I recently discovered hive, it is the most amazing online bookselling platform that gives back to local independent bookshops with every purchase.

My mum was the one who first introduced me to hive after hearing about it on the radio. She knows all about my love for bookshops and buying books, so she was surprised I hadn’t heard about it already. Intrigued by the idea but feeling like it sounded too good to be true, I started to investigate.

I was amazed when I started to look online at this unique platform and discovered that it was a book selling platform with a heart. With every book sale, a portion of the profit is sent to a local independent bookshop of the customer’s choice. It seems like the company understands people’s shopping habits but also readers’ love for book shops. 

It is amazing that they have designed a service which understands modern consumer behaviour and uses that knowledge for good. For me nothing can replace the feeling and experience of browsing and buying books within a physical bookshop. There is no feeling quite like the excitement and comfort. However, bookshops are becoming under threat, as online bookselling platforms continue to grow. This is a worrying time for bookshops who may be struggling to keep up with the bills of keeping a bookshop open. 

Our bookshops primarily provide us with a place to access a vast variety of literature; however, they are also a space for the community to meet socially to interact and learn about new ideas. Most importantly they are a safe haven for people within our community doing their best to live within the current world and just looking for a space where they can take a break or explore a passion (Laing, 2020). 

As I am getting older, I am becoming increasingly protective of my local community and the bookshops trying to survive within it – and I think that is why hive as a company has connected with me so much.

Hive’s values and initiatives show that it genuinely cares for independent bookshops and changing the way we buy books online to ensure their survival.

With each and every purchase a customer can give back to a local independent bookshop of their choice during the checkout process. Independent bookshops will receive 10% net profit on each book purchased rising to 25% when you select in-store collection, they even receive 8% on eBook purchases too. Another amazing element of hive’s platform is that it offers small independent bookshops a chance to have an online presence as part of the hive Independent Bookshop Network, and this helps them reach a wider audience.

currently available on hive

It is quite incredible the work hive is doing in the book buying space online and I am very excited to see it grow in popularity in the future. I hope next time you need to buy a book online you simply search hive.co.uk and complete your purchase seamlessly, giving profits to a local independent bookshop as you do. 

Happy book shopping!

(Yes, this does give you an excuse to purchase that book you have been waiting to buy)

Campbell, L. (2011) Indies cautious on Hive proposals: indies asked to promote Hive.co.uk ‘by any suitable means’. Bookseller Media Limited.

Hive. (2024). What’s Hive all about? Available at: https://www.hive.co.uk/WhatsHiveallabout [Accessed: 11 May 2025].

Laing, A. (2020) Indies in Scotland: Exploring the Unique Role of Independent Bookshops in Scotland’s Towns and Villages. Publishing research quarterly. [Online] 36 (4), 585–600

Rosen, J. (2013) Supporting the Indie Wave. Publishers Weekly. 260 (41), 5-.

Title image – illustrated by Joanna Barrie

Fundamentally backdrop mp4 image – illustrated and created by Joanna Barrie on Procreate and Canva

hive.co.uk logo image – from https://www.littlegroup.com/portfolio/hive/