Rare Book Monthly

Articles - November - 2018 Issue

Where Is the New Book Collector? How About on the New Social Media

An Instagram image from ABAA bookseller Honey & Wax.

An Instagram image from ABAA bookseller Honey & Wax.

Where is the new book collector? Maybe where the young congregate? Certainly, they can be found on social media, and even the older folks know Facebook, probably even have a page and participate. The young have not quite moved on from Facebook, but its role in their lives has diminished. Instead, other social media are taking up more of their time, and the greatest growth the last few years has come from Instagram. Not so many older people use Instagram, but the young do. In a relatively short time (it was created during this decade), it has grown to encompass a billion members. If I had just one dollar for every Instagram member...

 

Instagram is a photo sharing service. I will admit to knowing very little about it. I do know it is not the one where your photos disappear in ten seconds, so you can safely send selfie porn. It's the other photo sharing service.

 

It had not occurred to me that a photo sharing service would be a place to sell books. Not only did the audience seem wrong, the capacity to sell your wares did not seem a good fit. Artwork, maybe. It is visual. Books are textual. Facebook gives you text. Twitter, for all its severe limit on the size of posts, provides text. If Twitter posts are too wordy, how can you sell books?

 

Still, there it was. An article appeared in Forbes Magazine (The Capitalist Tool) entitled "8 Tips For Becoming An Instagram Book Dealer." Obviously, some dealers are reaching their audience this way. While there are some older people on Instagram, one would assume a bookseller uses it to reach a younger audience. According to Statista, 71% of those who use Instagram are between the ages of 13-34. This is not the demographic of the typical book collector. Only 5% are 55 and up, 2% 65 and up.

 

The eight tips for selling books on Instagram are what you might expect. Selling is selling, regardless of the vehicle, and these tips are good advice no matter where you sell. They are: (1) Take great pictures; (2) Treat every sale seriously; (3) Be social; (4) Be a real person, not just a seller; (5) Be fair; (6) Reward your repeat customers; (7) Never stop learning; and (8) Support the competition. The one thing missing from this list is "Write great descriptions," but that one is not possible with the Instagram format.

 

With Instagram, you will be confronted with a page of pictures. You can choose your pictures by terms, or hashtags. The rare books hashtag (#rarebooks) will create an album of book pictures. Other book hashtags, such as #oldbooks or #bookshop will do the same. Subject specific hashtags, such as #australia, may find some books about Australia, but they are likely to be lost among all the other images relating to Australia.

 

What you really need to do is follow the booksellers you like. This way you will find out when they post new material. In some cases, this may be the only way to inquire about the book you find of interest. The result is that personal interactions with buyers are more important on Instagram than typical listing sites such as AbeBooks. Hence the advice about being personal, social, and rewarding repeat customers is particularly important when selling on Instagram. Another benefit of selling on Instagram, and dealers will love this, is because the connection is directly between buyers and sellers, there are no commissions charged on sales.

 

According to the Forbes article, at least from the interviewed bookseller, the books are mostly lower priced. Most of his sales are under $10, but have gone as high as $1,000.

 

You can read the complete Forbes article by clicking here.


Posted On: 2018-11-01 12:48
User Name: bookandpaperfairs

I couldn’t agree more. Social media is a great way to reach millennials. I have been using Facebook and Instagram to attract this elusive group to my fairs and especially my Brooklyn fair where millennials abound. Earlier this year I was eager to help one of my dealers, Adrienne Kitts Austin Abbey Rare Books, set up an Instagram account when she asked me for advice. I see that she now has 261 followers and she recently told me that Instagram has been an easy and effective way to reach new potential customers. I see that Heather O’Donnel of Honey and Wax Books, who has been on the platform for much longer has more than 2,000 followers. When you post to Instagram you can set it up to automatically post the same item in your Facebook page which is a nice feature. Social media advertising has become an important part of my media budget for my Brooklyn Fair. In my opinion, Booksellers should be using these media platforms to communicate with existing customers while attracting new customers. I am always happy to offer instruction to any dealer who wants to start using Instagram. It’s really very easy and the best part, it’s free to use.


Posted On: 2018-11-08 16:57
User Name: easystreetbooks

We use Instagram a bit. I try to post every weekday, but I've been a bit lax lately. I've gotten a few sales off of Instagram, but one of the best benefits is interacting with other booksellers. For example, I've posted questions about a book I've been researching along with pictures and often another bookseller will help me out. https://www.instagram.com/easystreetbooks/


Rare Book Monthly

  • Doyle
    Stage & Screen
    November 14 & 15
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A studio-sanctioned Darth Vader Touring Costume from The Empire Strikes Back. $50,000 to $100,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An original Al Hirschfeld's illustration of the cast of On Golden Pond. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The largest trove of personal Grace Kelly letters to come to market. $60,000 to $80,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: An Important Archive of Musical Manuscripts of Truman Capote and Harold Arlen's House of Flowers. $40,000 to $60,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: The archive of an original Merrily We Roll Along Broadway cast member. $5,000 to $10,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Jerry Herman's Yamaha Model C7 Ebonized Grand Piano. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A large group of Jerry Herman musical posters. $300 to $500.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Group of awards presented to Jerry Herman. $300 to $400.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: Six pages of original art for "The MAD Game of Basebrawl," a complete story published in MAD #167, pages 31-36, June 1974. $3,000 to $4,000.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A MAD book made for Al Jaffee, containing original art and writings from many MAD contributors. 2011. $1,200 to $1,800.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: A Jaffee-themed MAD Fold-In - "What honor should the creator of the MAD Fold-Ins be given?" $800 to $1,200.
    Doyle, Nov. 14-15: MAD Fold-In - "What developing news story has many Americans totally transfixed?" $800 to $1,200.
  • Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
    Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
  • Freeman’s | Hindman
    Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana
    November 14
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: LEROUX, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. FIRST AM. ED, FIRST ISSUE IN THE VERY RARE DUST JACKET. 1911. $6,000 – 8,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD, John. A Monograph of the Trochilidae...Humming-Birds. L., [1849-] 1861. $60,000 – 80,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: A COMPLETE RUN of Limited Editions Club publications, v.p. [mostly New York], 1929-2010. $50,000 – 60,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: ORWELL, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Lon., 1949. FIRST EDITION IN A VERY FINE DUST JACKET. $6,000 – 8,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD. A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. L., [1852-] 54. SECOND ED. $35,000 – 45,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: The Federalist. NY, 1788. FIRST EDITION, THICK PAPER COPY. $60,000 – 80,000.
    Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: SELBY. Plates to Selby’s Illustrations of British Ornithology. Edin., [1833-] 34. $20,000 – 30,000.
  • Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    APRES DE MANNEVILLETTE
    Le Neptune Oriental
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    CASSAS
    Eaux fortes de la Sicile et quelques vues d’Espagne
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    CASSINI DE THURY
    Carte générale et particulière de la France.
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    JOUY; GARNERAY
    Vues des côtes de France dans l'Océan et dans la Méditerranée
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    LA PÉROUSE
    Voyage autour du monde
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    LE GENTIL DE LA GALAISIERE
    Voyage dans les Mers de l’Inde
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    LICENT
    Hoang Ho, Pai Ho, Loan Ho, Leao Ho. Itinéraires suivis dans le bassin du golfe du Pei Tcheuly
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    FRENCH SCHOOL FROM THE 19th CENTURY
    Panorama d’Athènes
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    PEETERS
    Description des principales villes, havres et isles du golfe de Venise
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    PÉRON; FREYCINET
    Voyage de découverte aux terres australes
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    STACKELBERG
    La Grèce : vues pittoresques et topographiques.
    Gros & Delettrez, 7 November:
    VALENTINER
    Atlas des Sonnensystems.
  • Forum Auctions
    Online Sale:
    The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper
    Ending 7th November, 2024
    Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). The Thirteen Problems, first edition, The Crime Club, 1932. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Dumb Witness, first edition, 1937. £3,000 to £4,000.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Cards on the Table, first edition, The Crime Club, 1936. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Forum, Nov. 7: [Carr (John Dickson)], "Carter Dickson" and John Rhode. Drop to his Death, first edition, Heinemann, [1939]. £600 to £800.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Berkeley (Anthony). Jumping Jenny, first edition, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions
    Online Sale:
    The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper
    Ending 7th November, 2024
    Forum, Nov. 7: Marsh (Ngaio). Overture to Death, first edition, The Crime Club, 1939. £600 to £800.
    Forum, Nov. 7: [Day-Lewis (Cecil)] "Nicholas Blake". The Beast Must Die, first edition, 1938. £750 to £1,000.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Brand (Christianna). Green for Danger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, John Lane the Bodley Head, 1945. £600 to £800.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Murder is Easy, first edition, signed by the author, 1939. £3,000 to £4,000.
    Forum, Nov. 7: Sayers (Dorothy L.) Lord Peter Views the Body, first edition, Gollancz, 1928. £6,000 to £8,000.

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