The BookThinker Newsletter ISSN 1547-9501 #117, 24 March 2008

BookThink Update
31 March 2008>>>

Update Announcements

What You Can Learn From Book Auction Catalogs Part I: How to Describe Faults Here's a frequently asked bookselling question: Are (book) auction catalogs worth anything? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but I'd suggest that, before you put them up for sale, you examine them for their potential to help you learn more about the profession. Some, frankly, aren't of much use, but many of them are rich resources indeed that can teach you, among other things, how to describe faults and book elements, how to determine edition state and how to price books - all critical skills that inexperienced booksellers often come up short on. I'll be addressing each one of these skills in a series of four articles, beginning today with "How to Describe Faults."

The Accidental Antiquarian Becoming an Antiquarian Bookseller Part III: Condition Matters Chris Lowenstein, our Accidental Antiquarian, is here today to discuss condition issues as well - in this case why it matters as much as it does to antiquarian booksellers.

BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books Issue #4 Issue #4 of BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books is now available for purchase. Purchase or subscribe now.

From the Editor Important announcements for BookThinker readers.

Removing Odors From Books With An Ozone Generator A Bookseller's Guide Questions about eliminating odors from books pop up on bookselling forums all the time. There's unquestionably a raging appetite for answers. Replies, which I assume are largely well intended, range from sensible to questionable to bizarre, and the variety of products recommended - wow, it seems endless. You may recall that we published an article a year or so ago that suggested using baking soda. An ok solution, I'd say, but like most techniques, this one requires tons of patience and often one or more re-treatments - and even then odors sometimes creep back. Why not get it done quickly and completely instead? Not possible? Then you haven't tried an ozone generator!

BookThink Top 10 on eBay December 2007 Stephen King showed up four times in the Fiction Top 10, along with Poe, Dick, and Grisham. But Marquez led the list with a $4,000 sale of Cien Anos De Soledad. On the non-fiction side, the list started with an signed copy of A River Runs Through It and ended with a Ron Paul title sold to gather funds for his presidential campaign. In between there were the familiar (Narcotics Anonymous, Picasso, Klein's New York, and A Margin of Safety) and the unusual (a pair of early airplane books and Peter Zumthor Works). The biggest news, though, isn't about price or frequency. Fully half of top 10 listings sold as Best Offer or Buy It Now, hinting that the upper price ranges may be moving away from auction sales. Whether this is a trend or a Christmas fluke will become apparent in the next months.

Gold Edition #47 How To Establish a Trusted Internet Bookselling Presence Part II: Pricing What role does pricing have to do with trust? More than you might think. Purchase now.

Previous BookThinker update-

BookThink Update
17 March 2008>>>

Update Announcements

Increasing Your Bookselling IQ With Libraries Unlimited An Introduction If you specialize in bookselling, you're probably familiar with most or all of the reference books relevant to your specialty, but if you're new or newer at things, perhaps not - and sometimes asking for suggestions doesn't deliver the breadth and depth of information you need to make good choices. In today's first article, I'd like to introduce you to a publisher of reference books that can help you make these decisions. I think you'll be surprised at how useful to bookselling some of their titles are, even if they were intended for librarians!

How to Start a Clicks-and-Bricks Bookstore Store Layout The Basics Next up is Jill Hendrix. Now that the ink is dry on your bookstore lease, we're getting to the fun stuff - designing your store. As usual, Jill provides exceptional detail on what to consider and how to go about this.