The embattled St. Mark's Bookshop has a new defender. Lucky Ant, a year-old, hyper-local crowd-funding platform, is helping the 35-year-old East Village literary landmark raise the money it needs to move to a cheaper location. The online campaign, at Luckyant.com, launched Wednesday at midnight, with the goal of raising $23,000 in 25 days in small donations from the store's supporters. They'll receive what Lucky Ant calls "returns" on their "investment": a $10 gift certificate for a $10 donation, for example, or 15% off all bookstore purchases for a year, for a $500 donation. The economic downturn, online book buying, the rise of ebooks and increases in the store's rent have all taken a toll on the St. Mark's Bookshop, once a hangout for such storied literary figures as Susan Sontag and William S. Burroughs. It won a reprieve last fall, when its landlord, Cooper Union, agreed to a temporary $2,500 rent reduction following a petition drive by supporters that brought in more than 40,000 signatures. That reduction runs out in November, and subsequent hikes will bring the total to nearly $23,000 as of Jan. 1, according to a Cooper Union spokeswoman. The store says it pays around $18,700 per month. "It's in our interest to move as soon as possible, but we need to raise the capital to do that," said Bob Contant, co-owner of the store. He and co-owner Terry McCoy are looking to stay in the East Village and downsize to around 2,000 square feet from 2,700—and pay about half the... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'
[ Crains New York | 2012-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
Monarch Books & Gifts in Overland Park, Kan. launched a GoFundMe campaign after hackers drained the bookstore's bank account. The funds raised will be used to keep the store afloat after a summer of slow sales compounded the problems caused by the fraud. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As her latest Jackson Brodie thriller comes out, the award-winning author discusses cosy crime, sniffy critics, and how she investigated her own family’s secretsKate Atkinson has an idea for a fun side-hustle: at some point in the future, when she’s done with the second world war, and with her... Continue reading at The Guardian
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Several indie bookstores that launched GoFundMe campaigns in March are reporting that the funds raised on that platform are not being disbursed to them as promised, despite repeated inquiries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
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Jason Rekulak has resigned as publisher of Quirk Books in order to "further pursue his writing career and other creative projects." Brett Cohen, the president of Quirk, has taken over as publisher, effective immediately. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
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The Big Green Bookshop has been inundated with donations after it was targeted by a thief on Wednesday. Continue reading at The Bookseller
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The suburban St. Louis bookstore ended its four-week Kickstarter campaign on Sunday, more than $2,000 above its goal. The funds raised are being used to build out a section of its new home so that the store can open for business on weekends before Christmas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The embattled St. Mark's Bookshop has a new defender. Lucky Ant, a year-old, hyper-local crowd-funding platform, is helping the 35-year-old East Village literary landmark raise the money it needs to move to a cheaper location. The online campaign, at Luckyant.com, launched Wednesday at midnight,... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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