3 of 35

Write now Article Tools

The first time I walked past the gas pumps in front of Mr. Garbaden's service station to the little library that his wife ran out of a couple of rooms in their house, I never imagined that someday I would make my living selling books. One thing I did know-I loved books. My passion for books grew as I grew. I read several books every week and eventually went to college to study English Literature. After I graduated from college. I began to think about the possibility of selling books.

While I can't tell you specifically how to turn your passion into sales, I can tell you how I did it. Some of what I tell you can be used to turn what you are passionate about into either a part-time or full-time income.

I wanted to sell used and antiquarian books, partly because I loved them better than new books, but also because I knew I wouldn't need much capital to get started. Like the small library in Mrs. Garbaden's house, I began to sell books out of a couple of rooms in my house. I acquired my stock by going to library sales, garage sales and thrift stores. Most of the time, I paid less than a dollar for a book. As time went on, and I gained knowledge, I began advertising for books in local newspapers and was willing to pay a lot more for them.

One mistake I made during my first year was not getting out and meeting other booksellers. When I finally did, I found that almost all of them were generous with advice, and that their advice helped my business grow. I also improved my business by borrowing or buying as many books as I could on starting small businesses, especially books by successful booksellers.

After selling books out of my house for awhile, I started selling at book fairs. I also rented a bookcase at a local antique shop. Both ventures helped my business to grow. I subscribed to trade publications in which dealers listed books they were trying to locate for their clients. I made frequent sales this way. I also learned a lot about the book trade from reading the articles in the publications. Eventually I rented commercial space and moved my books out of my house.

Adaptability is important to any business and the book business is no exception. Internet selling has revolutionized buying and selling, and booksellers have had to adapt in order to survive. I have sold books through various sites on the internet including eBay and amazon.com. I now have settled comfortably into selling on four sites: abebooks.com, alibris.com, biblio.com and thebookhound.net. Through alibris.com,

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Easy ways to turn your passion into sales?
We want to hear your view. Write now!