From the Editor by Craig Stark #21, 21 June 2004

We're going to look at numbers today. The used book market is an especially difficult animal to grapple with, let alone measure with any accuracy, but the publication of a recent Book Hunter Press report on the U.S. used book market (A Portrait of the U.S. Used Book Market by Susan and David Siegel) at last gives us an opportunity to see trends that previously could only be conjectured at our peril on the basis of anecdotal evidence gathered from book forums or talking to other dealers.

Knowing what these trends are can have a significant impact on our future as booksellers. We can't formulate effective strategies for making money unless we know what's happening, know our competition, and have a good idea what lies ahead. The Siegels' report helps us do all of this.

In our first article I'm going to look at exactly what some of these numbers mean to us as booksellers, specifically why some of us may be experiencing increasingly sluggish sales at a time when used books are selling in record numbers. Also, I'm going to offer a solution to this problem, something that has worked well for me.

In our second article, Susan Siegel explains why bookselling statistics are so difficult to gather. The variables are more complex than I'd ever imagined. The Siegels' report can be purchased by clicking here.