Book Stores

Ideas for expanding your local book store
By Romy LeClaire Loran, Freelance writer If you are a local book store owner, you already know many of the literary and informational needs of your community, whether they're the latest thrillers or more highbrow fiction. Meanwhile, you may have been wondering how to expand your business. If you haven't already considered the following markets, here are some that may work for your book store:

1. The college book store market
2. The graphic novel and comic book store market
3. The online book store market
3. The half-price or discount bookstore market

Appeal to the college book store market

From textbooks to foreign language verb dictionaries, all college students need books. If you live in an area with a college or university nearby, consider appealing to this market with a variety of hip and yet necessary finds.
Try:  Wholesale College Textbooks sells textbooks with a minimum purchase of fifty books that can be mixed and matched. LEA Book Distributors sells reference books and anthologies in both Spanish and English. If you're looking for books college students might enjoy, try Ingram Book Group or Publishers Group West, or for a fun bargain corner that may appeal to college students on a budget, try Wonder Book & Video, which often sells used "books by the foot" in a variety of topics and colors.

Appeal to the graphic novel and comic book store market

Tap into the longtime appeal of comic books by carrying them in your store. Aficionados quickly get hooked and may want you to hold the newest installment for them. Graphic novels are growing in popularity too.
Try:  Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is an exclusive distributor of many comic book brands and is the largest English language distributor of comic books in the world. For hard to find and rare comics, try ComicConnect, where you can bid on comics, or Metropolis Collectibles, Inc., which sells and buys a wide variety of comics.

Appeal to the online book store market

Your customers can just as easily order from online websites as they can from you. Promote your store by providing an accessible Internet book store or website.
Try:  If you don't already have a navigable website, WebDesigners-Directory will connect you with local providers for quotes, and Heritage Web Solutions offers a variety of website packages.

Appeal to the half-price or discount bookstore market

Many book sellers sell discounted books. Appeal to your bargain hunters by having a bin or a couple shelves of half-price or heavily discounted books.
Try:  Bookliquidator.com sells publishers' remainders as well as overstocks, as does American Book Company. 

• As you expand your book store business, consider organizations of book sellers you may not already belong to, which exist all over the country and serve different markets.
• If selling college texts, make sure to find out which editions professors require.
• If you already have an online site, direct traffic to your site by linking to literacy and other sites, such as book review or special topic pages.