BookThink's Guide to Online Bookselling (Page 2 of 2)

Which brings me to a crucial part of the selling process - book description. Knowing terminology is essential, certainly, but knowing what information to include, what to exclude, what to present first and last - all of these can make or break a sale. And book photography is no small part of the descriptive effort. In this virtual environment we do business in it's hugely important to develop the ability to take photographs of books. In fact, it's no exaggeration to assert that no other bookselling skill will impact your sales more than this. Specific equipment, software, and practical techniques that will enable you to excel will be presented in depth.

Sometimes it's some aspect of the selling process itself that gives booksellers pause - for example, buying and selling signed books. How do you know that what you have is authentic? Should you pay somebody to authenticate it? When is a signed book worth more than an unsigned book? These and many other questions about signed books will be answered fully, and if you've previously felt uncomfortable selling them, this will get you started. And anybody, now matter what their level of experience can get started sooner than later.

But hold on. What's the point of learning all of this stuff if you can't consistently find quality inventory in or near your hometown at prices that will enable you to realize a worthwhile profit? Surely this is the key to bookselling success? Well, it is and it isn't. It is in the sense that for most of us book scouting will probably take place to some extent locally, but local sourcing in some locales can range from very productive to utterly unproductive. Or seasonally hot and cold. If your area isn't optimal, what then?

There's not only hope for you, but there's also a good chance that, as long as you're committed to making this work, you'll be "forced" to do what other booksellers might not have to do yet (or will never do) - learn so much about books that you'll enjoy a competitive edge purchasing them in very public, very accessible online venues. And those other booksellers, who are still scouting close to home (because they can for the time being) will never catch up to you when their sources inevitably dry up. Moreover, the knowledge you acquire will enable you, in turn, to build value - actual dollar value - into your books when you offer them for sale. If there's a centerpiece in this book, value-building is it, and much effort has been devoted to it.

Is this book for you? For beginning booksellers, hobby booksellers and part-time booksellers, sure, all of the above. But what about intermediate booksellers? If your business is struggling, there's a reason. Maybe several reasons. Taking a look at the following list of topics addressed in this book may help you decide if you can benefit, but perhaps taking a hard look at your own situation at the same time will help identify a need. Over and over again I hear from booksellers who are puzzled at why what seemed like such a promising (and enjoyable) undertaking at the outset is now looking downright dismal. Feeling dismal. You may not even be able to think clearly about your business anymore, let alone figure out how to turn it around.

More than anything else, my purpose is to identify the specific reasons bookselling businesses struggle and/or fail and provide the means to get back on the path to success.

The following alphabetical list of topics is not exhaustive but will give you a sense of the scope of this guide:

Book Cleaning and Repair

Book Storage Solutions

Branding Your Bookselling Business

Buying and Selling Ephemera and Other "Book-alikes"

Buying and Selling Signed Books

Cataloguing and Describing Books for Sale

Customer Fulfillment and Service (Communication, Policies, Packaging, Shipping, etc.)

Essential History of the Book (and Why Booksellers Absolutely Need to Know This)

Full-time Bookselling

Generalist Bookselling

How to Grade Books