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Print When it comes to book sales, the COVID-19 pandemic has been both a blessing and a curse. Authors and publishers rejoiced at the fact that book sales were up in 2020 by 6 percent, according to NPD Bookscan, but independent booksellers and neighborhood bookshops saw their sales dip according to the American Booksellers Association. Some stores even reported sales down 40 percent compared to 2019 numbers. So while it seemed like the pandemic drove people to buy more books, most of those books were purchased online at sites such as Amazon and Walmart. Many independent bookstores did their best to stay competitive despite having to close their doors to in-store browsing. Some made it easier to purchase books online while others offered same-day, curbside pick-up or even hand-delivery options. But without customers allowed to browse and, to a lesser degree, having in-store appearances from authors promoting new books, independent bookstores have struggled to adjust to ....