From the Editor by Craig Stark #146, 19 July 2010

As I mentioned recently, we're re-launching both premium newsletters this month, beginning today with the new Gold Edition. This will now assume the format of a book - specifically, a comprehensive guide to online bookselling. Each month we'll issue a new chapter in .pdf format, and we anticipate completion of all chapters and appendices by Fall 2011. When completed, the guide will also be available in print format.

My approach has been to assess where bookselling is today and present a set of working methods and the essential knowledge associated with them that, if applied, will enable booksellers to succeed in the coming years - especially beginning booksellers and intermediate booksellers who have seen their businesses decline. I believe that this is the time to take on this project because, as commodity bookselling heads south, commodity booksellers will soon be faced with two choices - get out of the business or move in a different direction. This, then, is a guide to moving in a different direction. Call this direction antiquarian bookselling if you like, but those of you who have been following our series, "Bookselling in the 21st Century," will agree that there's substantially more to it than this.

To give non-subscribers an idea of what will be covered in this guide, we're publishing the Introduction in today's newsletter. Those of you who have existing subscriptions should have received an email by now confirming that your subscription is still active and indicating how many issues remain. If you didn't receive one, please email me at editor@bookthink.com. Each chapter (with the exception of the Introduction) will count as one issue. Non-subscribers may purchase issues individually as they are published or purchase the complete guide up front at a substantial savings and automatically receive monthly chapters as they become available. Existing subscribers whose subscriptions will expire before the guide is completed will be offered a discounted extension at the time of expiration. Price for the complete guide, which may be purchased immediately here, is $99.99; individual issues are $9.99 each. Chapter 1 will be available for purchase in mid August.

Now, what about QMR (BookThink's Quarterly Market Report)? I've pondered this for some time now, and it seems to me that continuing with the past format - one of presenting individual titles that are commonly encountered and sell for $30 and up online - might not be optimally useful for subscribers going forward. There's simply too much fluidity in the marketplace now, and what is a $30 book today too often becomes a $10 book tomorrow. Better, I think, to offer something with more depth and a value that won't go away overnight.

With this in mind (and in keeping with the original concept of QMR), we'll now be offering monthly in-depth author reports with an emphasis on those authors who present the most ready opportunities for profit today - in other words, authors whose books are commonly encountered and have good resale potential. These guides will include pertinent biographical information, the author's complete bibliography along with first edition issue points, a discussion of value ranges (including signed copies), marketing suggestions and more. The first issue will be published August 2. More details to follow in the July 26 BookThinker.

A few additional notes:

Bookseller Kristian Strom is now heading up the BookThink Facebook group, so look for much new content (including bookselling resources) soon. Click here to join.

Finally, Jeanne Jarzombek informs me that there are still a few seats available for the upcoming Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, so don't delay! Click here for additional information:

And click here for ongoing BookThink specials.