How to Sell Books Online: Things to Do Before Opening an E-Bookstore

Do you manage a small bookstore on site and would like to increase the number of sales you make? Perhaps your shelves are filled with books you’ve not ever read and never will? In either case the idea of starting a bookselling business online is what you’re looking for.

According to Statista The net income of the US publishing industry was $25.93 billion, from which $1.2 billion comes from audiobook sales, and $162 million in e-book sales.

Choose Which Books to Sell

Like before beginning any online store it is necessary to select the books you’d like sell. If you’re just beginning with an online book selling business it is possible to concentrate on the used book market, which doesn’t require copyrights or even printing books from other authors.

Second-Hand Books

This category includes all types of books in print owned by another (yourself or anyone else) that are sold for a percentage of the price originally. This includes non-fiction, fiction and textbooks. They are, in fact, the most popular choice.

Students are a price-sensitive category of consumers who would generally prefer paying less for books, even in the event that it’s not used.

The average student’s spending on textbooks across the US is $415, and has been falling for several years due to the increasing use of textbooks. This means that the used textbooks for the higher education market have a value of between $5.5 to $8 billion.

The odds are that you’ll make money from selling used books and help students.

Collectible Books

Evidently, rare books and limited editions, or first printed books could cost you a lot on the market, particularly in the case of the elite market.

Certain vintage cookbooks are worth between $200 and $400 on the market for collectibles and that’s because they hold historical value. Selling some highly sought-after literary books can be quite a challenge:

Of course, this doesn’t mean that because the book is old that it is automatically rare and valuable. However, with the proper quantity of research you could estimate the value of your books and perhaps add a glimmer to your collection of vintage books.

Audiobooks 

The number of audiobooks sold has been increasing exponentially in recent years. As per the Audio Publishers Association annual survey the sales of audiobooks rose by 25 percent between 2017 and 2018 reaching close to $1 billion by the year 2018.

An increase in the demand for audiobooks is due to technological advances. With more than 78 percent of the US population being able to access smartphones or laptops, audiobooks have changed the regular way of enjoying the book. When you enter the world of digital audiobooks, you must be aware of pirates and theft, but it’s a worthwhile investment because the market for audiobooks is set to expand.

Decide on Your Dropshipper and/or Wholesaler

Dropshipping can be very efficient. By paying a fixed price to dropshippers, you do not need to fret about the cost of shipping, which could be quite high depending on the weight and size of the book.

Additionally, you can save on the expense of managing inventory: after receiving a request from a client You can then contact the appropriate supplier and request the delivery of the item to the address of your customer.

• Used wholesale books provides six book categories that can be sold in bulk ranging from books for children up to multimedia. The minimum amount to purchase is 10 books (roughly 8000 books for $150 as a minimum price).
• Book Depot has one of the biggest collections of books in the market and promises to deliver orders within just four working days. They also supply customers with a variety of deals and clearances, meaning you can save on your purchases of books on certain days.
• Bulk Bookstore offers a minimum of 25 books for each order at a cost of $100. The company provides free shipping on about 50% of their books. They do not offer shipping outside the US however, so this might not be the ideal choice in the event that you want to expand your business internationally.

Build Your Online Bookstore

After you’ve bought your books and made a deal with a retailer and a distributor, you can begin to design your online store. The platform you choose such as social media, online marketplaces or web development companies is based on your specific needs in e-commerce as well as your budget.

Amazon

Amazon is the most obvious choice for many because Amazon can manage your marketing and shipping based on the plan you have for selling.

After creating an Amazon account Services page and selecting the country where you’ll sell your books You’ll need to deal with a few issues that will affect the costs to keep your online bookstore:

FBS vs FBA. If you choose Fulfillment by Seller (FBS) means that you’ll need to pack and deliver your book orders on your own. If you choose Fulfillment through Amazon (FBA) it is possible to send all of your books to Amazon as it takes the packaging and shipping after the order is placed.

Note! Amazon FBA fees depend on the amount of inventory you’re shipping and the length of time the items sit in storage before being sold. Prices vary between $1.97 to $1.97 for FBA smaller and lighter units and up to $46.50 to FBS internationally expedited delivery.

Different Kinds of Plans for Selling On Amazon

Individual vs Professional. The Individual plan costs $0.99 per item sold The Professional plan costs $39.99 monthly. The former is ideal for those who sell more than forty items per month while the latter is perfect for those wanting to promote their products.

Fees for referrals. Along with plans and fulfillment charges, you’ll need to pay an additional percentage of the price total towards the business. If you’re selling books, fee for referral is 15% plus $1.80 close fee.

Your Own Online Store

Setting up your own online bookstore is the best way to stand out from the crowd and determine the demand for your books particularly if you intend to expand your business into the near future.

Shopify and BigCommerce are among the most popular ecommerce platforms, allowing owners of online stores to build their own distinctive brands and offer the fastest shopping experience to their customers.

The major benefits of a customized online store include, but aren’t restricted to:

• Design that can be customized Let your bookstore be easily identifiable to the client with unique template designs for your bookshop’s website and easy navigation for customers.

• Allows for support of multiple currencies and languages: if you plan to sell books internationally You can make your website available in multiple languages and incorporate a variety of payment options to make your bookshop closer to potential customers.

• The robust Marketplace of Extensions: Track your customers’ behavior , integrate reviews from customers and optimize your store’s performance for search engines for more customers to your site and boost sales in your bookshop.

In order to create an online store by scratch, you’ll need to recruit developers to form a team. They pay an hourly wage according to the size of the project. It might appear like a daunting task initially, but this cost is worth it when you are planning to run an effective bookselling business.

Conclusion

Making money selling books on the internet is simple if you have the right amount of planning and established supplier relationships.

The various platforms for creating your online book store are certainly not all-inclusive Be it the Amazon account or an Decluttr book collection You can provide great reading material to bibliophiles all over the nation (or even across the globe If you’re determined enough).

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Mathew Johnson