Facing the indies’ existential dilemma with good graphics and guts, the American Booksellers Association has launched IndieBound.org — the evolution of the organization’s BookSense program to connect readers (read: book-buyers) with local brick-and-mortar independent booksellers. Showing off its web-savvy, the ABA’s new movement-styled marketing effort is useful — as in, their google-mapping indie locator and very visual weekly bestsellers lists that link through to your local independent bookstore. And of course, there’s merch and YouTubery is involved: above, indie booksellers read the Declaration of IndieBound. You can visit the site to learn more and put your own digital John Hancock on the declaration.

It is all about putting your money where your heart lies. And, if you really want to back the indies, join them in the fight for “e-fairness” — getting states to require big online-only retailers to collect and pay state sales taxes, a measure that indies say will help level the playing field in bookselling and benefit the states’ ailing economies. It can be done; New York started collecting the taxes on June 1. Click here to learn more from Book Passage owner Bill Petrocelli about the estimated $48,000,000 tax-loss cost to California. Ready to support cash-strapped California and local businesses by ponying up the sales tax when you’re buying online? Read the e-fairness the backgrounder at the ABA — which includes a sample letter for you to send to Gov. Schwarzenegger, urging him to equitably enforce existing tax laws.