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Season 5, Episode 563: Empowering Voices: The Indie Bookstore Revolution with Nicole from Bettie's Pages Bookstore. 

Join Ruan Willow in this enlightening episode as she chats with Nicole, the passionate owner of Bettie's Pages bookstore in Lowell, Michigan. Nicole shares her journey of running an indie bookstore in a small town, where she strives to create an inclusive space that reflects diverse voices and stories. Discover how she curates her collection to ensure everyone in her community can see themselves represented in literature, and the challenges she faces along the way.

Nicole also shares invaluable tips for Indie authors to get their physical books into bookstores, how they should approach covers, marketing, and what book buyers look for. This is invaluable advice for those choosing to be indie authors doing indie publishing. Get the super important inside scoop from someone who sells books for a living!

In this episode, they discuss the impact of literature on identity, the importance of representation for LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities, and how indie bookstores are vital in promoting diverse narratives that big publishers often overlook. Nicole also reveals her exciting plans for a mobile bookstore.

Connect with Nicole and her bookstore: www.bettiespages.com

www.facebook.com/bettiespagesbookstore

www.instagram.com/betties_pages

www.tiktok.com/@bettiespages

06:43 I would get hateful comments on social media
11:16 Genres in your bookstore
16:21 Making covers for indie books
22:50 I'm loving seeing romance only bookstores
28:20 People who bash graphic novels on social media are just ignorant trolls
32:16 With audiobooks, people have an immediate reaction to voices
34:03 So what advice do you have for authors who are indie publishers
36:32 What do you think about the trend of indie publisher rising and getting more publicity
42:21 Books about love are often trashed because they're written by women
48:31 The Supreme Court has ruled that book banning is wrong
53:59 One thing Indie publishing has championed is content warnings at the beginning of books
57:19 readers like trigger warnings
58:50 weddings at your bookstore
01:01:09 Betty's bookstore is celebrating its 5th anniversary
01:03:50 Bookshop.org lets you support independent bookstores without using Amazon. Visit https://bookshop.org/ to buy books and support any indie bookstore of your choice anywhere in the country! They have physical books and now ebooks too!
Independent bookstores list and tips on getting books into their stores: https://ruanwillowauthor.com/tips-for-indie-authors-to-help-get-their-books-

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