The BookThinker Newsletter ISSN 1547-9501 #114, 11 February 2008

BookThink Update
18 February 2008>>>

Update Announcements

Collecting Science Fiction Exceptions to the Rule The Science Fiction Book Club Part I Science Fiction Editor Timothy Doyle discusses an important concept today - exceptions to the rule. There are few rules in bookselling that don't have exceptions, and yes, there are even exceptions to the rule that Reader's Digest Condensed Books are worthless. In Part I of a 3-part series, Tim investigates the Science Fiction Book Club, offers a search methodology for identifying more valuable SFBC titles, and lists specific SFBC omnibus editions that are worth grabbing.

Selling on Amazon Amazon's Catalog Cleanup Has Created a Mess Steve Weber's topic is, shall we say, less cheerful - the Amazon catalog. If you're an Amazon Marketplace seller, you're doubtless aware of the horrific cataloguing issues plaguing this venue. Recently, Amazon has made attempts at cleaning things up, but not unexpectedly, it hasn't been smooth sailing. Steve explains why and what you can do about it.

On What Planet Is The Alibris Warehouse? Out of This World Regulations for MRS (Merchandise Return Service Labels) If you haven't seen Alibris' February newsletter yet, it seems they've taken a stance on books shipped to their warehouse that could only be sustained on ... Mars? MRS (Merchandise Return Service) labels may not, they assert, be accompanied by anything else, which in effect prevents you from purchasing Delivery Confirmation or Insurance. News Editor Karin Bergsagel elaborates.

From the Editor Important announcements for BookThinker readers.

Update to Shipping Suggestions for Booksellers Sealing the Multi-D Box with Hot Glue If you've made the switch to Multi-D boxes and are using tape to seal them, you may have experienced occasional problems with them popping open en route to their destinations. The likelihood of this happening seems greater with heavy and/or thicker books because gaps open up if the packages are lifted by the edges (see the photo in the following article). Most booksellers have solved this problem by using additional tape in one or more places, but today I'd like to propose a better solution - one that's faster, more secure and cheaper.

Professor Booknoodle's Scrapbook A Princely Sum, Part II: Golden Fragments, or, Dialogue with an Old Herbal Also in this issue - we're taking another trip back in time with Professor Booknoodle. This is the anxiously anticipated Part II to "A Princely Sum." More than anything else, this tale will give you a vivid - and I do mean vivid - sense of how good we've got it today, medically and otherwise.

Gold Edition #46 How To Establish a Trusted Internet Bookselling Presence What makes for success in the current bookselling environment? This Gold Edition issue focuses on one of the most important - establishing trust with buyers and includes Tools for Establishing Trust with Buyers. Purchase now.

BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books Issue #3 Issue #3 of BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books is now available for purchase. Purchase or subscribe now.

Previous BookThinker update-

BookThink Update
4 February 2008>>>

Update Announcements

The Kind of Bookseller EBay Now Wants Forces You to Be Is It Such a Terrible Thing? The buzz this week, of course, swirls around the announced changes at eBay. Never before have I seen so many changes in one shot - changes to fees, feedback and more. Predictably, the response has been largely negative, but there's a curious difference this time: Most of these changes play right into the hands of the bookseller BookThink has been urging you to be and in some cases may even result in a net reduction of fees. Can you spell "PowerSeller"? The term will actually mean something now.

The Accidental Antiquarian Becoming an Antiquarian Bookseller Part I: Knowledge Adds Value Surely your success as a bookseller depends to a large extent on your ability to locate and purchase high quality inventory, but to truly advance in this profession, sooner or later you'll need to develop the ability to add value to books. As Accidental Antiquarian Chris Lowenstein explained last month, this ability is what distinguishes antiquarian booksellers from other booksellers. Today she discusses various approaches to learning how to master it.

The Performing Arts: A Guide to the Reference Literature Buy it at Amazon My Name in Books : A Guide to Character Names in Children's Literature Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Introduction to Bibliography and Reference Work Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks International Bibliography of Discographies Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Index to Black American Writers in Collective Biographies Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Literature: A Genre Guide Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks: Second Edition Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks Fantasy Authors: A Research Guide Buy it at Amazon Encyclopedic directory of ethnic newspapers and periodicals in the United States Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks First Edition Guides: General 20th Century First Edition Fiction: A Price and Identification Guide 2008 Edition, Thomas Lee Buy it at BookThink American First Editions, Merle Johnson, revised and enlarged by Jacob Blanck (Fourth Edition) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Author Price Guides, Allen and Patricia Ahearn (4 vols.; also available for individual authors; also issued as complete set on CD; 174 authors to date. Note: Some issued in looseleaf binder so determine contents before buying.) Buy it at Amazon - vol. 1, 1990 or Amazon - vol. 2, 1998 or Abebooks A Bibliographical Introduction to Seventy-Five Modern American Authors, Gary M. Lepper Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Bibliography of American Literature, Jacob Blanck (9 Volumes) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Bibliotheca Americana: Dictionary of Books Relating to America From its Discovery to the Present Time, Joseph Sabin (29 Volumes or 2-Volume Microprint) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon The Book Collector's Handbook of Values, Van Allen Bradley (1982-1983 Edition) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Collected Books, Allen and Patricia Ahearn Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon First Editions: A Guide to Identification, Edward N. Zempel and Linda A. Verkler Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon First Printings of American Authors, Matthew J. Bruccoli (5 Volumes) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Guide to First Edition Prices 2008/9, R.B. Russell Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Modern British Authors, B.D. Cutler and Villa Stiles Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Modern First Editions: Points and Values, Gilbert H. Fabes and William A. Foyle (First, Second and Third Series) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions, Bill McBride Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Points of Issue: A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th - 20th Century Authors, Bill McBride Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon Wright Howes: The Final Edition (of U.S.iana) Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

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