The BookThinker Newsletter ISSN 1547-9501 #94, 7 May 2007

BookThink Update
14 May 2007>>>

Update Announcements

BookThink's Top 10 on eBay March 2007 March 2007 came and went with eBay fiction sales turning distinctly domestic. No UK sellers showed up at all, though an Australian and a Canadian made valiant attempts to fill the vacuum left by the precipitous departure of UK listings on eBay US. Meanwhile, King and son wrapped up 4 of the fiction slots. As if that wasn't enough, there were 3 separate ties totaling 6 titles in the mix.

Report From Beginnersville The Adventures of a Clueless Bookseller A new column launches today - "Report from Beginnersville: The Adventures of a Clueless Bookseller." Unlike BookThink's other columnists, Brenna Hopkins cheerfully confesses that she's clueless when it comes to bookselling. She's also brave: She's committed to learning the business and willing to let you watch her do it, showing us all the inevitable failures - and hopefully successes.

BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books Issue #1 Issue #1 of BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books is now available for purchase. Purchase now.

From the Editor Important announcements for BookThinker readers.

Attention Booksellers Misrepresentation is Rampant! An Alarming State of Affairs in Collectible Fiction Pick a title, any title, of collectible fiction and perform a search for first edition copies on any major venue. If, for the sake of argument, 100 results are returned, on average how many would you guess were misrepresented by sellers? 5? 10? Not likely. Far more likely to be 50 - perhaps as many as 90. Has it really gotten this bad? It most certainly has, and if nothing is done about it, booksellers can kiss whatever credibility we think we've have goodbye. Today's first article examines this growing problem and offers some solutions.

Selling on Amazon Can Advertising Help You Sell More Books? Also today, Steve Weber discusses a relatively new method for promoting your inventory - pay-per-click advertising. Though dominated by Google AdWords, more major players have entered the market of late, and competition will be heating up. If rates drop as a result, could this become an effective tool for sending buyers to your website? Perhaps.

Gold Edition #38 Bookselling on the Cutting Edge Part IV: Flashpoints (Movies Based on Books) Issue #38 of the Gold Edition - Bookselling on the Cutting Edge - Part IV: Flashpoints (Movies Based on Books)- is now available for purchase. Purchase now.

BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books
Subscriptions available now.

50/50 Issue #22
Chess Books and Related Items
Now Available
Issue #22 of 50/50 is now available for purchase;
its focus is "Chess Books and Related Items."
Subscribe today here.

Previous BookThinker update-

BookThink Update
30 April 2007>>>

Update Announcements

Why You Should Write for BookThink Interested in writing for BookThink? Write me today at editor@bookthink.com.

Storage Solutions for Booksellers Part I: The Options I knew this was going to happen sooner or later: There'd come a time when I'd have to write something for BookThink about woodworking. I spent many years designing and building furniture, and - a funny thing - as I look around me in my book cottage, I'm hard put to see anything that I haven't built or somehow retrofit from something that was otherwise headed for the curb, including storage units for books. If you're having book storage problems, our new series, "Storage Solutions for Booksellers," might be helpful. Part I addresses some of the general options and lays the groundwork for some more specific suggestions to follow.

"Scaffale per Libri (Bookshelves with Sculptured Books)" Photograph courtesy of artist Livio De Marchi and Mostly Glass Gallery

Building a Website for Successful Bookselling Part I: Is Your Bookstore Website a Ghost Town? Another series launches today as well. Website optimizer Kent Johnson has signed on to do a series of articles on website enhancement, "Building a Website for Successful Bookselling." As you might suspect (or know already), there's no instant solution that will turn your website into a moneymaker, but if you're willing to work and apply his suggestions, you'll be on your way.