Booksellers and Book Fairs

Whether or not you are able to do a book fair, I encourage you to expand your horizons and sell in multiple venues. The benefits of doing so will affect more than your bottom line.

At that first book fair, I was lucky enough to be able to hand-sell several items to one customer in particular. A week after the fair, I received an order in the mail from the same customer for two more books. I would not have had this customer at all if I limited my selling only to the internet. Now, in less than a month, I have sold him four books, each priced between $50 and $100. His purchases alone just about covered the cost of my half-booth at the fair. Exhibiting at a book fair allowed the customer to see the quality of my stock, something that is difficult to do when shopping on internet venues like ABE. It also allowed him to get to know me a little bit. Something about that in-person fair experience enticed him to return and shop my website (where I do have images of some of my books - and I plan to have images of all of them soon).

I want to encourage those of you booksellers who haven't done a book fair to try to exhibit at one as soon as possible. I realize you may not live anywhere near a book fair, but if you live within a four hour drive of a book fair, I think it worth the trip to pack up your car and go. It will increase your contacts with other booksellers, it will give you a chance to shop for stock from many sellers at one time, and, most importantly, it will give you a chance to hand-sell books and to secure some repeat customers - all for setting up shop for one or two days. If, like me, your finances are limited, start small. Get a half-booth or share booth space with another bookseller.

I've been saddened to hear from older booksellers that book fairs in general are in decline. When I think back to the time when I was just beginning to collect books, I remember learning a lot just by attending a book fair and looking at the books offered. Book fairs are great places to introduce book collecting to newcomers. It gives rookies a chance to look at the range of dealers and books without the intimidation factor of walking into a silent antiquarian bookshop where no one but the owner is present. Something about that quiet shop environment suggests that only connoisseurs are welcome. It is not conducive to newbie questions like, "So, how do you know these are first editions?" and "Could you explain the range of condition grades to me?" and "How do I start a real collection of books?" Some book fairs even offer informational lectures for new collectors. Book fairs are relaxed, filled with every level of collector, and offer newcomers the chance to ask silly questions without the fear of embarrassment - something they need to do in order to learn.

If you sell books only on the internet, you need to reach customers in other venues. I've often heard booksellers lament that the customer base for antiquarian books seems to be shrinking. If people don't see antiquarian books and become familiar with them, how will they know enough about them to find them for sale on the internet? If we booksellers don't reach the newbies, we will indeed eventually lose our customer base. So, for nothing else other than PR for the antiquarian book trade, you ought to do the occasional book fair, assuming there is one within a few hours drive of you. If not, then add something else to your repertoire, like an occasional print catalogue.

The internet is a great place for those in the know to find their books, but it is not yet a good tool for introducing book collecting to someone who may not have known about it before. I say this because, despite a college degree in English, working for a book publisher, working as an English teacher, and living a bookish life, I was oblivious to the world of antiquarian books until I was 32 years old. Once I read about and learned about book collecting, I went to book fairs. I got a chance to see great books and to ask questions in a welcoming environment. Then I was hooked, and then I began to spend all my money on books, often from booksellers I had seen at book fairs. Wouldn't you love the chance to gain a customer like that? I would.

Sign up for the book fair nearest to you now. You won't regret it. You'll develop new contacts, purchase new stock, and gain new customers.

Additional Resources Are you planning your first book fair? Here's a handy list of supplies for book fairs that I've found helpful:

Here's my report on the first regional book fair at which I ever sold books.

And here's my report on my first "big" fair, in San Francisco.