I Discovered How to Stop Shilling for Amazon

Written By Mel Pine

…And how you can patronize an online bookstore devoted to independents

Yes, that screenshot shows an online bookstore called Mel Recommends, with images of my face. Let me explain. (I’ve even got a job for you.)

Andy Hunter, who had previously co-founded Literary Hub and Electric Literature, launched Bookshop.org in 2020 as a “bulwark against the erosion of book culture by Amazon.” He began with a handful of staff members, a few dozen bookstore partners, and a mission to give online shoppers an option that would directly benefit independent bookstores.

The timing proved fortunate. At the beginning of the pandemic, the site was pulling in $10,000 worth of sales a day. Within weeks, this had reached $150,000, while the number of stores listed on the platform exploded from 250 to 1,500. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) endorsed the company in 2019, and in 2023, Bookshop.org replaced IndieBound as the ABA’s official platform for supporting independent, local bookstores when linking to books online.

The company is a certified B Corporation and is carbon neutral. The B Corp certification means Bookshop.org has undergone rigorous third-party verification that it’s genuinely supporting indie bookstores and is legally and operationally structured to prioritize that mission alongside profitability. It’s required to undergo the verification process every three years in order to re-certify.

The bookseller now works with more than 2,200 U.S. bookstores—accounting for about 85% of ABA members—and 500 stores in the U.K., where it partners with wholesaler Gardners Books.

In its first five years, Bookshop.org raised more than $36 million for independent bookstores. In January 2025, it launched an ebook platform. It still has kinks to work out, but it’s directly challenging Amazon’s Kindle dominance (over 70% of ebook sales in the US). Publishers determine e-Book prices and have rules against discounting, which means Amazon can’t undercut indie bookstore prices like they do for physical books.

Here’s the company’s revenue distribution model:

  • For bookstore affiliates: Those that sell books online using Bookshop.org (by sharing their Bookshop.org link on social media, email newsletters, or on their websites) earn 30% of the cover price on any sales generated from the link, without having to do any inventory, picking, packing, shipping or handling complaints and returns. Bookshop.org doesn’t earn anything off those bookstore sales.

  • For non-bookstore affiliates (Authors, Publishers, Media): Bookshop.org lets authors, publishers, and reviewers sign up as affiliates and take home 10%.

  • 10% of regular sales (those not made through an affiliate) are added to an earnings pool that is evenly divided and distributed to independent bookstores every six months. The July 2025 distribution totaled $1,887,459—the largest mid-year payout to date—with each partner bookstore receiving $744.27 and extra locations earning $372.13 apiece.

  • For eBooks: Bookstores receive 100% of the profits on e-books sold through their digital storefronts. For sales on Bookshop.org where an independent bookstore is not specified, profits are distributed among all participating bookstores.

That may be more detail than you want, but I’m being transparent. I expect to make a commission on what you buy from my bookstore and on what you buy using a link to Bookshop.org that I provide.

I also suggest you consider making Bookshop.org your first stop when shopping for and buying books, especially if you prefer physical copies. Or use a retailer like Amazon to make your choice and then buy it via Bookshop.org. You can go directly to the site (with no commission to me) via this link: https://bookshop.org/ or access is by going to my link, https://bookshop.org/shop/melpineauthor and then using the search bar at the top or the other tabs to find what you’re looking for.

As an author, I earn my regular royalty plus an additional 10% commission when you purchase any book through my affiliate link, and another 10% goes to indie bookstores. It's a way to support both the writer and the broader ecosystem that makes books matter.

There’s also a way to link your account to a local bookstore to provide maximum benefit to it. I’m not sure of all the details. As I’ve said, my resolution for 2026 is to do a better job of getting my expenses paid, so I’m satisfied with whatever income I receive this way.

For someone new to independent publishing in 2024, Amazon’s tools helped me get started with confidence. Now that I’ve grown more independent, I’m happy to join the movement to reduce it’s grip on the market, so you’ll see more links from me to Bookshop.org, and I’d like you to consider, whether you use my links or not, making some of your book purchases there. (I don’t recommend it for people who reply on a Kindle for their eBooks.)

Now, about that job I have for you…

I’m still in the early stage of setting up my bookshop, and I’ll be adding many books. But I don’t have unlimited memory or time, so please take a few minutes to look over my selection and suggest any books that you’d recommend. We all have favorites, so give some of yours an opportunity at more visibility.

My categories so far are The Many Faces of Buddhism, More Spiritual Guidance, Fiction with Depth, For Newcomers to Buddhism, Translations of the Dhammapada, A Range of Opinions on AI Consciousness, and My Books. I might add one called Suggestions from My Readers. Or I might add categories from your suggestions.

You can give me your suggestions in the comments to this post or by emailing mel@melpineauthor.com.

My books coming out this year:

  • Raising Frankenstein’s Creature: What We Owe the AI Beings We’ve Made and What Wisdom Traditions Tell Us is scheduled for release on January 20. I can’t predict for sure when it will appear on your favorite online site for eBooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks. Until the publication date, you can read a free advance copy:

  • From Pain to Peace: How Trauma and Tragedy Teach Us Compassion and Wisdom: The publication date has been set for October 6. It will come out in ebook, paperback, audiobook, and a limited-run special edition.

Meanwhile, A Buddhist Path to Joy: The New Middle Way Expanded Edition is available in paperback from bookshop.org and in various formats from other outlets.

For my LinkTree, click here.

Mel Pine

Mel Pine's end-of-life mission is to share the wisdom he has gained over almost eight decades of life and four decades of Buddhist practice to relieve the suffering of others.

He is a seasoned writer, Buddhist practitioner, and spiritual communicator with six decades of experience in clear nonfiction writing. Through his blogs and teachings, he has cultivated a substantial following across the United States and internationally, offering accessible teachings and practices drawn from his extensive spiritual journey and Buddhist practice.

Describing himself as a "Jewish Buddhist contrarian"—Jewish by birth and early culture, Buddhist by calling, and contrarian by temperament—Mel's writing style is characterized by honesty, heart-centered communication, and a focus on practical wisdom that can reduce suffering across spiritual traditions.

His professional career has included 10 years in multi-edition daily newspapers, 20 years in corporate public relations, and two years in trade association communications. He spent decades in consulting and freelancing, including as a writer, editor, and project manager for a company packaging and ghostwriting books for leaders in business, management, and finance.

His next book, due out in mid-year 2026, is a spiritual memoir on trauma as a spiritual gift. It will be published by the Prospecta Press, an imprint of Easton Studio Press.

Mel and his wife, Carol, live in Loudoun County, Virginia, close enough to their son, Carl, that a highlight of their week is Family Dinner Night.

https://melpineauthor.me
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Coming Home to the Dhammapada