FAQs

How do I participate? Do I need to participate on all of the days?

During the crawl weekend, visit any of the participating bookstores and have a staff member mark your guide. We recommend printing your guide in advance (click here for a low-ink version that prints better in black and white, and here for a full color version). Guides will also be available at participating stores while supplies last, and at the event we’re doing at Cafe Willy in Rutherford on Friday, June 5th.

Each bookstore visit earns you one entry to win one of the prizes we are giving away. You do not need to participate on each day, just whenever you want to!

Do I have to buy something at each store I visit in order to have my crawl guide marked?

No, but we certainly hope you will! It’s completely free to participate in this event. It’s all about exploring and supporting our state’s independent bookstores, so if you can’t make a purchase during the crawl weekend, your foot traffic, social media posts and follows, and future purchases are still great ways to show your support.

How do I decide where to go?

We’ve given you all of the tools you need: a map, and an index of every store listed by county, specialty, crawl events/offerings, and more. You might decide to stay close to home and go to stores in your area, or plan a day trip to a part of the state you’ve never visited. Use the map to decide where to go, and then visit each store’s page on our website to learn more about them, or visit them on social media. The bookstores participating represent all different kinds of stores—used bookstores, new bookstores, stores that cater to children, and stores with specific focus areas. If you do a little research using the tools we’ve given you, you can determine which stores most align with your interests! You can also browse our “Steal My Crawl” series on our blog, where we asked some folks to share their actual or hypothetical itineraries for inspiration.

Is the goal to try to go to every store?

Definitely not—I don’t even think that is physically possible given how many stores are participating and how spread out they all are across New Jersey!

The goal is to spend some time during the crawl weekend exploring and supporting some of our state’s independently owned bookstores, whether you visit one or as many as you can. There’s no wrong way to participate. The special offerings at some of the stores and the chance to win a prize are meant to be fun extras. It’s all about the journey!

What happens if I lose my guide, or if the first store I visit has run out of copies?

Don’t worry: you can still log your visits on our online form at the conclusion of your crawl, and if you’re selected as a winner, you will just have to show some type of proof that you visited those stores. If you don’t have a crawl guide, we’ll also accept photos taken at each location, receipts, whatever you’ve got. You can also pick up a guide at your second location, and just make sure you take a photo or save a receipt from your first!

Why does my GPS say a store is closed during the crawl? Why is the location different?

If your GPS says a store is closed but our website lists open hours, follow the info on our website. We have been in touch with all of the participating stores, and some of them are having special hours for the crawl, which is what we have listed! You’ll also notice that extended/special hours on each store’s page are highlighted to call attention to this info. If in doubt: find the store on social media or give them a call to confirm anything you’re not sure about before traveling far from home.

Are any of the stores having special events or promos that weekend?

Many of them are! If a store is doing anything special for the crawl, it will be listed on our index. Some stores are having author events, giveaways, raffle prizes, discounts, or other specials.

It was up to each store if they wanted to do something special during the crawl, it is not something we require to participate, specifically because this event is all about supporting our state’s independently-run stores, and requiring something like this is counterintuitive to our purpose for putting on the crawl. Independent bookstores often operate on slim margins—you can learn about some of the issues they deal with on the American Booksellers Association’s website, and we also recommend these books by author Danny Caine. We’re talking about things like tariffs, credit card swipe fees, high rents, shipping costs, and corporate competitors who can afford to sell books at a loss and cut deals with publishers, to name just a few. We hope those who participate in the event will see it as more than just “what can I get out of it?” and view it as an opportunity to support the bookstores that help make our state a vibrant place to live.

I can’t make it! When’s the next one?

Every day is a great day to support your local bookstores: you don’t need to wait for us! Feel free to use the resources we’ve compiled on this website to plan your own DIY crawl. Grab your friends and hit up a few stores in one day, or use our list and try to visit a new-to-you store every month. But it’s safe to assume you can keep an eye out for a third crawl in June 2027. 😊

What are the prizes? How do I log my visits to enter?

For 2026, 25 number of crawl participants will win an exclusive tote bag!

Use this form to log your visits and enter to win! Please only fill out the form once, after you’ve completed your crawl. The deadline to fill it out 11:59 PM on Wednesday, June 10. The winners will be contacted by Sunday, June 14.

Is your list a definitive list of every bookstore in New Jersey?

Nope! We made every effort to include any store that wanted to join us, but we are a small team and didn’t successfully make contact with every bookstore in time for our print deadline. If you find yourself near a store not listed on our crawl during the weekend, we encourage you to stop in anyway—while they may not check a box on your guide, they’ll still appreciate the extra traffic, and that’s what this is all about at the end of the day!

I’m a bookstore that isn’t on your list. Can I join?

Unfortunately, our deadline for our print materials has passed and we are unable to add any additional stores to the 2026 crawl lineup.

I’m one of the participating bookstores and I have a question!

Save yourself from digging through emails and click here for bookstore info!

I have another question!

Send us an email!