Work Smarter

Don’t Invite a Brush-Off!

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Don’t Invite a Brush-Off! “Do you have that new book by So-and-So?” In my shop, the answer to that question will usually be no unless So-and-So is an outstanding northern Michigan author. New books are a small percentage of my store inventory, and about a quarter of those, fiction or nonfiction, have Michigan themes and content … Read more

Using SKUs to streamline packing and shipping

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If you use any type of inventory software, it probably asks you for a SKU or stock-keeping unit for each item.  SKUs are different than the UPC or the ISBN as they are assigned not simply to a specific title but to a specific ITEM.  You can easily have two books with the same IBN… but two different SKUs because one is new and one is used.

Many programs will just generate a general code for it.  However, it may be worth doing custom codes to streamline order pulling and packing.   You can pack a lot of info into those short little codes so as soon as an order comes in from the internet, you know exactly what to do before even touching the book.

First off you need an individual number string to assign to a book. Consider how many books you list per month. If its less than 100, you can use two digits. Less than a thousand, 3 digits, less than 10,000 4 digits and so on.

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4 questions to ask when ordering textbooks for customers

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If there’s one type of book I will hold a party for when it goes totally to ebook format, it will be the textbook.  They change so frequently and are so specific they’re pretty well not worth carrying in a general shop.  Leave textbooks sales to those that specialize in it.  However, if you have a brick and mortar shop you’ll often have students in at this time of year looking for books.  Generally if they’ve come to you, its because they’re hoping you can get it cheaper than the local college… or the local college didn’t order enough textbooks for the class, which is a surprisingly common occurence.

 

In either case, they want the absolute BEST deal you can get them, which can be tricky when so many kids are familiar with the internet already.  You CAN often find them a great deal…  but you can waste a lot of time doing that if you don’t ask some specific questions up front. Get some additional info from them at the time they’re asking for the quote.  Here’s the questions you need to ask students looking to have you special order a textbook:

1. What is the ISBN?

For the love of god, get the ISBN.  Textbooks have so many editions and books with similar titles by the  same author that its really the only way to be sure its the RIGHT book. Don’t even start the search process without it.  Tell them to find it out and call back if they don’t have it.

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How to detect customers that will waste your time or will be valued.

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  Time is precious in a bookshop and unless you have a plethora of sales assistants working for you, then you need to carefully ration your time. Some customers are worth the time you spend on them because they make worthwhile purchases and have interesting information to offer, others just want you to chase after them … Read more

Detecting water damage in less than a second

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Once a book gets wet, it’s likely to develop mold.  Even if its now apparently dry, some damage has already been done and you generally want to avoid them all together.  A dousing also is a lot more obvious than a book that’s just been kept somewhere damp for a long time.  When you’re quickly perusing a large pile of books and deciding which to take, you often don’t want to devote the time to individually opening and examining each one in detail. First you want to make a quick cut, then take a second look.

These are tip offs that you should either take a a little closer look at a book or immediately move it to the “no” pile.  Once you’re skilled at this, you may be able to sort books as fast as you can pick them up.  These are tips for when you have hundreds, or even thousands of books to sort through to decide what you want.  Unless it’s something you KNOW is still worth buying even with water damage, these tip offs will general land a book on the reject pile right away.

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How To Partner With Book Dealers

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By Joe Waynick

It should be obvious that book dealers and used book store owners are natural allies. Then why is it so difficult for these two groups to see eye-to-eye?

I’ve been a full-time book scout since 2006. I pound the pavement every day in search of that elusive literary diamond hidden beneath a pile of cheesy romance novels. Very few of the books I examine pass muster for my Internet bookselling business. That’s because I’m a very picky treasure hunter.

Nevertheless, I pass over dozens, if not hundreds of books every day that would be perfectly acceptable in a brick-and-mortar retail bookstore. But for a long time I didn’t buy them because it was so difficult for me to get a clear sense of what bookstore owners wanted in my area.

Perhaps it was my fault, but it’s certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying. I canvassed owners of local book stores, making sure that I identified myself as a book scouter. I examined their inventory and asked them what type of books they currently needed. I told them I scout every day and that I had a good chance of finding valuable stock they could use in their stores. I even emphasized that I only want to bring them quality books they actually needed and not use them as a dumping ground for the junk I couldn’t sell online.

Still, the barriers were up and tight lipped shop owners merely stared at me as if they were talking to a new form of alien life instead of openly discussing their needs. That’s unfortunate because I could really help them with their business. For eight to ten hours a day I inspect books. It’s a simple matter to broaden my criteria to include titles tailored specifically to niche bookstores.

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Can We Turn a Bookstore Downsize into an Upgrade?

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In Brisbane, Australia, there is a 52-year-old independent, family-owned store named the American Bookstore. Despite that this store has seen over half-a-century of excellent trading and strong customer base, the American Bookstore (ABS) has found themselves needing to relocate due to exorbitant rent in the CBD and the presently ‘border-nary’ book trade. ABS will be … Read more