A Personal View of 2010
- by Susan Halas
Blue Jacket Books of Xenia, Ohio.
Big, be it Amazon or Borders may come and go, but small is forever. As small dealers we’re in the knowledge business, whatever format it takes now or in the future. The more we know the better we’ll do. What the dealer adds is the frame of reference and credibility: why it’s important and who might want it. It’s that knowledge that differentiates the wheat from the chaff.
When I finished my year end numbers I found that 90 percent of my revenue came from 10 percent of my transactions, but there were also lots and lots and lots of small sales and at least a few repeat customers whose trade though small was welcome.
My thanks to all of you who helped me make it through.
Links to the booksellers mentioned in this month’s article
Better World Books – Antiquarian Division www.betterworldbooks.com
Blue Jacket Books www.bluejacketbooks.com
Book Fever www.bookfever.com
Books Tell You Why www.bookstellyouwhy.com
Lux Mentis www.luxmentis.com
Michael J. Osborne Books www.michaeljosbornebooks.com
Motte & Bailey www.mottebooks.com/shop/motte/index.html
Old Lahaina Book Emporium www.oldlahainabookemporium.com
Tavistock Books www.tavbooks.com
Susan Halas, a long time antiquarian dealer, writes for AE Monthly.
Reach her at halas@hawaii.rr.com
Here are the links for a year’s worth of Halas’ stories in AE Monthly
Feb. - Bookselling – It’s a Business (with Chris Volk) tinyurl.com/67hf9o2
March - ABAA – Data, Knowledge Charm, New Blood tinyurl.com/64nmdhr
April - Exit Strategies: Getting out of the Book Business tinyurl.com/63lb6ej
May - Richard Minsky on Decorative Bindings tinyurl.com/672dbmj
June - Cherokee Nation Puts History on Display tinyurl.com/5rn4awb
July- Bud Plant celebrates 40 years in Comics & Illustration - tinyurl.com/6xwheet
Sept. - Vic Zoschak Talks Bibliography tinyurl.com/6gxeokx
Oct. - Bookselling tips for eBay tinyurl.com/6xwdker
Nov. - Better World Books - tinyurl.com/6k8qk3t
Dec. - Nancy Pearl: America’s Favorite Librarian tinyurl.com/5wn2nj8
Jan. – 007: Bond for Booksellers tinyurl.com/6jbghya
See all the articles published by AE Monthly in the AE Archives at:
www.americanaexchange.com/ae/AEMonthly/AEMonthlyArchive.aspx