Customer Reviews

Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent book on how to start your own online bookselling business. If you intend to sell books online but have no idea where to start, then this book is for you. If you already sell books online and want a few ideas on how to expand your business, then this book is for you too.

Michael Mould takes a comprehensive approach to the subject of bookselling. As of this writing, nothing else on the market compares. That doesn't mean there aren't other good books being sold about bookselling. What it means is that no other book has done such a superb job at covering so many aspects of the business in such depth.

Be prepared to get the nuts and bolts of the business hammered into your head. Sure, everybody wants to grab an armful of books, list them online, and then sit back and wait for the cash to roll in. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way. If you want to know how to do it right then you need to buy this book.

You'll find answers to questions such as:

* What does it take to get started?
* Where to buy your inventory?
* How much to pay for books?
* How to price and grade books?
* Where to sell books?
* How to establish an inventory process and management system?
* How to give great customer satisfaction?
* How to package and ship books?
* What are the different shipping methods available?

The author goes on to discuss many bookselling terms and techniques not found in any of the other books I've read. I especially liked his "A Day in the Business" section where he walks the reader step-by-step through a typical day in his life as a part-time bookseller.

To top it off, the author backs up his work with numerous charts, illustrations, graphs, and spreadsheets that give vivid real-life pictures of the subject covered. For example, when other authors talk about how to grade books, just what does it mean when you read in an online listing that a book has "moderate chipping" or "bumping", or that there is "foxing" on the inside pages? Ever see a chip, or a bump, or a fox? Now you don't have to guess. The author shows you what such descriptions actually look like!

Finally, you're treated to numerous spreadsheets to help you plan, measure, analyze, and manage your business. What a tremendous help that was! I'd go into detail but this review is already turning into a mini-book of its own. It would be better if you simply ordered the version of the book that includes the "Bookkeeping for Booksellers" companion CD.

Rarely do I recommend a book with such enthusiasm. This is such a case. If you're serious about bookselling, then you need this book and the companion CD. They'll pay for themselves a hundred times over, and then some!

This book is incredibly detailed and honest. It goes into the practical nuts and bolts of a small book-selling business: taxes, bookshelves, packing, inventory, cleaning the books, customer relations and basic business math.

It doesn't provide any quick-and-easy answers to getting new inventory -- the bottom line is that no matter what you do, it requires legwork, but the book really goes into detail about what legwork needs to be done.

By the way, the book is preview-able on books.google.com, where you can read maybe 25-50% of it. Still, it's definitely worth the purchase if you're interested in this business.

This was a great book. I have no experience in the online book business and i sold 14 books my first week. I really like how Michael Mould shows you how to save money at the post office. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to supplement their income on the side. The most exciting thing is checking your account in the morning and seeing another sale!! The book is only like twenty some dollars but i made made 8 times that the first week following his easy steps. Thanks Mike!

That airplane noise you hear is Mr. Michael Mould spoon-feeding me everything I ever wanted/needed to know about selling books online. Mr. Mould takes you through the paces of online bookselling with a highly readable and engaging writing style. Take it from me, someone easily distracted by shiny objects, when I say that you will not be able to put this book down until you've gone through it cover to information-packed cover. The topper: even after you've read it, it continues to serve humanity as a handy reference. Heck, even the index is fantabulous!

It's all here, folks: from "Where to Buy Your Inventory" to "Bookkeeping and Records." Don't know what else to say, really. Let's just say that if they ever make a movie out of it, it definitely won't be as good as the book. Enjoy! I know I have.

Jonathan

The author suggests that you can make a solid full-time living in online bookselling by buying books at library shops, thrift stores and Friends Of The Library sales.
This may have been true when the book was written, but the following has messed things up:
- an economic downturn,
- libraries letting large booksellers pick their good books before offerring these books for sale to the public (and lying about it)
- E-Books and
- thousands of new entrants into the online bookselling market

As a result, using any of the sources suggested by the book will yield sub-minimum-wage income or perhaps a net loss.
When this was originally written, it may have been entirely accurate. I don't know, as I started online bookselling a year after it was written, and by that time things had certainly changed.

I will note that there are sources besides what are outlined, and they may sometimes still be profitable.
Around the year 2000, getting into online bookselling was easy for the amateur.
In 2010, it's hard for experienced pros to stay afloat.
It would be very, very hard to make money if you were a newcomer to the field.
The business used to be 'low start-up cost' but now you may need substantial sums of cash to acquire your inventory, if it is even possible to do so.

Mould is an engineer by trade. He likes making charts. This is good, and arguably the best parts of the book (though not wholly accurate today) are when he discusses inventory turn vs Amazon Sales Rank. Mould has weak writing skills when he is discussing non-quantitative matters, and sometimes you feel like you're listening to a guy droning on enthusiastically about a trivial matter in front of an audience that probably doesn't care.

If you've been selling books online for two or three years, Mould likely has little to tell you.
If you haven't been selling for more than a year and you're already stuck selling books for a living, this book might help.
If you aren't selling books already, this book is dangerous in that it may encourage you to enter a field that will wind up bankrupting you or your family.

Michael Mould deserves serious kudos from the world of used booksellers. This book is extremely thorough and gives fantastic nuts and bolts advice. Mike is both rational and encouraging--he avoids the hype of "start-ups" which allows his book to be genuine and open-minded. His "day in the life" anticipates the "basic" questions and his lists of services and weblinks are very helpful. I also highly recommend buying copies that come with the CD "Bookkeeping for Booksellers". That Mike shares all the work he has done is generosity on a karmic scale. Not only is the book helpful, but Mike has created and inspired a large and collaborative community of booksellers through his work. Thanks, Mike, for pointing the way.

I want to thank Michael for writing this book. I have read many others on the subject, but none were as complete as this one. It answered many of my questions, and I had many even though I have been selling for many years. There was much information I didn't know.

Sometimes a book is more important than entertainment or mental stimulation. This is one of those books that can actually change your life. It is very readable and the information is dynamite.

Somewhat to my (delighted) surprize everything the author says panned out exactly as he said it would. Michael Mould is a no nonsense engineer who got into on-line bookselling years ago. He shares knowledge and experience in down to earth prose that helps the serious newbie make real money...for real.

Selling on Amazon is fun if you get a good grip on what the business is about before you launch. The book and CD provide that, but important details are explained too. The practical tips are abundant and useful. I made multiple times the cost of the book the first week selling on Amazon before I knew what hit me. This is truly a business you can start for little money. With hard work and a service attitude there is outstanding opportunity.

whether you are selling book online full time or part time, this book covers it all.

i have never seen a book that goes into so many of the variables
involved in online selling. everything you need to know is here and written clearly and consciely.

There's a wealth of material here for both the novice and the
experienced seller. It's easy to read ,comes with pictures,charts,
tables,all intimately connected by Michael's incredible grasp of the business.

this book is worth its weight in gold,and everyone thinking about
going into online selling, or already selling should get this book.
you'll be thanking Michael before you're done.

Michael also made himself available to personally answer a few
of my initial queations.

great product, great service, it doesnt get any better than this.

This book is an excellent resource for online booksellers, new and experienced. It contains lots of practical tips on everything from what books to buy, how to price, inventory management, where to list, packaging & shipment. Online bookselling 101!