Mushroom Books and a Race

I recently had the pleasure and good fortune of coming across two ultra-slim copies of Alaska's Mushrooms:

A Practical Guide (Alaska Pocket Guide).  These books were eyed and subsequently purchased without the use of my trusted scanning device, mostly with the knowledge that over the course of my bookselling career, most books about mushrooms (the non-generic ones, and especially the references for mushroom hunters) have equaled bookselling gold.  I was lucky enough to not have my device on hand at the time of their purchase, because it may have thrown me off the trail.  As you can see by the link on the left, at the time of publication, the lowest used copy is available for $5.25, which would not have resulted in a "Buy" notification on my device.  A quick glance at the rest of the listings will show that "bargainbookstores" and their anonymous description is wayyy below the rest of the pack, the next price clocking in at $49.99 for a copy in VG condition.

I would like to undergo a brief bookselling experiment with my two copies, in roughly identical VG condition, with minimal shelf wear and creasing to the covers.  I will be starting one copy at $49.95 via the usual avenues (Amazon, EBay Store, Alibris, ABE, Biblio, etc.) and one copy for about $4 more ($53.95) via FBA, Amazon's Fullfilment Program.  I am curious to see which copy will sell first.  While this is not a truly fair experiment, as selling on multiple venues should have the advantage, I am curious to see if FBA wins the race.  Here is some more information on Amazon's FBA program for those of you who have no idea what the acronym I keep referring to means.  I am looking forward to writing a series of articles on the FBA program in future posts.

Finally, here are a three more mushroom books for you to check out, two of which I have sold in the past, and one I hope to come across in the near future:

California Mushrooms; A Field Guide to the Boletes  Find this one and you'll pay the rent.

Mushrooms Demystified: Relatively common, in print, and always worth an Andrew Jackson. 

 

The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica: concerns the more psychadelic varieties.  I have no doubt you would know enough to pick this one up by the subtitle alone.  There is a signed/limited 1st Edition worth hundreds.

What mushroom books have you sold over the course of your bookselling career?

Selling on Amazon: The $275 Amazon Gift Card Magically Turned Into a $2500 Book, or Using Amazon and Other Book Buyback Sites to Supplement Your Online Bookselling Income

The information I'm going to share with you has the potential to harm your business.  The bright side is that, when used properly, it also has the potential to help SUPPLEMENT your online bookselling income.

I capitalized the word supplement because one must keep in mind that the focus of a successful bookseller (assuming you are a one man/woman or mom and pop operation) is to locate, list and sell premium inventory, ideally books in some demand priced $14.95 and up.  This is the model that works for my operation, but I would encourage you to try increasing your minimum listing price to $19.95, and eventually $24.95, and so on.  Craig has also written about this in several of his articles, including

-Bookselling in the 21st Century: Part XIV: Visualizing What You Need to Do to Make Bookselling Work
-Gold Edition Premium Content #40  How to Specialize in Bookselling, Part II: Hypermoderns

I admit, at the present time I do have a few books that are currently for sale below my minimum, but the majority of these are part of a once sizeable selection of inventory I am selling on behalf of a friend who needed help liquidating the remaining inventory from his now defunct brick and mortar store.  Sad, I know.  My average selling price across the board last quarter was around $27 an item, with an average selling price of around $31.50 an item on Ebay over the past 90 days.  I strive to continue raising the bar each and every year I am in business.

What I am getting at here is that this method for supplementing your online bookselling income should simply be a side project, and nothing more.  It has great potential to sidetrack your business and have you filling up boxes and boxes of books you might never shake a stick at because you can now ship them to Amazon for a measly 50 cents in store credit.  The focus should always remain on acquiring and handling only high dollar inventory, but there are several instances where you can use this strategy in combination with your existing business model to your advantage, keeping in mind that it will require a somewhat significant investment in time, and a minimal investment in labor.  Thankfully, most of the book buyback websites provide you with free shipping labels, so your only packaging costs should be computer paper boxes or Bankers Boxes (either of which you can find cheap and/or recycled versions of, of course), packing tape, glue sticks for affixing the shipping labels (which I get at Sam's Club for a few cents each) and a bit of bubblewrap for those of you who want to sleep better at night.

So what is this mystery method?  Unfortunately, it won't help you pick up beautiful women:  (Note, Craig, if you think the readership will consider this too crass or simply unnecessary, feel free to remove my superfluous attempt at humor).

The mystery method for online booksellers, my friends, awaits you at http://www.bookscouter.com/

For those of you who discovered the site long ago, I applaud you and am glad that you have had access to this information.  Hopefully you spread the word to your friends in the business.  For those of you who have yet to discover the beauty of Bookscouter, please let me be the first to introduce you.  The site, established in 2007 by a saavy and friendly tech guy named Brandon, "scrapes" information from a variety of websites to give you an estimate of how much these sites will pay you to send them books.  I interviewed Brandon over the phone, and after he went to a quiet room in the house (he is the proud father of three young children, with one more on the way), he politely answered all of my questions about the website.  There are basically two steps involved in the ridiculosly simple and user-friendly process of using BookScouter:

1.  Go to http://www.bookscouter.com/

2.  Enter an ISBN number and after just a few seconds, a bunch of websites tell you how much (or little) money they will give you for that book

You can create an account, log in and customize which websites you want to receive information from, and the less sites you are getting data from, the faster the process becomes.  After having experimented with the site and preparing shipments for many of the merchants over the past year or so, I have my list narrowed down to 10 websites, which I will share with you below.  The overwhelming majority of the sites, and all those mentioned in this article, will cover the costs of shipping the books.  You can also view the general publics' ratings on the search results page.  I will include those ratings in parentheses after naming each merchant.

After using Bookscouter, it is then your job to determine which books you will ship to which of the participating sites.  You might be surprised to know that there are currently 41 players in the game, but for our purposes, we will only focus on the major players, and a few of the minor leaguers.  I will try and give a brief overview of which sites I have dealt with over the past year, including which are the most user friendly, which one pays a bit slower than the others, which one will pay you in signed 1st Editions or cash, and which will pay you only in store credit.  This is by no means a comprehensive overview of all of the sites/strategies/terms of sale, it is only meant to get you headed in the right direction and give you an idea about an avenue for supplementing your bookselling income that you may not already have been aware of.  I recommend that you carefully review each sites guidelines for condition, packaging requirements, etc. so that you do everything according to code. 

I also highly recommend that you keep the focus of your bookselling business on acquiring premium inventory, as this process can become somewhat exciting and addictive once you start seeing results.  Remember to factor in the time you spend conducting the searches and preparing your shipments when determining the process' viability for your business model.  I have found the site most useful after doing a buyout of a large private collection, estate sale or small library sale.  I would not recommend buying out a collection simply based on the fact that it has a plethora of books that will potentially get you $1.50 each using Bookscouter, as this method will most assuredly suck up wayyyy too much of your time for relatively minor results.  Another instance in which Bookscouter would be ideal is for a college student who doesn't have the time or patience to list their textbooks online, and instead can easily package and ship one or two packages and receive a quick payment for some beer money.

First, I am going to explain the process on Amazon.com (4.5 of 5 stars, with 33 ratings), and then the advantages/disadvantage of the other 4 "Major Leaguers," and finally I will briefly cover the 5 "Minor Leaguer" websites. 

The idea of trading in unsellable stock for better stock is not a new one in the bookselling game.  I remember reading about this strategy in one of the first books I ever read about bookselling, Book Finds by Ian Ellis, which is now in its' 3rd Edition.  Ellis discusses bringing the inventory that doesn't fit your business model (which in our case is about 99% of the books in the universe) into bookstores on your scouting route, and using the credit you receive to trade up for better books, which you can use.

I still practice this principle at the bookstores in my area, where I recently bartered for a set of twenty signed Franklin Press books.  However, with the advent of the digital age late last century, you no longer need to depend on the whims and preferences of your local bookshop in order to trade in your stock for store credit.  No, today you can trade books in from the comfort of your home.  While many open shop owners may understandably cringe at this notion, I implore you all to view the stale inventory on your shelves as prime candidates of conversion to cash using Bookscouter.  I did this with some of my books that have been collecting dust at my antique mall booths, and proceeded to raise several hundred dollars cash in a few days time.  I would also contend that using Bookscouter is a great way to make it easier to part with and let go of your inventory which no longer meets your minimum listing price requirements, as you should be glad about at least getting something right now for a book, instead of waiting another year or two and hoping the book will sell.

Amazon is the only site where receiving cash is not an option, instead receiving an Amazon Gift Card is the sole means of reimbursement.  For me, this is pretty much the same thing as cash, as I frequently spend quite a bit of time and money on the site.  Little did Ellis know when he first wrote Book Finds that he would one day be able to trade in his unsellable stock for a new grill cover, a case of aspartame-free chewing gum and a digital version of his own book!  In a delightful twist of fate, I was also recently able to purchase a copy of one of the most sought after books on my Amazon Wish List (Billy Collins Pokerface, his first and rarest book of poems, limited to 400 copies, a handful of which rumor has it that Collins himself has purchased from their owners at signing events only to destroy; apparently he is not too proud of this one) using store credit.  I had over $400 sitting in my account when a copy became available for around $275.  Sounds expensive?  Do a search on BookFinder for author "Collins" title "Pokerface" and then tell me if you think I paid too much.  The problem is I don't know if I'll be able to part with this one until its been on my shelf for at least another year or two.  Sometimes being a book collector can be dangerous for one's own bookselling career.

You may or may not have already noticed this, but just below the "23 Used and New from $16.02" on the right hand side of any Amazon Product Detail page for a book, you may see some text that reads: Get a $5.93 Amazon Gift Card, with a button that reads "Trade in Here."  Clicking this will redirect you to Sign In to your account, and then finally to the Submit Your Trade-In page, where you can continue to add books that Amazon (or NORAM, the New Hampshire based company responsible for the buybacks) is currently buying and view their Terms and Conditions.  The process varies slightly among all of the sites, but once you do it a few times, you'll get the hang of it and get into some kind of rhythm, and hopefully maintain some semblance of organization. 

Most of the sites seem to keep your items in a Buyback Cart, but I have been timed out on occasion, so the best strategy is to use Bookscouter to sort your potential candidates into several piles, and then once your pile is big enough to fill a bankers box (with a few extras in case the book is no longer being purchased) you should process the entire buyback at one time.  All this usually involves is submitting the entire contents of the buyback, printing a confirmation/packing slip and printing a prepaid shipping label.  The final steps are to then tightly and securely pack the contents of the box, adding some filler/bubblewrap as needed and finally, sealing the box and affixing the prepaid shipping label. 

With Powells.com (3.5 out of 5, with 112 ratings), Major League Buyback site #2, you have the option to choose between receiving store credit or cash.  They typically offer quite a bit more in credit, something along the lines of $45 in cash will be good for $75 in credit.  I am usually a sucker for credit, and recently used this to purchase several signed Hypermodern 1sts, along with a handful of books from Anne Rice's personal library.  Yeah, you heard me right.  Check out their homepage for more details. 

A quick note on Powells- they are one of the pickiest sites.  There is a recent spat of comments regarding just how picky they have become, and as a bookseller, I can sympathize with their position.  Make sure to check the guidelines for condition anywhere you send books.  Amazon will actually return books that don't meet their requirements (at no cost to you), but Powells will not be so kind, and will simply donate the refusals to a local charity.  For the most part, Powells will accept books in Very Good+ condition and above.  They do not accept book club editions, books with hinges that are beginning to split, books with any sort of dampstaining, or books with any writing or highlighting to the text.  A previous owner's name written on the front endpapers is acceptable, however.  Make sure you are able to identify these types of books and are familiar with some basic bookselling condition lingo before you start sending them books by the pallet.  I have also found that Powell's will buy back quite a few books that no other sites will, most likely due to their having several brick and mortar locations.  Dover Books seem to do well here.

You can view their condition guidelines here: http://www.powells.com/info/condition_guidelines.html#bce

The rest of the major and minor leaguers pay cash via Paypal (and other methods), and these are my favorites to use:

3.  CollegeBooksDirect.com (4.5 stars with 24 ratings)- Great for Paperback classics and literary fiction.  Expect $3 for a PB copy of Jeannette Walls' gut-wrenching memoir Glass Castle.  I was in the habit of passing up books like this one up all the time, but now I am more likely to purchase a copy for a quarter at a garage sale, or as part of a larger buyout.  This is my favorite of the cash only websites.

4.  Textbooks.com (4.5 stars with 35 ratings)- They tend to pay more than most of the other sites, including College Books Direct, but I also noticed they take a bit longer to pay you.  As long as you're not in a hurry to get paid, this is one of the better buyback sites.

5.  Better World Books (3.5 stars with 19 ratings)- my least favorite of the buyback sites.  Like many other booksellers out there discussed after the featured article in Americana Exchange, I have had my fair share of gripes with their business model- masquerading as a non-profit and lowballing the competition on Amazon.  I know enough now to ignore their prices when determining my own, but I do have a bit of a problem with the way they process buybacks on their site.  They give you a countdown of 10 minutes when listing books, stating that their offer is only good until the clock expires, which might put a bit of unnecessary pressure on the average joe.  The prices turn out to still be good after time expires, but what you may not notice is that a book that they are no longer buying is not rejected like all of the other sites clearly indicate, but is instead included in the shipment and marked as a "Donation."  I would suspect that most people would not want to Donate a book to a for-profit company when they might get cold hard cash for it at another site.  Having said all that, I have sent several shipments to Better World Books, and although they don't seem to pay as much, they do seem to accept textbooks that many other sites won't. 

The Minor Leagues of Book Buybacks: 5 Additional Websites I Have Successfully Shipped To

6.  Valore Books.com (3 out of 5 stars with 9 ratings)- I've sold more to their site than I have sold listing on their site.
7.  CKY Books.com (4.5 out of 5 stars with 155 ratings)- The Triple A league of the minors.  Right up there with College Books Direct and Textbooks.com, as their high ratings indicate.
8.  TextBooksRUS.com (4 out of 5 stars with 70 ratings)- Aspiring to be the Toys R Us of books.
9.  Book Byte (3 out of 5 stars with 52 ratings)- They seem to pay just about .75 for every book they buy.  At these prices I'm usually wondering "Why Bother?"
10.  Book Jingle (4 out 5 stars with 17 ratings)- Merry Christmas, you've got cash!

One time-saving trick to mention in this article is that while you are waiting for the Bookscouter site to retrieve the prices, you can begin typing in the ISBN of the next book in your pile and then simply hit return after you have evaluated the results of the original book, and continue this process until your entire stack of candidates have been sorted. 

My last secret to mention is that as of this writing, almost any PB or HC book my Malcolm Gladwell (Tipping Point, Outliers) seem to consistently sell in the $4.50 range.   

As is the case with most bookselling software these days, there are IPhone and Android applications available.  I have used the Android application many times in the field, but often wish there was a faster way of getting the data.  Media Scouter has spoiled me I suppose, but as Brandon reminded me, this information is not live, and is pulled from the Amazon pricing database on the SD card of my scanner.  Oh, and did I mention that the application and the website are both free to use!  He did note that I should try the application with a USB scanner, as the scanner on my phone is linked on the camera, and requires quite a bit of fidgeting with the light in the room, as well as the angle in which it is positioned.

Make sure to check out the Bookscouter blog as well, as Brandon has some other exciting applications in the works for booksellers in the future, some of which are geared towards FBA sellers.  Brandon is leaving his full-time job working for, you guessed it, a textbook company, to focus all of his efforts on his programming and web development ventures.  I'm excited to see what kind of tricks he has for us up his sleeve in the future.  He was very personable on the phone, and it sounds like he has quite a technical bookselling operation of his own going.  I could tell that he enjoyed talking books, and mentioned that he would personally answer any emails about the site.  He is always looking to make improvements and thinking of ideas to develop into software which will help online booksellers and poor college students, second cousins really.

Remember, don't became a slave to Bookscouter, as checking price information on Amazon and Abebooks should usually be your first option, unless you are quite certain the book is common.  On one occasion, I got in the zone and put a book in the Amazon pile for $2.75, only to luckily catch my mistake minutes later and realize that the exact same book could be listed on Amazon for about $200!

I look forward to sharing this article with all of you on BookThink's Facebook page, and would appreciate any comments or feedback you have on the article.  I hope it helps you to supplement your regular online bookselling income with a little bit of extra cash, or some credit to help you trade up your common stock.

This article originally appeared in BookThink.

Come join the discussion about using Bookscouter to supplement your online bookselling business at the BookThink group on Facebook.

Jesus and the Cripple

No, this is not a proselytizing post.

It is a quick heads up to be on the lookout for this bizarre little children's paperback, published by G. Chapman (UK) in 1964.

A friend of my asked me to find him a copy of this curious volume, which was recently featured in Ricky Gervais stand up special, "Out of England."

I haven't had the opportunity to watch yet, but I have a $5 promotional credit from Amazon (emailed to me after the purchase of a medical textbook for my girlfriend) and look forward to viewing it for only $2.99 via Video on Demand.

I always enjoyed Gervais on the British version of "The Office," and wonder how he will incorporate this book into his routine.  Surely there will be some sacrilege involved.  In any case, if anyone happens to come across a copy, snatch it up quickly, as there are no copies currently available ANYWHERE online.  It doesn't seem like the type of book one comes across in the field everyday, although the cover does look vaguely familiar, and is sure to turn up eventually in ex-library condition at an FOL sale.  Again, don't hesitate to pick it up IN ANY CONDITION.  I'm assuming that this will be one of those flash-in-the-pan bookselling phenomena that last for another year or two, at least.  If you are lucky enough to find two copies (fat chance, I know) help me out by letting me purchase one on behalf of my friend.  You will be so happy about the three figure sale of the first copy that you will be sure to cut me a good deal, right?                                                                                                              
While writing this post, I was trying to think of any out-of-print standup comedy related books, DVDs or CDs I have sold in the past, and I keep drawing a blank, although I know there have been a few.  I'll be glad to share them in the comments section when my memory returns.  So instead, I leave you with my favorite standup routine of 2010, which was Aziz Ansari's (think Parks and Recreation and Funny People) "Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening."

Hot Right Now: Audubon's "Birds of America"

For those of you who witnessed the beating I took on the Amazon "Help for New Sellers" Discussion boards for my post about "Chess Books" yesterday, prepare for round 2.  It's OK, I'm a big boy and I can take it.  Some might say I deserved it.  Many of the jabs were quite humorous actually.

Forum Thread: http://www.amazonsellercommunity.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=194814&tstart=0

While the Flashpoint of "Chess Books" was admittedly a bit vague (the more specific the Chess book, the better- isn't this always the case?) today's online bookselling alert may seem even more ridiculous.

Be on the lookout for copies of John James Audubon "Birds of America"

Well "Duh," you might say.

Birds of America is one of the most desirable and talked books of all time (right after the Gutenberg Bible and Shakespeare's "First Folio").  as a major contribution to the study of natural history in America, and one of the most visually attractive books of all time to boot.  The rare sets of hand colored illustrations were often broken up and sold piece by piece, so finding a complete copy of the original edition just doesn't happen very often.  The book was auctioned by Sotheby's in early December and fetched just over $11.5 Million, about $9 Million more than the last Shakespeare First Folio, but not quite up to the level that Bill Gates shelled out for da Vinci's notebook, the "Leicester Codex"- a whopping $31 Million.  So telling a bookseller to keep an eye out for Audubon might seem like a call to Captain Obvious, but what I'm telling you right now is this:

Keep an eye out for REPRINTS of "Birds of America."

I can't tell you how many of these I have passed up over the years.  Sure, they look pretty, but they are massive, don't fit in the confines of most shelving units, are a dime a dozen, or might fetch a twenty dollar bill at the Antique Mall on a good day.  I have sold a few reprints online and offline over the years, but never for any amount approaching 3 figures.

Most seasoned booksellers know that when a book related story fetches front page news, it has some effects on the marketplace, and one recent trend I have noticed is a significant increase in the price of these once relatively common volumes.

Take a look at these search results and scroll through the first 50 results or so, playing close attention to some of the images.  3 Figures and Up for everything:

Birds of America Reprints on Amazon

Ebay sales figures over the last 90 day period confirm this suspicion, as the ASP price for the search string "Audubon Birds of America" is approximately $150.  OK, yes, there was one 7 volume set which sold for $24K and throws off the average a bit, but get rid of this listing and we're still over $100.
I would recommend scouting the usual local haunts and bookshops (open shop owners can scour their shelves now too, of course) with the aid of your favorite scouting tool, whether it be your IPhone, your scanner, or just your good-old fashioned brain.  This tip certainly doesn't mean that every reprint out there is bookselling gold (an As New copy of Peterson's Tiny Folio is in print and can be had for under $10), but it does mean that the odds are in your favor, and any Audubon book deserves a second look.

Now, I'm sure that all of my friends on the discussion boards have sold at least ten or twenty copies of Audubon reprints for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so this tip is for the booksellers who haven't yet, or are used to passing them up like I usually do.  I want as many booksellers as possible to be able to capitalize on this trend before it fades away.

Finally, here is the copy I currently have for sale at $250 that started me down this path.  It is a 1997 Laurel Glen (think Random House Value Publishing) that I would imagine may have begun its' life as a book on a Barnes and Noble remainder table at $29.95 at some point in time.

Now let the roasting begin!

Flashpoint Alert: Chess Books

I recently acquired a small lot of out-of-print Chess Books at a used bookstore for fair prices, and have just completed listing them on my website here and via the usual suspects: Amazon/Ebay Stores/ABE/Alibris/Biblio.  The books were all part of a larger collection purchased by the owner of the open shop, and placed on two shelves in an out of the way location in the store.  There was nothing earth shattering in the lot, just a nice selection of books worth about $20-75 priced at $2-$5.  It didn't take me long to identify some of the more promising titles, and the use of my Mediascouter enabled HP IPAQ came in handy, along with some rudimentary knowledge and previous experience with the genre. 

This cache of chess books also demonstrates one of the basic principles of bookbuying:

Where two or three good books on a particular subject are found, keep your eyes open for others nearby!

These eight or nine Chess books are also currently the only ones I have listed, which tells me something else: Chess Books sell, and the right ones don't sit on your shelf for long.

Notable Chess Publishers from this lot: Thinkers Press/New in Chess/International Chess Enterprises (American Batsford Chess Library)/Cadogan Press UK/Pergamon

Also, for your benefit, here is a link to Wholesale Chess Books, which provides some nice photographs and examples of other types of chess books worth bothering with:

http://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess_books#

I am sure most experienced booksellers are familiar with this Flashpoint, but how about the newbies?  Did you know that chess books are often bookselling gold, or at least bronze? 

I also have been accumulating a shelf full of Chess books with relatively minimal value over the years, and will be listing them as a lot at Ebay auction in the near future.  I have had luck with Chess book lots in the past.  This time around, I've also got some attractive marble pawn bookends to photograph them with, and include as part of the package.

10 of My Favorite Albums of 2010

There may not be much you haven't already heard here.  I'll try to put together a few notable albums you may not be as familiar with in a future post, as well as a playlist for my favorite tracks of 2010.  Please share the albums you think I left off my short list.  To me, these 10 were the cream of the crop in 2010.  Now let's hope this stairwell style translates well to the Kindle.


Sufjan Stevens "The Age of Adz": Far and away my favorite album of this year, maybe even this century.  Seeing this performed live in Oakland was the event of the year for me.

Broken Social Scene "Forgiveness Rock Record": 9 out of 10 hipsters agree.

The National "High Violet" : So depressing, but always so good.  Following up epic albums like "Alligator" and "Boxer" could have been disastrous, but luckily, this was not the case.

Beach House "Teen Dream" : My favorite female vocalist of the year.















Vampire Weekend "Contra" : The preppiest album of the year.  These kids can do no wrong by me.  I can't believe I missed their tour with Beach House.

Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" : Cohesive, catchy and always critically acclaimed.


Local Natives "Gorilla Manor" : A promising debut.  Check out "Who Knows Who Cares" if you don't believe me.















LCD Soundsystem "This is Happening" : Dance album of the year.  "Dance Yrself Clean" is one of the best opening tracks of all time.


Kanye West "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" : Love em' or hate em',  I can't get "Blame Game" out of my head.  The collaboration with Bon Iver is puzzling.  A bit overrated throughout the blogosphere in my humble opinion, but still a solid contribution from an innovative artist in the hip-hop genre.

Sade "Soldier of Love" : In a related story, I turned 30 in 2010.  I think this selection may reflect my "mature" tastes.  A smooth R&B instant classic.















Discovered in 2010, but Recorded Earlier

The Slip "Eisenhower" (2006) : Quickly becoming an all-time fave.  Has a definite 90's college rock feel.



The Antlers "Hospice" (2009) : Mysterious, yet warm and inviting.  Overlooked this one last year.  Give the songs a chance to develop and you will be rewarded.

Now Available on Kindle

Happy New Year!

I am excited to announce that my blog is now available in the Kindle format here.  The blog can be accessed for free for a 14-day trial period, and will incur a 99 cents per month fee thereafter.  While I will continue to offer valuable and hopefully entertaining content on my blog for free, this will be a convenient feature for any readers who prefer to receive updates on their E-Reader. 

I would sincerely appreciate a review on Amazon.com from anyone who has benefited from my blog over the years.  There is a little blurb that reads "Be the first to review this item" just underneath the subtitle.  You don't have to subscribe to the Kindle blog to leave one, but you will need to sign in with your Amazon account and verify that you are at least 13 years of age.

My girlfriend and I bought each other Kindles for Christmas, and so far I must admit that I have been amazed.  I resisted the idea of purchasing an E-Reader for years, but I finally caved, partly to see what I am up against as an online bookseller.  The most obvious benefit of the Kindle for me is storage.  I tend to bring a stack of books along with me when I travel, and packing this slim device instead of six hardbacks will clear up more space for me to...pick up six more hardbacks on the road...hmmm.

I have found that it is also a nice supplement to my morning coffee routine, and can check updates of some of my favorite blogs (Seth Godin, How to Find Free Books for Kindle) after reading the paper.  I am still a novice in my E-Readership career, and am a bit curious as to how my brain will handle the information overload.  I have noticed that, just like using a computer, my attention span is much shorter with the Kindle than it would be with an actual book.  Instead of devouring a novel on the flight home from New Orleans, I found myself playing a free word game called Shuffled Row after each chapter.  Thankfully, the screen and lack of glare is much easier on the eyes than that of a computer.


I have yet to tackle my free copy of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and am only 2% of the way through Genesis, but I have been enjoying Timothy Ferriss' new book, The 4-Hour Body, although it seems like the type of book which is not as enjoyable in digital format, as there is quite a bit of page turning and cross referencing that goes on with this one.  Perhaps once I am more familiar with the controls and navigation I will find books like this more digestible.

With the New Year upcoming, I vow to reread Sven Birkerts The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age and report back to you on how this relates to the Kindle, as well as the Google Books project.  I found it interesting that this was one of the more recent and popular titles  which was unavailable in a digital format to date.

Have any other booksellers gone digital?  Do any of you refuse to?  How about New Years Resolutions related to your bookselling business?  I plan to share a few of mine in a forthcoming post.