How to Start Your Own Online Book Business: Chapter One

I currently work as a general transcriptionist online. But before this, I had my own online used book selling business for four-and-a-half years. When I mention to this to people, they are always very curious about how I got into it, what it involves, and what might be the potential income from online used book selling. They also want to know what provoked me to one day suddenly start up an online used book business.

So in response, I thought I would do a series of articles on online book selling, describing how I got into it, the expense involved, the venues available for online book sellers, and some of the tips and tricks I learned in my business. Keep your eye out for future articles on this subject.

But as a start, I'll tell you how I "fell" into online book selling. It was about six-and-a-half years ago. I was looking for something to do from home to make extra money. I had been selling antiques on EBay, done a short stint as a day trader (that's an interesting story), but now was looking for something a little less nerve wracking.

Also, I wanted to combine my interests into a new business. I love books. I love the feel of them, the smell of them. Ever since my mother signed me up for the Weekly Reader Club in kindergarten, I have craved them. I love having a giant stack of books by my bed, just waiting for me. And so one day, when I was browsing Amazon.com and saw a button that said, "Sell Your Copy Now," I clicked on it. And the rest is history.

Obviously, there's a lot more involved than my simply having clicked on a button. And so, in the next week or so, I'll write more about my book selling business and what it involved, for those of you who are interested. In the end, I had a room filled with thousands of books from floor to ceiling. But I was getting older. And the best and worst part about selling used books, whether they're first editions or mass market paperbacks, is that there's a lot of treasure hunting involved. It was fun though. And I'll admit it. I'm still tempted - when I see a great book in the used bin - to buy it. Somebody will want it, I can't help but think. Stay tuned for more...