Books Are Magic

Books Are Magic
Name	Books Are Magic
Type	Independent bookstore
Founded	2017
Founder	Emma Straub
Country	United States
Location	Brooklyn, New York

Books Are Magic is an independent bookstore located in Brooklyn, New York, known for its curated fiction, nonfiction, and community programming. The shop has hosted authors, poets, and public figures, and has been covered alongside other cultural venues and literary institutions. Its role in the New York literary scene has brought it into conversation with a broad range of authors, publishers, and cultural organizations.

History

Books Are Magic was founded by Emma Straub, joining a lineage of independent booksellers that includes McNally Jackson, The Strand (bookstore), Powell's Books, Strand Book Store advocates and contemporaries such as BookPeople and Greenlight Bookstore. Its opening in 2017 followed broader trends visible at locations like Brooklyn Historical Society and events related to National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prize ceremonies, and festivals such as Brooklyn Book Festival and National Book Festival. The shop’s emergence paralleled initiatives by organizations including American Booksellers Association, New York Public Library, and activist campaigns like those organized by Neighbors for Better Bookselling and cultural funders such as National Endowment for the Arts. Over time, it has been involved in relief efforts similar to programs undertaken by Authors Guild and emergency responses influenced by municipal guidance from New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene during public crises.

Description and Concept

The store’s concept emphasizes curated selections across contemporary and classic works, bringing together names associated with major publishing houses and literary prizes: authors who appear on lists with Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and independent presses like Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Melville House, Graywolf Press, Feminist Press, Akashic Books, and Tin House. Programming leverages networks that include editors and agents from agencies such as Wylie Agency, ICM Partners, Curtis Brown, and professional communities linked to Literary Agents Association and university presses like Oxford University Press and Columbia University Press. The store’s identity intersects with cultural touchstones and institutions such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, Museum of Modern Art, New Museum, and literary hubs like City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.

Locations and Events

Situated in Cobble Hill, the shop operates in a neighborhood with proximity to venues and institutions including Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Prospect Park, DUMBO, and performance spaces like Irving Plaza and Barclays Center. Events have included author readings, book launches, and panel discussions featuring writers associated with the National Book Critics Circle, PEN America, and festivals like South by Southwest and Hay Festival. Guest appearances have connected the store’s calendar to public intellectuals, journalists, and novelists affiliated with outlets and organizations such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic (magazine), The New York Times Book Review, NPR, and television programs produced by Late Night with Seth Meyers and CBS Sunday Morning.

Notable Publications and Imprints

While operating primarily as a retailer and event space, the store has promoted notable works from award-winning authors and imprints tied to prizes such as the Man Booker Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award, and Baillie Gifford Prize. It has showcased titles from debut novelists and established voices published by houses like Little, Brown and Company, Macmillan Publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scribner, and Vintage Books. The shop’s selections often include translated literature appearing in lists from PEN Translation Prize winners and experimental work associated with small presses such as Copper Canyon Press and New Directions Publishing.

Community and Cultural Impact

The bookstore has become a community hub intersecting with organizations and civic actors such as Friends of the Brooklyn Public Library, Community Board 6 (Brooklyn), and neighborhood initiatives akin to collaborations seen with Local Initiatives Support Corporation programs. Literary outreach has mirrored partnerships typical of collaborations between bookstores and educational institutions like Pratt Institute, Brooklyn College, New York University, and cultural partners including Poets & Writers and Academy of American Poets. The store’s role in book culture situates it among other influential venues and movements connected to names like Zadie Smith, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Roxane Gay, Jamaica Kincaid, and organizations such as Black Lives Matter chapters engaging cultural spaces to host dialogues.

Reception and Awards

Critical reception in local and national media has connected the store to coverage patterns of outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue (magazine), New York Magazine, and literary blogs that follow independent bookselling trends, similar to features seen for stores such as Books & Books and Powell's City of Books. Recognition has come through community accolades, mentions in guides by Time Out New York, listings by Travel + Leisure, and endorsements from authors and cultural figures who appear on bestseller lists maintained by The New York Times Best Seller list, Publishers Weekly, and industry awards administered by Independent Publisher Book Awards and the American Library Association.

Category:Independent bookstores Category:Bookselling in New York City