I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed, but 2023 was a year that could only be described as “off.”
Cost of living was up, groceries prices were nuts, and a wave of invisible apprehension seems to be sweeping across the nation. I hoped 2024 would find its footing and head in a more stable direction, but the news has been riddled with reports of significant layoffs from huge companies like eBay, Google, and even Amazon. Regionally, I’ve read of far too many veteran retail businesses shuttering their doors and calling it quits.
It’s possible that, savvy shoppers who are feeling the squeeze at home, have opted to skip any spending that isn’t a necessity. But who really knows. But a recent trend report shared that folks are still shopping for $20 and under items online. Even when finances are tight, shoppers still like to feel like they have buying power and $20-and-under items don’t feel like a budget killer.
One of the leading trends revolves around the love of reading.
Reading not only helps improve our minds, but it also offers a reprieve from the storm of life. E-Book sales were projected to reach US 14.38 billion in revenue in 2023 and are expected to grow to 14.1% by 2027.
Not only are shopper shifting towards budget-friendly ebooks, they are also open about showing the public their love of a good book. Etsy and Everbee report that one of the top trends for 2024 will be custom bookmarks.
Etsy is filled is will all sorts of fun and imaginative ways to show off your love of reading. PLUS, many of the shops on Etsy are small businesses, so it’s a win/win!
Why Supporting Small Business is Important
Did you know that Audrey Press is a Woman-Owned & Independent Small Business?
As the Shop Small Movement gains momentum, local officials across the nation take notice and move to promote the day even more than ever thanks to all of the challenges that 2020 has brought upon Americans.
Why is it more important than ever to support small businesses (online and off)? Small businesses give back to the community by creating new jobs and offering consumers the ability to contribute to supporting the local economy.
When you spend money in your neighborhood, your sales tax stays in your neighborhood. You help fund public education, parks, and street improvements, not to mention vital services like firefighting and mosquito control.
And books! No matter where you live, there is a local book store nearby that would greatly value your dollars and patronage. So please pay your local bookstore or independent bookseller, like Audrey Press, a visit during this upcoming year.
Quality Ebooks from Audrey Press
- The Ascension Trilogy (Ascension, Clandestine, and Reclamation) 3-Book Bundle by Hannah Rials (YA, Urban Fantasy) “Steeped in the mystery, intrigue, and rich history of New Orleans, readers will enter the secretive world of the Deuxsang. Teen vampire, Cheyenne, and her forbidden love, Eli, embark on a vastly different and dangerous, journey as the net of betrayal tightens around them. This intense and fresh novel is enchanting, mesmerizing, and impossible to put down until the cliffhanger ending. Remember, the end is not the end.”
- Two-Year Waitlist: An Entrepreneurial Guide for Music Teachers by Noreen Wenjen (Non-fiction Business). As a 25-year veteran of the piano instruction profession, Noreen Wenjen shares her tried-and-true method of using marketing, technology, and business know-how to grow a two-year waitlist for a successful independent music studio.
- Pilgrimage: A Modern Seeker’s Guide by Evans Bowen (Spirituality and Travel). Fans of Spiritual Travel…where will your gypsy soul take you this year?
Author Evans Bowen raises the vibrations and shifts the restless souls’ perspectives that cannot travel due to our increasingly fragmented world. In Pilgrimage: A Modern Seeker’s Guide, Bowen recounts her 40-day trek on one of the world\’s most sacred paths, Camino de Santiago (known in English as the Way of St. James) in 2014. - HOW TO COACH GIRLS by Mia Wenjen and Alison Foley (Parenting and Coaching). Alison Foley, CEO of Foley Athletic Advising, and Mia Wenjen, parenting blogger at PragmaticMom.com, help coaches — both parent volunteer and professional — crack the code of how to keep girls in sports.
- The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide by Mia Wenjen and Alison Foley (Parenting and Coaching). The recruiting process can be daunting and overwhelming for those looking to go to college on a sports scholarship. The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide breaks down the process step-by-step to help parents and athletes navigate the system and find the right college fit.
- A Year in the Secret Garden by Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters (Middle Reader Activity and Screen-Free Learning). Inspired by the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden by The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Year in the Secret Garden will enchant your family with 200 color illustrations and photos that puts a modern-day spin on this classic favorite.
- The ABCs of BookJumping: The Best of Jump into a Book! This eBook contains over 150 book reviews, unique book-inspired activities and recipes, book pilgrimages, facts about classic book authors that we all know and love, and many, many reasons to spend countless hours “unplugged” and reading as a family.
- BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen. With a determination to change the world, one book at a time, Wenjen created BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 as a way to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books. Inside the pages, readers, parents, caregivers, educators, and librarians will find extensive book recommendations for Native American Heritage Month While change is a long time coming, it starts with a single book.
- The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook by Donna Ashton. The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is a simple step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf-inspired homeschool plan.
Read these ebooks for free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription!
