From the Editor by Craig Stark #58, 19 December 2005

If you're new to online bookselling, one of the more difficult decisions you'll be faced with is where to sell your books. There are so many possibilities (almost too many) and pros and cons with each one of them. If you're an experienced bookseller, you've probably settled on one or a few venues that have delivered the most sales for you over time - but, if you're like me, you're always looking for something else.

Earlier this year, two book venues, Alibris and Biblio, launched robust promotional campaigns as well as significant site changes in an effort to capture bigger pieces of the bookselling pie. A third, ChooseBooks/ZVAB, is in the process of doing the same. ChooseBooks isn't new to the game, of course, and founder Michael Tokman is familiar to many of us. What is new is the recent merger of ChooseBooks with German-based ZVAB, a dominant European venue. Needless to say, mergers often shift the balance of power among competing entities, and this one may do the same. BookThink's Media Editor Catherine Petruccione discussed these matters and more with Michael recently. Her interview appears in today's issue.

Many thanks to all who offered their suggestions on my proposed venture into Gypsy Bookselling both in the forum and privately - and there were lots of them! If I haven't replied to you individually yet, I apologize for the delay and will definitely be in touch soon.