Social media, paradoxically, has also helped. BookTok, the literary corner of TikTok, has driven enormous sales spikes for titles championed by young influencers. Many of those readers, having discovered a book online, choose to buy it from a local shop rather than clicking a button.
Not all the news is encouraging. Rising commercial rents remain the single greatest threat to independent booksellers, particularly in major cities. Several prominent shops in London and San Francisco have been forced to relocate or close despite strong sales, unable to absorb rent increases of thirty or forty percent.
Some cities have responded with protective measures. Paris classifies bookshops as essential cultural infrastructure, offering rent subsidies and protection from conversion to other uses. Edinburgh has designated several bookshop streets as cultural heritage zones.
"A city without bookshops is a city without a soul," said Ian Rankin, the Scottish crime novelist, speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. "We protect our theatres and our galleries. We should protect our bookshops with the same vigour."
For now, the trend lines point upward. In an age of algorithmic recommendation and instant digital delivery, the humble bookshop has found its competitive advantage in the oldest technology of all: human connection.