Publishers Weekly is maintaining a listing of special offers, events, and discounts provided in an effort to mitigate the impact of the new coronavirus on the book publishing industry and on related communities. Please email our news team with updates or questions.

May 18

  • More Monday Stories with Michelle. Mondays with Michelle, a young reading storytelling event with the former First Lady organized by Penguin Random House and PBS Kids (#PBSKIDSRead, #ReadTogetherBeTogether), will add two new additional dates and four new stories for Michelle Obama to read. The new storytelling events will be scheduled for Monday May 18 and Monday May 25. Each day will feature two new videos with the former first lady reading stories on a live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. The new storytimes will feature surprise guests. The additional stories include Giraffe, written by Jory John, and illustrated by Lane Smith, on May 18; The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach (including a special surprise guest).
  • bell hooks Talks About Love. One Book One Bronx, an online book club, will feature acclaimed scholar and critic bell hooks in a discussion based on her book, All About Love: New Visions. The book club began on May 12 and will continue every Tuesday through June 9.
  • Bronx Book Festival Goes Online. The annual Bronx Book Festival, slated for June 6, 2020, has been converted into a virtual festival in response to the pandemic. The Bronx Book Festival will feature such keynote speakers as Jason Reynolds (Look Both Ways) and Bronx native Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath). The festival will featured recorded video and live-streamed events. Other authors scheduled to appear include Torrey Maldonado, Leah Johnson, George M. Johnson, Andrés Cerpa, Arvin Ahmadi, Dhonielle Clayton, Aiden Thomas, Patrice Caldwell, and Elizabeth Lim
  • Comics Retail Support, Distribution Restart. Geppi Family Enterprises, parent company of Diamond Comics Distributors and Alliance Game Distributors, is launching Back the Comeback, multiple-phase campaign to support comics shops and raise money to help retailers suffering from the pandemic. Geppi Family Enterprises chairman and CEO and Diamond founder Steve Geppi announced the #Backthecomeback campaign in collaboration between Diamond Comic and its Alliance subsidiary and in partnership with publishers. The campaign is being launched as Diamond Comic Distributors, the dominant distributor to the comic shops in North America, and Diamond Book Distributors, which distributes to the book trade, prepare to restart distribution May 20 after halting shipments in March due to the pandemic and store lockdowns. The campaign will feature a social media compaign, fundraising merchandise, and charity auctions to raise funds for retailers, and in-store promotions.
  • Lockdown Lit Online. Lockdown Literature, a collective of more than 80 authors releasing books during the pandemic, has teamed with San Francisco indie bookstore The Booksmith to launch Lockdown Lit @ Lunch, a series of online midday conversations between writers streamed on Facebook Live. The events will include live readings but also conversations between two authors. The series will launch on May 19 with Clare Beams (The Illness Lesson) & Rachel Vorona Cote (Too Much). Future salons will feature Mary South (You Will Never Be Forgotten) and Erin Somers (Stay Up with Hugo Best) on May 26; and Melanie Abrams (Meadowlark) and Andrew Altschul (The Gringa), on June 2
  • #WeLoveBookstores. A schedule of upcoming events organized by #WeLoveBookstores, a coalition of Bay Area authors, booksellers, and readers organized to support Bay Area Indie bookstores suffering under the pandemic.
  • Free Scooby-Doo Comics. DC is making 250 single issue and trade paperback comics available for free via the DC Universe streaming service and such e-tailers as Comixology, Apple Books, and others until September 7. The free comics are being released in conjunction with the premier of Scoob!, a new feature-length Scooby-Doo animated film that opened on May 15.
  • #MarvelAtHome Book Club. Marvel Comics is teaming with comedian Paul Scheer to Launch Marvel Presents: the World’s Greatest Book Club, a six week online discussion series featuring Scheer in conversation with celebrity Marvel fans talking about classic Marvel comics. The series will include such celebrity comic book nerds as Damon Lindelof, Gillian Jacobs, W. Kamau Bell, Phil Lord, Yassir Lester, and Jason Mantzoukas. The series will hosted on Marvel’s YouTube channel and Marvel.com.
  • Support Canadian Booksellers. In support of Canadian booksellers suffering from the pandemic, STM distributor Login Canada and its participating university, college and indie bookstores have extended their offer of free shipping to online customers to May 30. Bookstores that have closed their doors or have suspended shipping, can continue to reach and service their customers as an Affiliate eStore, or augment their current sales offerings.

April 30

  • Radical Publishers Unite! An international coalition of left-wing publishers have formed the Radical Publishers Alliance, a coalition of like-minded publishing houses struggling to survive the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic shutdown that has followed. The RPA will work together to launch online promotions and author events, and create an online hub for readers to discover their books. The RPA’s first initiative will be #RadicalMay, an online radical book fair offering panel discussions and teach-ins with authors from 50 publishers from around the world. #RadicalMay will be held in partnership with LITERAL, a radical book festival held annually in Barcelona, which will launch on May 1 and continue throughout the month. Among the English-language publishers joining the RPA are AK Press, PM Press, Verso Books, Haymarket Books, The New Press, Seven Stories Press, The Feminist Press, O/R Books and others. All of the publishers participating in the Radical Publishers Alliance, along with their discounts for readers, can be found on the Left Book Club partners page.
  • Virtual Celebration of Indie Publishing. The Independent Book Publishers Association is taking it’s annual celebration of independent book publishing online. This year the association will hold its first “Shelter-in-Place” IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards ceremony, which honors the best in indie book publishing awarding prizes to books in 55 categories. The IBPA will host four online watch parties on the Webex platform to honor the publishers and their books. This year’s event will be streamed live on four days, May 5, 6, 7, and 8 from 4 pm to 6 pm PST each day. The online events are free to IBPA members and the general public and interested parties can RSVP online and pick and choose which online ceremonies they attend.
  • Support Libraries and Librarians. EveryLibrary, a nonprofit advocate for libraries, is supporting an array of efforts to raise funds for libraries and for librarians furloughed in response to the pandemic. The organization is in partnership with Fake Library Statistics, a very funny Twitter parody account, and kids apparel designer Argyle Lady Bug, to highlight a special Etsy Store to support HALO, an EveryLibrary fund created to support library workers in need. For the next 30 days all proceeds from the special Etsy store will go to fund library workers.
  • Support for Female and Non-Binary Comics Retailers. In response to the plight of female and non-binary comics retailers suffering in the aftermath of the pandemic, Jen King, owner of Space Cadets Collection Collection, a toy and comics store in Houston Texas, has organized the Female and Non-Binary Comic Book Retailer Fund. The fund will raise money from the sales of INSIDER Art, a digital comics anthology featuring comics, crafts, games by an all star line up artist contributors; INSIDER ART fabric featuring cat-inspired designs, and from auctions of exclusive artwork. Among the contributors are such acclaimed creators as Lilah Sturges, Tini Howard, Kelly Sue DeConnick, AJ Mendez, Janet K. Lee, Vita Ayala, and many others.
  • Evergreen Review Raises Funds for Artists. The legendary cultural journal The Evergreen Review has launched a gofundme campaign to raise money for the writers and visual artists whose work has been commissioned to produce a special series at the journal focused on the worldwide impact of Covid-19.
  • #Creators4Comics Raise $400K for BINC. Using the hashtag #Creators4Comics, comics creators raised more than $433,166 for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) to support comic stores and indie bookstores suffering under the Covid-19 pandemic. The charity auction of comics art work generated more than 630 Twitter actions and featured such artists as Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Patton Oswalt, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Joe Hill, Shannon Hale, Mike Mignola, Brad Meltzer, Mariko Tamaki, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Marissa Meyer, Danielle Paige, Gene Luen Yang, Tom King, Bryan Edward Hill, and many more.
  • Supporting BINC and Translation. In response to the pandemic, The Center for the Art of Translation and its journal Two Lines Press announced that 50% of all contributions made to the organization’s Spring 2020 fundraiser will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) to provide support to booksellers in financial need due to the pandemic.
  • Celebrate National Poetry Month with Black Poets. Working in collaboration with the Howard University, the Hurston/Wright Foundation is celebrating the end of National Poetry Month (and helping us survive this pandemic) by offering free online poetry classes featuring Poets Hanif Abdurraqib and Chet'la Sebree. The online events are free but attendees must register. The H/W Foundation, an advocate for African-American writers, is also offering information on its activities in response to the pandemic.
  • Free D&D and Magic: The Gathering for Schools and Libraries. Games publisher Wizards of the Coast plans to distribute 2,000 digital kits to schools and libraries in the U.S. and Canada at no charge that will unlock access to Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. The digital kit will unlock D&D Beyond and 30 Magic: The Gathering Arena digital codes; in addition the kits offer a 15% discount on future purchases. The kits allow teachers and librarians to engage students with virtual play in for both games. Kits are available by request via the Wizards of the Coast customer service request portal and the publisher also offers other free material for online play.
  • Discovering What Matters. In response to our perilous times, Milkweed Edition is launching What Matters Most, a video series that will feature Milkweed authors reflecting on the rituals, places, people, or things that provide the solace and periodic spiritual nourishment that gives meaning to their lives. The first installment features poet Adam Clay, author To Make Room for the Sea, Stranger and A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World.
  • Open Access to Covid-19 Research. ReadCube, a software development company focused on researchers and publishers, is launching The Covid-19 Research Pass (CRP) programme, which provides direct access to more than 26 million articles. Access to CRP is available to anyone studying or writing about Covid-19.

April 21

  • Support For Diverse Children’s Books Creators. We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit advocate for literature reflecting all young people, is providing emergency grants of $500 to diverse authors, illustrators, and book professionals facing serious financial need due to the pandemic. In addition in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, WNDB has also posted a page of resources available for authors, booksellers, publishers, librarians, parents, and educators. And there is also a Google doc of industry compiled pandemic resources.
  • Financial Support for Comic Shops. In response to impact of the coronavirus pandemic on comic book retailers, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), DC Comics, the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, and the ForgeFund, a charitable fund focused on comic booksellers, are teaming to launch the Comic Book United Fund, which will provide grants to comic book retailers. The ForgeFund was launched last year by BINC and Oni-Lion Forge and now DC has added a $250,000 donation to the new CBUF to support direct market comics shops in need.
  • Supporting Booksellers #SocksforBinc. Libro.fm, an audiobook retailer that partners with indie bookstores, is also partnering with a number of visual artists to design 10 pairs of socks with book lovers in mind. Socks begin at $15 although buyers can pay as much as they would like and all profits will go the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), which provides financial support to booksellers suffering from the impact of the pandemic. Libro.fm is also supporting #VirtualBookstoreParty, to be held April 19-25, a virtual replacement celebration for Independent Bookstore Day, which has been postponed until August due to the pandemic.
  • Support NYC’s Forbidden Planet Comics Shop. Located just off of Union Square in New York City, Forbidden Planet is a magnet for fans searching for the latest comics and graphic novels as well as a haven for comic book and pop culture fandom since the early 1980s. The iconic retail venue has been completely shutdown under the pandemic lockdown, unable to generate revenue while located in one of the most expensive retail locales in the country. Jeff Ayers, the store’s longtime manager, has launched a gofundme campaign to raise funds to keep the legendary comics shop alive and able to service the next generation of pop culture fandom.
  • Support Atomic Books. Baltimore bookstore Atomic Books has partnered with Bonfire, the t-shirt/merchandise fundraising retailer, to produce a modified series of the store’s t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags to sell during a 10-day fundraiser to help the store survive the impact of the pandemic.
  • Support Rizzoli Bookstores. Closed due to the pandemic, the Rizzoli Bookstores in New York City are still selling books via their website and hosting a series of virtual events throughout the month of April.
  • La Borinqueña Raise Funds for Masks for America. Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, creator of the female Puerto Rican comic book superhero La Borinqueña, has raised over $200,000 on GoFundMe and other platforms to purchase PPE equipment for nurses and hospitals in New York City and in Puerto Rico.
  • Free Audio Fairy Tales Updated. Miral Sattar, CEO and Founder of Bibliocrunch, an online servies marketplace for indie authors and editorial and production professionals, has written and produced Bearily Bear, a library of audio versions of fairy tales for children that have been updated and rewritten with diversity in mind for the contemporary world. The updated audio stories are offered for free and include A Story of a Smart Princess and a Certain Pea, Gretel and Hansel, A Girl Named Rapunzel and more. In addition the Bearily Bear blog offers home schooling activities of all kinds including how to hold a Zoom Birthday party for young children and more.
  • Fighting Covid-19 in Detroit with Storytelling. Bestselling author and journalist Mitch Albom is writing a new novel over the next eight weeks, posting a new chapter each week on Friday. Albom’s novel is called Human Touch and it’s set in a small Michigan town as the coronavirus begins to take root and impact the lives of the residents. Albom is writing the novel to raise funds to support the fight against Covid-19 in Detroit.
  • Support for School Kids at Home. Hand2Mind, an educational services company, has launched teach@home, a free series of daily age-appropriate lessons and activities designed for K-5 students created by teachers. The lessons are delivered by 10 minute videos and offer activities in reading, art, STEM and other subjects; there’s also written content which is also available in Spanish.
  • Latinx Book Resources for Kids at Home. Arte Publico Press, which specializes in literature by U.S. Hispanic authors, has launched a series of webpages with links to free access to video readalong titles for young readers and lesson plans for middle grade and teen readers.

April 16

  • Kids’ Book Festival Goes Online. The Everywhere Book Fest, a kids’s literature festival slated to run May 1 and May 2 will be free and offer livestream technology to present a number of panels with diverse speakers, and ASL interpreters. The festival will donate books to young readers courtesy of We Need Diverse Books. The festival will make use of a YouTube channel and the Everywhere Book Fest website. Among the publishers supporting the book festival are Abrams, Candlewick, Chronicle, HarperCollins, Levine Querido, Little Brown, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and GooglePlay are also funding the effort.
  • Online LGBTQ+ Book Festival. LGBTQ fiction house Bold Strokes Books has organized a three day webinar bookathon featuring dozens of its authors that will be held April 17-19. The event is free but requires registration.
  • Stanford University Press #SaveIndieBookstores. Stanford University Press is donating five percent of its online sales in April and May to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) to support independent bookstores during the pandemic.
  • Support for Indie Bookstores. In response to the pandemic, the University of Minnesota Press is offering independent bookstores +5% discount on all orders through May 31st as well as free shipping on domestic orders of 15 or more unites and net 90-day payment period for any accounts that are currently on net 30. To qualify please send all orders via your UMP sales rep listed via the link.
  • Abbeville Giveaway and Discount. For those getting a little stir-crazy while practicing social distancing, Abbeville Press is giving away a book each day its offices are closed and is also offering free shipping for domestic orders and a 25% discount on any book order over $50.
  • Printers, Binders, Distributors Under Pandemic. The Book Manufacturers’ Institute has set up a separate public website and forum to share regularly updated information and resources about the state of publishing manufacturing during the current public health crisis. Non-members can contact BMI for access.

April 13

  • Support Comics Shops and Indie Bookstores. #Creators4Comics is a collective effort in response to the Covid-19 pandemic by comics creators looking to support and save comic book retailers and indie bookstores with Twitter auctions of art work that will be used to benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC).
  • Books for Young People In Prison. In a response to the pandemic, Liberation Library, a volunteer nonprofit in Chicago that delivers books to young people in Illinois Prisons, has launched a local campaign to double the number of books available to send to incarcerated youth. Due to the pandemic, family visits and programs to assist incarcerated people in the jails have been curtailed. Liberation Library encourages the public to donate through its bookstore partners, including Pilsen Community Books, Semicolon Books, Women and Children First Bookstore, Open Books and City Lit Books.
  • First Second Virtual Comics Festival. First Second, the graphic novel imprint of Macmillan Publishing, is hosting Comics Relief, an online comics festival featuring a lineup of many of its acclaimed artists offering an in-depth look at how they make comics. The online festival will be held April 18, 11am to 5pm EST and will include a look at scripts, thumbnails, inking, coloring and making comics while under quarantine. Creaters include such First Second luminaries as artist/First Second publisher Mark Siegel, Gene Luen Yang, Lucy Knisely, Ngozi Ukazu, Kate Leyh, Lily Williams and others
  • Emergency Funds for Diverse Children’s Creators. We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit advocate for diversity in children’s literature, is launching an Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives in Children’s Publishing that will provide grants of $500 to diverse authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals affected by the pandemic.
  • Virtual Elena Ferrante Book Club #SaveIndieBookstores. Europa Editions has organized “Our Brilliant Friends,” an after-dinner book club/watch party to discuss the HBO adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet book series. The online book club will feature a reading from Ferrante’s new novel The Lying Life of Adults (pub date Sept. 1), and a panel discussion that includes Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, to be held April 13 at 9 pm EST on Zoom. The online club will be held an hour before the HBO show. A $5 donation is suggested which will be used to benefit the #SaveIndieBookstores campaign, a initiative supported by the American Booksellers Association, BINC and others.
  • David Sedaris Visits BookTube. BookTube, YouTube’s monthly digital book club, will feature a conversation with acclaimed author David Sedaris on April 16 about Clypso, his bestselling collection of essays, and about his career.
  • The Believer Jr. For Kids. The Believer, a literary and cultural magazine, has launched a semi-regular newsletter for kids (and their parents) who are now at home and need activities. The first installment has activities for kids aged 4-8 and links to Believer stories for parents. The first online activities workshop has been held but more are coming and interested parents can email junior@believermag.com for creative activities the family can share.
  • University Presses Respond to Pandemic. The Association of University Presses has launched a resource section on its website called the UP Social Distancing Collaboration offering a link to support independent bookstores and offering free access to a selection of books and journals published by association members.
  • AAP Members Offer Response to Pandemic. The Association of American Publishers has launched a webpage offering links to a wide variety of resources and support to bookstores being made available by its members
  • Pandemic Deal on Danzc Literary E-books. In response to the pandemic, literary publisher Dzanc Books is offering digital access to DB’s complete backlist of 450 titles for $10/month or pay $100 for lifetime access. The list features out of print works by Robert Coover, Stephen Dixon, and Caroline Leavitt, as well as new titles by Chaya Bhuvaneswar, Nino Cipri, Lindsey Drager, John Englehardt, and Tina May Hall.
  • Pandemic Discount for Booksellers. Westminster John Knox Press, the academic and trade imprint of the Presbyterian Corporation, and its children book imprint Flyaway Books, are offering booksellers a 50% discount and 90-day billing for orders of 5+ units throughout the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
  • Book Donation Team Up for Kids' Hospitals. Educational publisher Gale teamed up with Cheeriodicals, an organization that works with corporations to support children’s hospitals, to deliver boxes of books, crafts, games, puzzles and more after an in-person event to supply the materials was canceled due to the pandemic.
  • From the SpeakEasy Archives. In response to the pandemic, SpeakEasy, a nonprofit that sponsors a wide variety of literary events, is opening up its archives of video recordings each week to deliver a variety of artists sharing stories. The series is launching with a 2016 presentation by novelist Chris Abani about his family’s journey from Nigeria to London during the Biafran Civil War.
  • Shelter In Books Pandemic Benefit. Cinco Puntos Press, an indie publisher based in El Paso,Texas, has launched Shelter In Books, a discount in response to the pandemic lockdown that offers 50% off the purchase of any Cincos Puntos Press title bought to be donated to students whose schools have been shut down. The press is matching donors with teachers who need books for children who are sheltering in place.
  • Support for Public Libraries. In response to the closure of public libraries during the pandemic, curated book advisory site BookBrowse is offering full access to all of its content at no charge to public libraries who do not currently subscribe. The offer is good until the end of May.
  • Exact Offers Digital Distribution Solution for Publishers. U.K. publisher Exact Editions is offering a free and emergency digital distribution solution to fill gaps in publishing schedules that may have been disrupted by the pandemic.

April 2

  • Conquer Covid-19. Humble Bundle, the pay-what-for-you-wish for bundles of DRM-free digital content venture, is offering a new one-week Conquer Covid-19 bundle that offers more than $1,000.00 in games and e-books for $30. The bundle lasts until April 7. 100% of the funds raised will go to support initiatives and people responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
  • #WeLoveBookstores. A coalition of Bay Area authors, booksellers and readers have joined together to create #WeLoveBookstores, a series of online events around books and authors designed to support Bat Area independent bookstores.
  • Kepler’s Books Debuts Books By Mail. In response to the closing of public libraries, San Francisco’s Kepler’s Books is collaborating with the Menlo Park Library on Books by Mail, an innovative partnership that will enable Kepler’s to deliver books to 500 library “power users” with books on hold. Patrons can request to have two of the books they have on hold shipped to them (at no cost to them) from Kepler’s Books and those patrons can return the books whenever the library reopens.
  • A Good Idea from Bad Idea. Newly launched monthly comics publisher Bad Idea has created a emergency relief fund for comics shop retailers that will begin with a balance of $25,000. The fund will be distributed equally to the each one of the 100 retailers recruited to sell the inaugural list of Bad Idea titles. Bad Idea also announced that it will postpone its first list of titles, scheduled to launch in May, until later in the year, due to the pandemic.
  • It’s Alive Supports Retailers. It’s Alive, an independent publisher that uses crowdfunding to fund reprints of out of print graphic novels, will donate half the sales price of its comics to the local comics shop of your choice.
  • S&S Teams with Bookshop.org. Simon & Schuster adding its support to Bookshop.org, a nonprofit effort to support independent bookstores, which channels book sales to affiliated ABA bookstores and nonaffiliated book sales made via the site into a financial pool that is distributed to independent booksellers registered in the program.
  • Free e-books for kids. Children’s book publisher Knowbuddy Resources is offering free access to is library of young reader e-books which include animal books and home project books. The publisher is also offering a buy one, get one free offer for all its titles offered via the website. Use the code BOGO at the checkout.
  • Free U.K. Textbooks. Jisc, a U.K. not for profit education and research services provider, is teaming with educational study platforms Kortext and VitalSource to offer access to thousands of study modules under the Free Student eTextbook Programme.
  • Free Kids’s Resources from Toon Books. Kids graphic novel publisher Toon Books is offering an online page of links to free comics activity resources for kids based on its award-winning kids graphic books.
  • Digital Marvel Comics For Free. Marvel is offering free access to recent comics series via Marvel Unlimited, a digital comics subscription service that offers access to more than 27,000 back issues of Marvel Comics, from April 2 until May 4. This month the free reads includes the Avengers, Captain America, Black Widow, Spider-Man, and more
  • Free Dark Horse Digital Comics. In response to the pandemic, Dark Horse Comics is releasing the first issue of more than 80 comics series for free, as well as a few volumes of graphics novels, available to read via Dark Horse Digital from now until April 30. The series include such titles as Umbrella Academy, American Gods, and Disney’s Frozen, as well as such graphic novels as Empowered Vol. 1, and Hellboy Vol. 1.
  • Free Chicken Soup for the Soul E-books. Inspirational publisher Chicken Soup for the Soul is offering two e-books for free in response to the pandemic: Chicken Soup for the Soul 20th Anniversary Edition and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses.

March 30

  • DC Entertainment Responds to Pandemic. In response to the pandemic’s impact on comics retailers, DC issued a statement that it is offering direct market comics shops full returnability on periodicals and books dated March 18 to June 24, 2020. DC will also offer credit for return shipping of those items. In addition, DC says it anticipates continued “regional volatility” in business operations and is exploring a “multi-distributor” model to get new content to readers. DC is also in “active conversations,” with Diamond Comics Distributors, the dominant comics distributor in the U.S., which has suspended the delivery of new comics to comics shops indefinitely. “DC will continue to monitor the situation, continue to speak with you directly, and continue to support you through the days ahead. You are the lifeblood of this industry.”
  • Dav Pilkey to the Rescue! Dav Pilkey, the creator of the wildly popular kids comics and prose series Dog Man and Captain Underpants, is teaming up with the Library of Congress of offer children and their parents entertaining video content. Beginning April 1, Pilkey will offer how-to videos on drawing and read alouds; and every Friday at 8am on social media, Pilkey will offer additional videos and other material for kids. Pilkey’s material can be found on the LOC's Facebook page and Twitter (@Scholastic).
  • Another DC Bookstore Virtual Bookclub. MahoganyBooks, an African-American owned bookstore in Washington D.C., hosts a virtual bookclub on the first Friday of each month via Face Book Live @mahoganybooks, in partnershiup with the Very Smart Brothas blog. For more info contact: customerservice@mahoganybooks.com.
  • Pay What You Wish. To provide comics for people sheltering in place during the pandemic, It’s Alive, a publisher that uses crowdfunding to bring out of print comics back into print, is offering PDFs of the first issue of its comics series on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis until the end of April. Fans can pay for the PDFs via PayPal by emailing to: itsalivepress@gmail.com.
  • Free Software for Writers. Writing Analytics, an online service that allows writers to track their progress and motivate them to work, is offering access to its software for free until the end of May 2020.
  • IBPA Extends Membership During Pandemic. Beginning March 30, the Independent Book Publishers Association will extend its membership terms for all current members by three months at no additional cost.

March 27

  • Ben Katchor Speaks On Zoom. Cartoonist and MacArthur “genius grant” fellow Ben Katchor will give a virtual talk about his new book, The Dairy Restaurant (Schocken), a text and comics account of the development of the milk and meat taboo, vegetarian practices, the rise of the dairy restaurant and his own experiences in these fast disappearing restaurants. The virtual talk and visual presentation will take place April 1 and is hosted on the Zoom platform by Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn.
  • Michael DeForge Twitch Tour. Forced to cancel the book tour for cartoonist Michael DeForge’s new graphic novel, Familiar Face, publisher Drawn & Quarterly says DeForge will instead offer a livestream appearance on Twitch on April 2. The tour was originally planned for Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, Needle and Pens in San Francisco, Secret Headquarters in Los Angeles, and Bluestockings in New York.
  • The National Emergency Library Is Open. In response to the closure of schools and public libraries, the Internet Archives has launched the National Emergency Library, an online collection of more than 1.4 million books dating from roughly the 1920s up until about 2019. “The library system, because of our national emergency, is coming to aid those that are forced to learn at home” said Brewster Kahle, digital librarian of the Internet Archive. UPDATE: The Internet Archive has responded to criticism of the launch of the National Emergency Library.
  • Free Access to Duke University Press Content. In response to the pandemic, Duke University Press is offering free online access to books and articles on infectious disease and on Care in Uncertain Times. Books are free until June 1 and articles are free through October 1 and can be downloaded as PDFs.
  • CCCADI Offers Online Guide. Located on East 125th Street, the Carribean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) has halted its public programming, but posted a page of online resources for the public. “We are in the process of reshaping and rethinking program services moving forward and would love to hear from you as to what you would like to see from us.”
  • DC Bookstore Launches Virtual Book Clubs. In response to the pandemic, Lost City Books, a bookstore in Northwest Washington D.C., is launching a series of virtual book clubs that will launch on March 31 with a discussion of Jenny Offill’s Weather, hosted on the Zoom platform. The other books set to be clubbed are Frank Herbert’s Dune and David K. Randall’s Black Death at the Golden Gate.
  • Web Exclusive John Connelly Novella. In an effort to offer his fans a new book while they shelter in place, bestselling crime novelist John Connelly (The Dirty South) will write The Sisters Strange, a web exclusive new novella, starring his popular private eye Charlie Parker, in a series of posts live every day on his website beginning April 2 throughout the month.
  • Online Classes in the Book Arts. The Center for Book Arts is launching a series of online classes on the bookmaking arts that will include making botanical books, zines, artist books, and chapbooks. The classes start April 6 and are free but the CBA urges those interested to donate what you wish in order to pay the instructors and cover class expenses.
  • Free Delivery for Online Book Buys. Interlink Publishing, which publishes works of literature, history, politics, and global culture for adults and children, is offering free delivery for any books purchased online in response to the need for social distancing during the pandemic.
  • IPG Support For Publishers, Retailers, Readers. Independent Publishers Group, a global book distribution vendor, is presenting an array of offers that include a 30% discount to consumers on its publisher’s titles, and a 30% discount for public and school libraries (via OverDrive), as well as other offers for various POD services.

March 26

  • Special Digital Collection for Libraries. In response to the pandemic, Hoopla Digital, a media streaming platform for e-books, movies, comics and music serving the library market, is launching Bonus Borrows, a specially curated collection of 1,100 popular titles in a variety of media, available to library patrons for unlimited borrowing that will not impact their monthly limits. The collection is free to libraries, with Hoopla absorbing the cost of the borrows.
  • OverDrive, Harper Offers No Cost, Low Cost Books. HarperCollins has added 1,100 e-book titles to library digital vendor OverDrive’s no cost, low cost, digital book collections offered to the library market in response to the pandemic.

March 25

  • Abrams, BINC Debut #HelpaBookSeller Benefit. Abrams is partnering with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), a nonprofit focused on booksellers in need, to launch #helpabookseller, a new fundraising challenge to raise $100,000 to support booksellers in need due to the pandemic. Abrams president and CEO Michael Jacobs pledged Abrams will donate at least half that amount and said such bestselling Abrams authors as Jeff Kinney, Gaby Dalkin, and Laura Prepon will join the campaign to spread word about the benefit.
  • MIT Press Offers Free Virtual Book Talks. The MIT Press is launching MIT Press Live, a series of online events featuring leading researchers discussing a variety of topics, among them critical thinking, social justice, hashtag activism, and even the search for extraterrestials. The series will launch on March 31.
  • Open Access to Covid-19 Research and More. Academic publishing house World Scientific is offering free access to all of its journal content (including unlimited access to all content on Coronavirus) from 2001 until June 30,2020 to authors, library patrons, and ProQuest and EBSCO customers.
  • Free Access to Super Cool Radical Webcomics. Radical indie San Francisco publishing house Silver Sprocket is offering free access to hundreds of webcomics, including works by such artists as Ben Passmore (Your Black Friend), Benji Nate (Catboy), and Ivy Atoms (Pinky and Pepper Forever). Publisher Avi Ehrlich says the series will kickoff today with access to Big Punk by Janelle Hessig.
  • Socialist Video Series Addresses Current Events. Socialist magazine Jacobin is launching a series of video talks focused on political education that will feature such authors as Mike Davis on the political implications of the pandemic (March 26), Nicole Aschoff on past corporate bailouts (March 27), and Ronan Burtenshaw on the history of Britain’s National Health Service (March 28).
  • Read Eurocomics for Free #StayHomeReadComics. Europe Comics, a foreign rights and online retail coalition of 13 European comics publishers, is offering access to excerpts from a wide ranging selection of online European comics in English and providing listings of European comics on every possible topic (disability, nature, romance and more) that are available for purchase.
  • DC Comics Activities for Kids At Home. DC has launched DC Kids Camp, a new program to entertain kids at home that allows parents to go to DC’s social media channels on Twitter and Instagram and download previews of comics, kid-friendly, superhero themed activities, and videos based on DC characters. Artists such as Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls), Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan), and Minh Lê (Green Lantern: Legacy) offer how-to and draw-along videos to help kids make their own comics.
  • Free Access to PaperCutz Graphic Novels for Kids. In response to the pandemic, Kids’s graphic novel publisher PaperCutz is offering free downloads of the e-book version of four of its popular graphic novel series, Geeky Fab Five, Dinosaur Explorers, Chloe, and The Smurfs!

March 23

  • IDW Supports Comics Shops. In light of Diamond Comics Distributors decision to cease delivery of new weekly comics, IDW is offering retailers 60-day no fee returnable terms, suspension of May releases, and reducing its overall publishing line for series scheduled through July.
  • Licensing Expanded Use for Remote Learning Content. In response to the need to quickly implement remote learning during the pandemic, the Copy Clearance Center has posted an Education Continuity License that will allow schools, educators and parents to make additional use of previously lawfully acquired materials.

March 22

  • Free Webinar on Fighting Covid-19 Misinformation. The EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit focused on public and school libraries, has produced a webinar with Sarah Brandt of NewsGuard, and Christopher Harris of the Genesee Valley School System, offering info on websites offering useful information on the virus and those known for publishing misinformation. The webinar is free and a donation is requested.
  • Open Access to Research On Covid-19. Taylor and Francis has launched a new webpage that provides free access to coronavirus research that is updated in real-time. The site offers researchers, public health authorities, and the general public, information on containment and treatment, as well as serving to combat disinformation and misinformation about the virus.

March 21

March 20

  • Grant Support for Bookstores, Comic Shops. In response to the new coronavirus pandemic, BINC and the ForgeFund, a charitable fund focused on comic booksellers, are teaming to provide grants to bookstores and comic booksellers.
  • #BooksConnectUs. Penguin Random House USA CEO Madeleine MacIntosh announced the launch of #BooksconnectUs, a social media “initiative where readers can come together online and share their love of books.”
  • Free access to ALA’s Booklist Online. The American Library Association is providing free access to its online book review magazine until further notice.
  • Free Access to Cengage Digital Ed Content. Educational platform Cengage is offering free access to e-Textbooks and other digital content for K-12 and higher ed from its subsidiary companies, including National Geographic Learning, Gale and ELT content.
  • Free Access to Digital Comics. Comixology Unlimited, Amazon’s digital comics subscription service, which offers online access to 25,000 digital comics, graphic novels and manga, is extending its free trial period from 30 days to 60 days for an indefinite period.
  • Free Access to 92nd Street Y Digital Archives. The 92nd St. Y is offering free access to its storied archive of 145 years of literary, musical, science, Jewish, and other popular content and performances as the city responds to the pandemic.
  • Free Access to UC Academic Journals. In recognition of the pandemic and the need for remote learning, the University of California Press is offering free access to all of online journals until June 2020.
  • Information On Infectious Disease. The Great Courses online platform is offering free access to their courses on infectious diseases and a video on the coronavirus outbreak.
  • Free literary e-books from Archipelago Books. In response to the pandemic, the publisher is offering free downloads of 30 e-books from March 19 until April 2. Click “purchase” on the book to get the free download.
  • Stay at Home Comic Con. In response to the pandemic and the cancellations of pop culture conventions, a group of Dutch artists have organized the Stay Home Comic Con, an online convention that will be held March 28-29.
  • Unf*ck Your Pandemic. Microcosm Publishing is offering a manifesto/resource page on community and survival as well as a combination of free and discounted titles for consumers and retailers in response to the pandemic.
  • Libro.fm Supports Your Local Bookstore. The audiobook publisher offers customer's the option for their payment to be passed along to their local bookstore.
  • Supporting Bookstores. Gibbs Smith is offering net 60 terms effective immediately on all orders received through, April 30, 2020.
  • Covid-19 Artist Resources. Bomb magazine has created a page of resources for writers, artists, musicians, and performers.
  • Kids Stuff from HarperCollins. The publisher has created a page offering permissions for public readings, YouTube content, EpicReads events and more from HarperKids.

March 19 and Prior

  • Verso Books Offers Free and Discount Lefty Books. Verso Book’s Reading In a Time of Self-Isolation initiative is an 80% discount on all of its e-books and 40% off all its print books for the next two weeks. Verso also offers free downloads on five e-books.
  • Free Zoey and Sassafras E-Book. The Innovation Press is offering the first book in its Zoey and Sassafras chapter book series as a free download (or free Kindle) for the duration of the school/library closures.
  • House of Anansi’s Reading Apart, Together. Canadian publisher House of Anansi has launched a new initiative called Reading Apart, Together: when a reader buys a House of Anansi e-book, after checkout they will be invited to submit the name of a friend and the publisher will send them a free copy of the same book.
  • OpenStax Offers Free Access to Digital Textbooks. Rice University-based open education textbook publisher OpenStax is offering free access to 38 free digital textbooks and 28 of its online homework providers through the end of the term.
  • Free Access to Loeb Classical Library. Harvard University Press and the Trustees of the Loeb Classical Library announced that subscriptions to the Loeb Classical Library will be free to schools and universities impacted by Covid-19 until June 30, 2020.
  • Image Comics Offers Help to Comics Retailers. Image Comics is offering direct market retailers full returnability on all of its comics from March 16 until the end of the month and also offers other types of support to retailers.
  • Seven Stories Press Offers Free e-Books. Each Sunday SSP will solicit suggestions from its Twitter (@7StoriesPress) followers for a book to read for its newly launched Self-Isolation Book Club. SSP will then offer four options to vote on and on Monday the winning book will be released as a free e-book download for 24 hours.
  • Schiffer Publishing Offers Free Freight. 10 plus units equal 50% and net 60, all orders ship free freight from March 16, 2020 through April 30, 2020, valid for all titles published prior to April 30, 2020. Promo Code: Schiff20.
  • Workman Offers Stores Flexible Payment Options. Due to the high demand on books about the current crisis, Workman offers an additional discount, free freight, 120 day dating, and no minimum on the entire Workman Backlist.
  • Haymarket Press Offers Free E-books. The left-wing Chicago press is offering free e-books to those in need of diversion, who also want to educate themselves on "collective liberation" from the status quo.
  • Bookshop.org to Give Even More to Stores: The online bookseller has boosted its revenue sharing model for indie bookstores affected by the coronavirus to 30% of cover price.
  • Canada's Publishers Offer Discounts: Publishers in Canada are hosting special offers and discounts as Canadians isolate.
  • ABA Donates $100K to BINC, Offers Strong Support: American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill said the organization had donated $100,000 to BINC. In addition, it is reducing membership fees, paying out for e-commerce faster, and running a daily open forum for members.
  • New Jersey Store Starts Deliveries: Inkwood Books in New Jersey is offering door-to-door deliveries to local customers.
  • L.A. Area Bookstore Discounts Shipping: Vroman's Bookstore is offering $0.99 shipping throughout Los Angeles County.
  • Hachette Offers Indies Discount for Deliveries: Hachette is offering independent booksellers a 5% discount off of MSRP for any title that is sold and delivered to customers in their local community by staff or courier.
  • B&NE Offers Free Services to Students: Students are being given access to e-textbooks at campuses that have closed due to the new coronavirus, as well as free self-tutoring and writing services.
  • Chronicle Books Offering Extra Discount to Indies: Chronicle is giving indie retailers an extra 5% discount and 90-day dating on its standard 10 unit minimum for bookstores.
  • Hopkins Press Grants Free Access to Journals, E-books: Johns Hopkins University press will make 1,400 books and 97 journals accessible for free for the remainder of the spring semester to both students and the general public via the Project MUSE platform—the latest in a number of university presses making similar arrangements.

Correction: Exact Editions' entry in an earlier version of this listing has been corrected.