Used Books

lazy today, but will (hopefully) post something real later...

in the meantime, I wish the used bookstore I work at made this much $$.

Study: Used Books Are $2 Billion Industry
(Associated Press)

A landmark study released yesterday confirms what publishers, authors and booksellers have believed - and feared - since the rise of the Internet: Used books have become a modern powerhouse, driven by high prices for new works and by the convenience of finding any title, new or old, without leaving your home.

According to the Book Industry Study Group, used book sales topped $2.2 billion dollars in 2004, an 11% percent increase over 2003. Much of that growth can be credited to the Internet. While used sales at traditional stores rose a modest 4.6% percent, they jumped 33% percent online, to just over $600 million dollars.

More than 111 million used books were purchased last year, representing about one out of every 12 overall book purchases. By the end of the decade, the percentage is expected to rise to one out of 11, a troubling trend when sales for new works are essentially flat; authors and publishers receive no royalties from used buys.