Medina store welcoming authors for Independent Bookstore Day, celebrating ‘Readers’ Rights’

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Julie Berry, left, and Olivia Marchese hold copies of books from authors who will be visiting Author’s Note on April 26, in observance of Independent Bookstore Day.

MEDINA – On April 26, Medina’s independent bookstore Author’s Note will celebrate its fourth annual Independent Bookstore Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with visiting authors and a “Bill of Readers’ Rights” theme.

Store owner Julie Berry said they will be joining 1,600 bookstores around the United States in celebrating the 12th anniversary of the event sponsored by the American Bookselling Association.

Independent Bookstore Day was created to help communities, book lovers, authors and booksellers celebrate together all the community, fun and creative richness a locally-owned, independent bookstore brings them that chains and e-commerce sites cannot, Berry said.

In addition to games, activities and giveaways throughout the day, three visiting authors will be present to sign their books and greet readers.

Doogie Horner will sign books from 10:30 a.m. to noon. He is an artist, illustrator, graphic novelist, stand-up comedian who has appeared on “America’s Got Talent” and author of two books in a new series for middle school readers – The Adventures of Invisible Boy and Zeroes to Heroes.

Horner’s background is in children’s publishing, working as a cover designer and artist with Quirk Books for about 10 years. In addition to appearing at IBD at Author’s Note, he will spend Friday visiting students at Fred Hill Elementary in Brockport, Holley Elementary School, Roy-Hart Middle School in Middleport and Wise Intermediate School in Medina. He lives with his family in upstate New York.

Mylisa Larsen will sign books and greet readers from noon to 1:30 p.m. She is a nationally-acclaimed author of middle grade and children’s fiction, and an especially local favorite.  Her visits a few years ago presenting Playing Through the Turnaround to local schools left her with a large fan base in the area. Author’s Note is thrilled to welcome her back to sign copies of the acclaimed sequel, Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t be Better, along with her other titles, Berry said. Larsen lives with her family in upstate New York.

Journalist and author Will Bardenwerper from Pittsburgh will sign copies of his new book, Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America from 1:30 to 3 p.m. This nationally published title is based on the story of the Batavia Muckdogs after the team transitioned from professional baseball to a Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2021.

He will also sign copies the night before from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Eli Fish Brewing Company at 109 Main St., Batavia.

Berry went on to explain Independent Bookstore Day celebrates and underscores the irreplaceable value independent bookstores bring to readers, authors and local communities. Author’s Note’s self-chosen theme for IBD 2025 is a “Bill of Readers Rights,” celebrating the freedoms the First Amendment confers upon all Americans, Berry said.

As Author’s Note expresses them, these rights are, “To read past bedtime, any book we please, published by a free press, by authors embracing freedom of speech and be filled with wild, rebellious delight.”  Or, as Berry said, put more succinctly on T-shirts and tote bags the store has made for the occasion, “Read freely. Read Independently. Read with wilk, rebellious delight.”

“We want to celebrate the uniquely American First Amendment rights that make our industry and livelihoods possible,” said Berry, who in addition to being store owner is a New York Times Best-Selling author. “Without freedom of the press, we couldn’t bring you such a wide variety of published titles and voices. Without freedom of speech, authors couldn’t safely convey their research and creativity to the world. With freedom of religion, we couldn’t work out the private beliefs and values which inform all art and literature – and without any one of these freedoms, we likely wouldn’t have evolved our world-class American educational system that gives us an avid reading public, and the literacy that helps democracy and these very liberties thrive.”

Throughout Independent Bookstore Day, in addition to meeting authors, customers will share in games including “Banned Books Bingo,” special activities, art projects with Doogie Horner and treats. Customers can win gift cards, Author’s Note T-shirts and gift baskets. Several IBD-exclusive items supplied by the ABA will be available for sale or giveaway that day only.

“We want to thank our customers,” Berry said. “And remind the region of all we bring, and urge them to make shopping small and shopping local an ongoing habit and a meaningful reflection of their love for this lovely part of the world – and for literacy.”

Indie bookstores return two and one-half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do, while keeping jobs and revenue local and boosting salts tax volumes, Berry said.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rise in online bookselling, chain stores and e-readers caused many people to predict the death of the independent bookstore, yet between 2009 and 2018, the number of independent bookstores rose nearly 50 percent, Berry said. Harvard Business School researcher Ryan Rafaelli, in a 2020 study entitled “The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores,” explained that indie bookstores thrive in an online-heavy book market by differentiating themselves along three lines: Community, Curation and Convening.

Berry explained “Community” refers to how local bookstores strengthen local economies and add vitality to shopping districts. “Curation” underscores how local book buyers can select inventory that reflects the tastes and preferences of local shoppers. And “Convening” emphasizes the ways bookstores foster a shared sense of community amongst book-lovers by creating book-friendly spaces and hosting events such as book clubs, story times and author readings to draw readers together.

For more information about Independent Bookstore Day festivities at Author’s Note, or to reserve copies of the visiting authors’ books, visit AuthorsNote.com, e-mail info@authorsnote.com or call (585) 798-3642.