Ready for some news that will brighten your Monday? Now you can have your eBooks and your locally supported bookshop, too! Church Street has made a deal with a great eBook company, Kobo, which means we’ll get money from every single eBook you buy from them — once you set up an account through the link on the right.
All you have to do is click the Kobo link on our site (be sure to get there through our link and not through Kobo directly, so your account will be properly linked to us), then take a minute or two to set up your account. Once you’ve done that, you can start buying eBooks that support our shop — and that you can read easily on any open eReader, tablet or SmartPhone. Yep, that means if you already have an iPad, Droid-based tablet, Nook, Blackberry, or any kind of SmartPhone, you’re already set up to download the free Kobo App and start reading. (First, set up your account through our link. Then search your App store for the Kobo App.)
We probably don’t have to convince you that buying books (and eBooks) from a locally owned store is a great thing to do. After all, the money we make at Church Street circulates back into our community in a huge way — and at a much bigger percentage than money you spend at a corporately owned, or Internet-based, store. That means better roads, better education, and a better life for all of us. And, of course, any purchase you make through Church Street also helps us make our shop better — so buying Church Street eBooks helps us keep a great selection of paper books in the shop, too.
But let us tell you a little bit about Kobo, since you may not have heard of them. They’ve been around for years, and they’re a leader in the international eBook market. They really pay attention to readers and the market — their eReaders and books are competitively priced with Amazon’s, so you don’t have to spend more money to support your independent shop. They have an incredible number of eBook titles (more than Amazon, actually), and they even have lots of free books available, so you can supplement your Church Street library with some fun, free eBooks as well.
Of course, you don’t need to buy anything to read a Kobo/Church Street eBook, because you can read on any open eReader, SmartPhone, or tablet that you already have. But if you’re in the market for an eReader, Kobo has some great ones — and we sell them at Church Street, too. Kobo eReaders have been voted best by Wired magazine, and (maybe more importantly?) we love them as well. We’re already getting addicted to these little Readers because they’re so light-weight and portable, and they make it easy to read anytime (even outside in bright sunlight). And the price? Fantastic. The Glo (pictured above) is $120, and the cute little Mini is just $80.
Even better? Kobo’s allowing us to celebrate Shop Small Saturday (this week!) by selling the Mini for just $50 — an incredible price that won’t come again. To get your Mini at the bargain price, be sure to pre-order from Church Street by end-of-business tomorrow. If you’re from out of town or can’t get by the shop, just click the Order Books for Pickup link on the left of your screen and fill out the form, adding Kobo in the Book Title space. If you’re from out of town, we’re happy to ship to you, but we’ll have to add shipping to the price. Be sure to leave a phone number so we can call you on Shop Small Saturday to ring up your purchase over the phone.
We’re excited about this new adventure, but remember, we’re new at this, and we need your help to succeed. Tell your friends and family about eBooks from Church Street, and consider buying eReaders as holiday gifts. More importantly, let us know what you like and dislike about the process by leaving us comments or talking to us in the shop. The best thing about local shops is that we love our customers and listen to what you have to say — be sure to make your voice heard!
Church Street Coffee & Books is located in Birmingham, Alabama.