Can You Explain Bookshop.org's Affiliate Program?

Bookshop.org’s mission is to help local, independent bookstores thrive in the age of ecommerce. One way to do this is to encourage people to link to us. Our Affiliate Program pays commissions when a customer comes to Bookshop.org via the affiliate’s link and buys a book. We have two types of affiliates: Bookstore Affiliates (called “Platform Sellers” in our Terms and Conditions here) and non-bookstore affiliates (called “Affiliates” in our Terms and Conditions here.  

1.    Bookstore Affiliates.  Bookstore Affiliates are qualified bookstores who set up a “Storefront” page (and sometimes book lists) on the Bookshop.org platform. In our Terms and Conditions we call the storefronts (and book lists) “Marketplaces”.  Bookstore Affiliates receive a 30% commission (roughly the entire profit margin) from sales made on their Marketplaces and are also eligible for an equal share of “Pool Revenues” (defined here) that are distributed twice per year.  To see all of our Bookstore Affiliates on a map, select the “Choose a Bookstore” link at the upper right header of Bookshop.org.  Clicking on an Affiliate Bookstore from the list or on the map ‘affiliates’ you with that Bookstore Affiliate (unless you change affiliation - see #3 below - or clear your Internet browser cache).

2.    Non-Bookstore Affiliates.  Non-bookstore affiliates can be authors, publishers, media outlets, bloggers, influencers, book reviewers, book clubs, etc. Anyone who wants to support indie bookstores by linking to the Bookshop.org platform can be an Affiliate. Affiliates also set up a Storefront page and receive commissions from sales made on Bookshop.org for 48 hours by way of a referral link (as described in our Terms and Conditions here). Qualified Affiliates may be eligible for enhanced commissions under our Enhanced Affiliate Shared Revenue Program (described here).  Some of the revenue from sales made to non-bookseller affiliates become part of our profit-sharing pool. The “Pool Revenues” (defined here) are distributed to all the qualified booksellers on the Bookshop.org platform twice per year. Commissions paid to Affiliates do not reduce the amount of support Bookshop.org provides to these independent bookstores.

3.    Last Touch Attribution.  Bookshop.org’s affiliate links operate under the principle of ‘last touch attribution,’ where the last link clicked by the customer before making a purchase on Bookshop.org will earn the commission. For example, if you: (i) visit an Affiliate’s webpage, (ii) click on a Bookshop.org link and (iii) purchase a book on Bookshop.org, that Affiliate will be assigned the commission on that purchase. On the purchase page, the Affiliate assigned the commission will appear in the upper left header on Bookshop.org as “[AFFILIATE NAME] Powered By Bookshop.org.” If you click on that header, you will be taken to the Storefront of the Affiliate. If, however, you decide to shop from another affiliate, that new affiliate’s name will be shown in the upper left header and the commission will go to them.