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Are your book sales sluggish? If so, are you listing less? Waiting for the economy to recover may not be the best strategy. As online booksellers we have a distinct advantage over our Brick & Mortar competitors: since there are no limits to how much we can offer for sale, we can choose to work harder to make more money. Consider listing more now, not less, and don't be afraid to put up some of your best items. Quality books are always in demand.
Also, don't forget that this is a good time to be purchasing inventory, especially online. An effective strategy for finding bargains is to look at completed auctions on eBay that haven't sold, then contact the seller and make an offer. Recently we've noticed that many sellers are especially motivated to negotiate. This is also true at the fixed-priced sites.
If you're having trouble deciding which books to buy and which ones to walk away from at estate sales, FOL sales, and so on, help isn't far away. The good news is you can buy smart without serving a long apprenticeship. Good instincts can carry the day. We begin this issue with Part I of a multi-part series on the nature of instinct, specifically as it relates to buying books for resale.
We will also continue our regular glossary of terms feature with a discussion of dust jackets - the first of a series of terms relating to book anatomy, or the physical parts of a book. Finally, the Bookologist's Market Niche of the Month begins in this issue with a, ahem, bang.
Please keep the emails coming. All are carefully read, and we're doing our best to answer them.
Much has happened since our first issue:
- Subscriptions to the Bookologist climbed to over 2,000 last week. Thanks to all who have subscribed! If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, sign up for your own subscription at the Bookologist home page http://www.bookologist.com
- A dedicated book forum has been launched on our website: http://www.bookologist.com/forum/phpBB2/index.php
Beginning booksellers are not only welcome but also - believe it or not - treated with respect. Please join us with your questions and comments.
- The Dealer's Directory is also up and running. This is a great place for booksellers to advertise their seller's ID, website, individual offerings, or anything else to grow your business. A one-week free trial is available, and rates are very reasonable. Click here for more information:
http://www.bookologist.com/cab/dd
- As promised, we're continuing to add useful links to the Resources Page (One-Stop Bookselling Center):
http://www.bookologist.com/cab/pages/resources
WARNING: this page is going to be something special when we're done with it. The links are fresh and open doors to tons of bookselling information.
- Finally, if you have access to the Antique Trader Weekly, the Krause publication for the antique market, you might want to look at next week's issue for a profile of the Bookologist. The article will focus on the newsletter, the editor's background, and an overview of the current antique book market, along with some tips for selling antique books. It will be available online 1 week after the print publication hits newsstands at:
http://www.collect.com/interest/periodical.asp?Pub=AT
Craig Stark, Editor
Email: craig@bookologist.com
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