For those who are wondering where to pick up their next read, Rocky Mountain Books publisher Don Gorman has created a Google Map that tracks all of the independent bookstores across Canada that are offering delivery and pick-up services. Currently there are more than 130 retailers on the map.

Gorman answered a few questions from Q&Q about the origins of this ongoing project.

Where did this idea come from?

The idea hit me on Monday morning, after a weekend of seeing indies posting on social media that they were offering delivery and curb-side pick-up. It just seemed like the right thing to do, especially considering the there isn’t a Canadian Booksellers Association to help support their efforts. Plus, seeing a graphic representation of Canadian indie booksellers across the country is a powerful reminder of how strong book culture in Canada is (or can be).

Given that everything is changing so quickly, do you anticipate there will be a lot of updating?

It took me a couple of hours to put together and I’ve been getting updates from booksellers and consumers via email and on social media every couple of hours. Since I posted the map there have been over 3,700 views and over 50 shares on Facebook. I’ve also added about 20 new stores to the map since it went up and I’ll keep updating it as long as there’s interest and a need to do so.

This isn’t just about the booksellers and consumers, it’s also about the authors, publishers, printers, and distributors. We all need to keep everything moving along if we’re going to get through this. The industry as a whole depends on the health of all sectors. If there was ever a time for all points within the book industry to come together, it’s now.

How is RMB doing?

RMB has released almost all of our Spring 2020 list (11 out of 14) and we’re continuing to work on our Fall 2020 list, which includes 21 new titles. Everyone at RMB is working from home and we’re all hopeful that we’ll continue plugging along and getting ready for things to slowly get back to normal. The publishing industry is very lucky to have the continued support of provincial and federal funders, which is going to go a long way in ensuring the stability of our industry, though there are still some very scary times ahead for all of us.

View the map here.