Bookseller Digest UK

Tailor-made Bookseller Promotions on AbeBooks

AbeBooks are looking for booksellers who would be interested in taking part in our exclusive promotional campaigns. If you would consider offering a discount on your titles (for example, 20% off) for a period of one month or longer, we will be able to feature your bookshop on the UK homepage and, for larger promotions, send out a promotional email advertising the offer to our subscribers.

These targeted promotions give our member booksellers an opportunity to significantly increase their sales. Our Marketing team are currently planning the campaigns that will be launched in 2009 and if you would like to promote your bookshop by taking part, you simply need to contact us. We will be happy to work together with you to set up your promotion.

Carte Bleue added to AbeBooks' payment options

We are delighted to announce that another card has been added to the AbeBooks payment methods. Carte Bleue is now available as a means of payment on the websites AbeBooks.fr, AbeBooks.it, AbeBooks.de and IberLibro.com. The introduction of this service has been long-awaited by a large number of European customers and marks an excellent opportunity for growth, especially in the French market.

As titles offered by UK booksellers are displayed on all AbeBooks sites and international orders are often a strong source of revenue for online booksellers, we hope that the influence of this development will extend across the entire AbeBooks community.

Carte Bleue is now offered as a payment option alongside the other default cards (Mastercard, Visa, JCB and American Express) and the selected individual payment methods you accept. All credit cards available on AbeBooks are subject to the same conditions: the processing charges are identical regardless of the card type, in the same way as our fraud protection against chargebacks is available for all card payments. .

For more information, we recommend consulting our Seller Help page on this subject.

Edinburgh Book Fair - March 2009

The 5th joint PBFA - ABA Edinburgh Book Fair will be held on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March 2009 in Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms on George Street.

I hope to be there on both days to take in the atmosphere, marvel at some impressive titles and speak to booksellers who wish to discuss any aspect of their AbeBooks account. If you would like to address a particular issue with me or arrange a time for me to pass by your stand, please contact us and I will be happy to respond to you.

Wishing all booksellers a successful fair, whether you will be there as an exhibitor, a buyer or an inquisitive browser!

 

Order your FREE AbeBooks Branded Promotional Material!

Order a customised TOOLBOX of AbeBooks branded advertising material and help to promote your AbeBooks inventory even more!

We have a selection of AbeBooks branded material for you to choose from so that you can order the material that makes sense for your business.  

• Paper bags - help your buyers to carry their books, give them a nice, book-sized bag.
  
• Bookmarks - booklovers can never have enough bookmarks!
• Bubble envelopes (24x35cm) - send your books in a protective envelope.
• Packing Tape - secure your mail orders with the AbeBooks tape.

Due to high levels of demand in the past, AbeBooks branded material is only available for booksellers based in the European Union who meet the following criteria:

• 250 books or more listed on AbeBooks
• 6 months minimum membership
• a 4 or 5 star bookseller rating

Click here to order your customised toolbox!

If you are planning a bookseller event and would like to offer promotional material, please do not hesitate to send us a short email explaining what you need and for which event it is needed.

Making it easier to shop on AbeBooks...

In the interests of improving the buyer experience we have launched a new and improved buyer account menu, designed to make the functions available clearer and more user-friendly.

With a more structured layout it is easy for users to navigate the various different sections of their account; whether they wish to read their emails, manage their shopping basket and orders or to update their account details or search for books. 

To ensure that buyers are always able to find what they need quickly and efficiently, we have also introduced a Quick Link section. This section contains the most frequently asked questions that buyers have, along with the links to the appropriate answers on our Online Buyer Help pages.

Dealing with Returns and Refunds - Update

Booksellers are able to initiate returns up to 90 days after an order has been processed by following the steps below:

1) Sign on to your AbeBooks bookseller account at abebooks.com   

2) Click on [Process your Orders] in the Quick Links Menu on the right hand side.

3) On the Order List screen, enter the Order Number and click [List Orders]

4) Click [Request a Refund] or [Cancel Order]

5) Select the appropriate reason and make a comment that the buyer can read

6) Click on [Initiate Refund/Return]

The refund reasons that booksellers can choose between are explained in more detail below:

Item did not arrive

The buyer did not receive the book and the order is past the estimated delivery date. The return can only be initiated 7 days after the estimated delivery date. The buyer receives a full refund.

Seller accepted order in error

The bookseller agreed to send the book but then found that either the book was not in the condition described on AbeBooks, or the book was previously sold.The buyer receives a full refund.

Buyer cancelled order before shipping

The bookseller agreed to send the book but, prior to shipping, the buyer requested the order to be cancelled. The buyer receives a full refund.

Item was damaged / Incorrect item delivered

The item was damanged in transit or the book sent was not the item the buyer ordered.The buyer receives a full refund plus return shipping (calculated at the same rate as the initial shipping).

Item not as described

The buyer believes that the book does not match the description on AbeBooks (condition, description). If the seller disagrees, the buyer receives a full refund (only including initial shipping costs).

Partial refund

The buyer and the bookseller have agreed to a partial refund amount. The buyer is only refunded the amount specified.

Buyer does not want item

The buyer has received the book and does not want the item because they have changed their mind or they made a mistake in ordering the item and could not cancel the order prior to shipping. From 11.02.2009 buyers will receive a full refund (book price + initial shipping costs) instead of only the book price. The return shipping costs will be paid by the buyer. 

For more information, please take a look at our Seller Help pages. If you have any questions or concerns, you can also contact our Customer Service Team.

Top 10 most expensive books purchased on AbeBooks for January 2009

1. YA-WAE PA-HU-CAE E-CAE AE-TA-NAE E-TU-HCE WA-U-N A-H A. Original Hymns In the Ioway Language by William Hamilton and Samuel M. Irvin - $13,500 (£9344)
   A rare item of Americana relating to Native Americans. Printed in 1843, this book was one of the first two titles issued from the Sac Mission Press, limited to 125 copies. It is a lengthy hymn book, with the text written in the dialect used by the tribe from Iowa.
2. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama - $12,500 (£8651)
   The 44th president’s first book, this is a copy of the original edition from 1996. Signed by Obama.
3. The Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ by Eric Gill - $11,000 (£7605)
   Printed and published at the Golden Cockerel Press, 1931, Limited to 500 numbered copies. With 64 wood-engraved initial letters and illustrations by Gill.
4. Wonders of the Invisible World by Cotton Mather - $9,500 (£6568)
   This is the second edition, printed in London in 1693, This copy also contains a fine engraved bookplate of Samuel Mather (1851-1931), on the front marbled paste-down endpaper as well as a handwritten slip by Thomas J. Holmes, that compares it with the first London edition, giving some omissions, and differences in spelling and punctuation.
5. Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems by John Keats - $8,500 (£5877)
   First edition of Keats’ third and final book, published in 1820.
6. Sonnets et Eaux Fortes by Various - $8,248 (£5703)
   A collection of sonnets and etchings published in 1869. 42 original etchings by Manet, Corot, Daubigny, Jean François Millet, Jongkind, Bracquemond, Victor Hugo and others. Limited edition to 350 copies.
7. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - $7,400 (£5117)
   First edition, first printing from 1981. Uncorrected proof copy in publisher's original printed wrappers, signed by Rushdie.
8. Histoire générale des Antilles habitées par les François by Jean-Baptiste du Tertre - $5,224 (£3609)
   Comprehensive history of the Caribbean from the 1600s, as recorded by Jean-Baptiste during his 18-year study of the habits of the people, their storytelling and geography. Published 1671.
9. Aline et Valcour; ou, Le Roman philosophique by Marquis de Sade - $5,224 (£3609)
   First edition published in eight volumes in 1795. The book was written one year before the French Revolution while Sade was incarcerated in the Bastille (1780s) and was his first book published under his true name.
10. Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov - $5,000 (3454)
    Signed first edition copies of each of the three Foundation books: Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952) and Second Foundation (1953).

Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.co.uk for January 2009

1. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
2. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
3. The Mass Book for Children by Donna Piscitelli
4. The Road To Memphis by Mildred Taylor
5. Shackleton's Way by Margot Morrell
6. The Gospel According to Saint Mark by Morna Hooker
7. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
8. Brothers! By Geoff Gorsuch
9. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
10. The Book of the Farm by Henry Stephens

Top 10 bestselling signed books books on AbeBooks - January 2009

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2. The Widows of Eastwick by John Updike
3. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
4. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
6. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
7. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
8. Rabbit at Rest by John Updike
9. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
10. Rabbit, Run by John Updike