I don’t know about you, but I *love* bookstores.  Yes, sometimes I order things when I’m in a rush from Amazon, but nothing beats bookstore browsing.  I can’t imagine a world without independent bookstores, can you?

Bookselling this Week had an article by Karen Schechner (@KSchechner) earlier in the summer about how, Savvy Booksellers Use Twitter to Draw Crowds, Boost Sales. The article highlights 3 case studies of how bookstores have used Twitter, a microblogging and social networking tool, to improve business:

1. Fountain Bookstore (@FountainBkstore) used Twitter to take questions for authors during book readings from fans who couldn’t come to the event.

2. Skylight Books (@skylightbooks) had a tweet-up, a meeting of their Twitter followers, one night at the store.  Attendees received, “15-percent off all books in the store, and 20-percent off hardcover fiction and graphic novels.”

3. Rainy Day Books (@RainyDayBooks) hosted a contest on Twitter that, “gave indie fans a chance to proclaim their love for their favorite bookshops.”

The Booksellers Blog, by @AnnKingman, which focuses on, “online marketing, social media, and blogging for the Independent Bookseller,” has 7 posts about how booksellers can use Twitter:

1. How to get 700 new visitors in 2 days
2. Making things happen using social media
3. What I Think about Twitter for Booksellers
4. Can booksellers and publishers use Twitter to drive business?
5. How I follow 1700 people on Twitter in only 20 minutes a day
6. A simple way for bookstores to use Twitter
7. Can Twitter really work for small businesses?

Finally, you can see additional examples of booksellers using Twitter by browsing through the WeFollow Twitter directory for Twitter accounts tagged with bookseller and bookstore.

Do you have a  story about how independent bookstores are using Twitter, or other social media tools, to build their business?  I hope you’ll share it in the comments.

Britt Bravo also blogs for Have Fun * Do Good, BlogHer, and WE Volunteer.  She is a Big Vision Consultant.