As a consumer myself I always wonder about the legitimacy of an offer when I read that claims it will teach me how to do something without ever telling me what the required commitment on my part is going to be. Some claims are so absurd that I cannot fathom anyone buying into them, but they seem to be successful.

Despite the fact that there are several books available that teach you how to become a successful online bookseller and that they all encompass the fundamentals of the business, few go into any detail about the daily routine or any substantiating data analysis that validate their claims. I know this because I am the author of one and I own and have read many of the others. I do not wish to commercialize this article by comparing my book to others or making claims regarding the subject matter covered in my book, that is for you to decide if you wish to pursue the business and purchase one of the books available. What I do want to do is establish and discuss are the key fundamental issues that I feel will lead you to becoming a successful online bookseller, they are dedication, time, and patience.

With respect to dedication, I want to point out that this encompasses your dedication to learning the business from top to bottom, dedicating yourself to understanding much more than just “online bookselling 101,” i.e., the rudimentary fundamentals, dedicating yourself to a business plan with clear and attainable goals, dedicating yourself to operating a business with integrity that is focused on customer satisfaction, and finally dedicating yourself to having fun in the process. Dedication without enjoyment is doomed to failure.

The time issue is in some regards an extension of dedication. You will not succeed at online bookselling or any other business if you do not put time into it. The factor of time includes the pursuit of suitable inventory, adequately and honestly describing your listings, reviewing and re-pricing inventory that has not sold, keeping clear records and measuring the performance of your business, taking the time to promptly respond to customer inquiries and/or concerns, and still setting aside some time for yourself. If you spend all of your time working your online bookselling business, you will soon tire of it and doom it to failure.

Patience to me is the realization that it takes time to build any business and the acceptance that no matter how many hours you put into it or how dedicated to it you are, it will still go through an evolving period before it is really successful.

Think of it this way, it doesn’t matter how much sunlight, fertilizer, dirt, or water you provide for a seed, you are still going to wait for some time to pass before you can harvest a crop. Fortunately, unlike growing a plant, becoming a successful online bookseller can be influenced by your input variables.

All of this said, what are the realistic numbers you can expect to commit to becoming a successful online bookseller and how long will it take?

I believe you can be successful and realize a profit of $2,500 per month within four months (six max) if you commit an initial $350 and fifteen to twenty-five hours per week to build an inventory of 3,000 books. At the end of the four months you can maintain your 3,000 book inventory and income levels at a cost of 10 to 15 hours per week. You should never have to invest any more of your own money, the initial $350 to buy bookshelves and an initial inventory should be recovered in the first month and the additional sales proceeds from your initial inventory should subsequently be reinvested into new inventory. By the end of the first month you should realize a profit, own your inventory outright, and never invest anything but time in the business again, it should be self-sustaining. I base this on my own experience, the experiences of people I have coached, and the feedback I have received from customers of my book.

Michael E. Mould is the author of “Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips,” [Paperback ISBN 1427600708], [CD-ROM Book Isbn 1599714876] and the developer of “Bookkeeping for Booksellers,” [CD Software Spreadsheet ISBN 1427600694] a 19 page tabbed and linked Excel spreadsheet designed for online booksellers to track their business performance and prepare state retail sales tax reports and Schedule C entries.

If you are interested in learning more about online bookselling, please visit:

online-bookselling.com online-bookselling.com

Where you can review “Running the Numbers,” an analysis of growth planning for the online bookseller and request a free copy be emailed to you to do your own analysis,

If you have questions, would like to have “Running the Numbers” emailed to you, or if you just need a little more encouragement/clarification to take the steps toward becoming a successful online bookseller, please email Mike at:

mailto:mike@online-bookselling.com mike@online-bookselling.com