some of their favorite books and bestsellers in their newsletter, along with updates from the community and their fantastic collection of store merch.
We hope this list of the best bookstore newsletters helped you find a new independent bookstore to support and lots of great new books! You might also enjoy:
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