India, Aug. 4 -- I notice the books before I notice the man.

They don't sit shoulder to shoulder in long rows of spines. Every cover faces out, an unusual way to arrange a bookstore. But Jake Reiss has never understood why anyone should choose a book from the sliver of a spine.

One of America's best-known independent bookstores, the Alabama Booksmith sits beneath a busy highway in Homewood, just outside Birmingham, in a nondescript building. Inside, though, almost everything works differently.

The shelves hold only around 1,000 titles. Each a hardcover signed by its author, each selling for the same retail price as an unsigned edition. That simple idea has earned the Alabama Booksmith a devoted following among readers and collectors ac...