Beyond the Elements of Style

My recent post on the joys of finding old friends among used books prompted a conversation with Sylvia Nankivell of Used Book Search, and I invited her to share some online resources for used books with you. Here’s what she has to say:

The spread of the Internet into virtually every corner of society, along with the proliferation of ever-upgraded mobile devices, has led to a shift in the way that book content is distributed. Instead of simply options of hard or soft covers like in the not-so-distant past, ebooks have become an alternative format preferred by many. But regardless of these notable advances in technology, it remains difficult to imagine a world in which page-turning reads involve no actual page-turning. In fact, for those of us who still can’t get enough of that old book smell, who relish the chance to dog-ear pages or scribble notes in the margins, modern technology has also been a tremendous boon for more easily getting our hands on used books.

Gone are the days when buying a particular used book meant hoping that someone nearby had sold a copy of that title to your local brick-and-mortar used-book store. While exploring the aisles of used book stores can be a fun way to spend an afternoon, the Internet has allowed us to do so from home, the office, or (with our mobile devices) literally anywhere else. Moreover, the vastness of the web allows for even rare books to be tracked down with relative ease. But the first step in hunting down a desired book or even just browsing titles for something that catches your eye is to know where to look.

Amazon is the first stop for many online book shoppers. There’s a good reason for this: it’s got one of the widest selections of books and often offers some of the lowest prices. While new books are also available, used books on Amazon require a description of their condition that helps you as a consumer find the best book and the best price. Sellers on Amazon also have accompanying feedback ratings that let you know how reliable they’ve been with customers in the past.

But Amazon is far from the only used book option out there. www.half.com, which is owned by eBay, is a terrific source for the lowest-priced used books and that site also allows anyone with an account to sell their books. If you’re on the prowl for an antique or rare book, or if you’re hoping to get your hands on an older edition of a particular title (they’re often cheaper), Biblio and Abebooks are two great resources. Both sites are great resources for used textbook searches, and Biblio even offers its users the ability to search for books signed by the author.

Powells is yet another option, as the famed “City of Books” store in Portland, Oregon, that takes up an entire city block also sells its used books online. And though it may not seem like the most expedient means to get your hands on the used book you’re searching for, online auction sites like eBay can sometimes offer the best prices, depending on the demand for that title.

Sorting through the all these different websites for the best deal can be a time-consuming task, but thankfully there are used book price comparison sites that can do that nitty-gritty work for you. www.usedbooksearch.net is a tremendous resource for comparing book prices across many websites with just a few keystrokes. By utilizing a tool such as usedbooksearch.net, you’ll free up more time to spend on the point of buying used books in the first place: reading them!

Now you have no excuse to not get that book you vaguely remember from childhood (as my former husband once very kindly did for me), the book you used to love and someone “borrowed” permanently from your library, or the book that you cannot believe went out of print and you want to gift to someone else!

Just one caveat: as an author myself (with books that are both in and out of print), I do want you to remember that the author sees no royalties from used books. Yes, they received royalties the first time the book sold, and that’s perfectly fair. but if you’re trying to help a little-known author, please do buy their books new … it’s how they survive!

And then you’ll be … beyond The Elements of Style!