Kepler’s GiftLit Service Wins National Recognition for Innovative Use of Technology

Kepler’s Books today announced that its GiftLit monthly subscription service has been named winner of the Small Business Majority’s Technology Innovation Award at the 2016 Small Business Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. The Technology Innovation Award is presented annually to a small business that uses technology to grow the business in a unique, innovative way.

“We are pleased to be recognized by the Small Business Majority, and the award belongs equally to our team and our community,” said Praveen Madan, CEO of Kepler’s. “Our success is a direct result of their hard work, extraordinary commitment, and loyalty.”

Small Business Majority is a national advocacy organization that focuses on solving the challenges facing small businesses today. The organization recognized Kepler's unique business model, which combines a for-profit bookstore, a nonprofit events program that produces close to 200 literary events annually, and the GiftLit book subscription service that makes it easy for customers to send high-quality books to their friends, family, and colleagues. The service uses leading-edge technology to make Kepler’s legendary literary expertise available to anyone with access to a computer.

“We’re very pleased to present the Technology Innovation Award to Kepler’s and GiftLit,” said Celia Canfield, board chair of Small Business Majority. “Their innovative and successful approach that combines bookselling with value-added services for its patrons has reinforced Kepler’s role as a sustainable cultural and intellectual hub, and demonstrates that innovative thinking can help independent bookstores continue to thrive in their community.”

About Kepler’s Books

Founded in 1955, Kepler's Books is recognized as an intellectual and cultural hub for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is known for its outstanding literary events, knowledgeable staff, broad selection of books and magazines, and its deep ties to the community. In late 2012, Kepler’s was re-organized into a mission-oriented bookstore with an allied non-profit Arts & Lecture series that has brought noted authors and speakers such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Salman Rushdie, Michio Kaku, Kazuo Ishiguro, Margaret Atwood, Dave Barry, David McCullough and many others to the community. Kepler’s and its non-profit partner collaborate closely to serve their common mission of using the power of books to enrich lives. For more information about Kepler’s, visit www.keplers.com. For information about Kepler’s GiftLit book subscription service, visit www.giftlit.org.

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