Dollar store locations in the US

As dollar stores have multiplied, self-published books have multiplied, a correlation of 0.979 that connects discount retail to independent literature with the democratic confidence of a chart observing two industries that both removed the gatekeeper: dollar stores bypassed department stores, self-publishing bypassed traditional publishers, and both made their product available to everyone, everywhere, at the lowest possible price point.

Dollar stores grew from about 24,000 to over 38,000 locations between 2010 and 2023. Self-published books grew from about 150,000 to over 2 million titles. Both are ten-year expansion stories driven by the same principle: eliminate barriers to entry, expand geographic and economic reach, and serve the long tail of demand. Dollar stores serve the consumer the traditional retail economy forgot; self-publishing serves the author the traditional publishing industry rejected.

Ten years of dollar stores and self-published books is a correlation between two forms of democratization: one in retail, one in literature, both expanding access by removing the gatekeepers. The store opens in a food desert, the manuscript uploads from a kitchen table, and both serve communities that the establishment overlooked. The price is one dollar. The publication is free. The barrier is gone.