AbeBooks.com

AbeBooks.com—one of the world’s largest online marketplaces for new, used, rare and out-of-print books—has released survey results pointing to evidence that the majority of online used-book sellers in the United States are Baby Boomers. Between October 2006 and January 2007, AbeBooks polled 1,949 U.S. booksellers that sold through its network of Web sites. “Hard work is the key to successfully selling secondhand books on the Web,” said Hannes Blum, CEO of AbeBooks.com. “Although this profession is relatively new, it requires dedication to build up an online inventory of books and considerable effort to find books ideal for the Internet. We’re seeing a commitment to

The hot-button issues in the book industry today surround an increased focus on content and alternative forms of distribution. Publishers are still keeping a watchful eye on the Internet and the fear that it may replace the print-based distribution business in the future. But there appears to be a greater acceptance and realization that “content” is a publisher’s real asset, and that the delivery method means nothing if the content isn’t outstanding. An increased focus on content, book search tools, digital distribution, a declining print readership, increased used-book sales, rising fuel and paper costs, and decreasing bookshelf space in retail superstores are all

Tim Spalding first launched LibraryThing.com in August 2005 as a means for bibliophiles to catalog their book collections and network with other passionate readers on the Internet. Now, 55,000 registered users later and countless visitors later, the site is a hit around the globe. In May, Abebooks.com, an online marketplace for books, based in Victoria, Canada, purchased a 40 percent stake in LibraryThing.com. Spalding, its 35-year-old founder and president, chatted recently with Book Business Extra! about the past, present and future of this unique site for book lovers. Book Business Extra!: What do you see as the benefit for someone coming to