I love books. I read far above the average 12 books a year for the American male. The trouble is that over the years I have amassed a variety of volumes that sit on the shelf and gather dust. Most titles haven’t been re-read since first finding a home on the bookshelf and I will likely enter that eternal rest before reading any of them again.
To simply sell the books or give them away seems an obvious solution, but I can’t seem to let go. There is something nostalgic and familiar about books that moves me to hold on. Now, before you go calling me a hoarder, check our own shelf for books you’ve only read once or have yet to crack the cover of for the first time.
Welcome to Book Lovers Anonymous. My name is KC and I love books.
Anyway, I like having books around and often claim “I’ll read them again someday” as an excuse to continue the paperback pile up. However, with a growing family space is limited and I don’t know how many more titles our bookshelf can support.
And so, I’d like to propose a solution. A win-win scenario if you will.
PROBLEM: I have too many books, but don’t want to get rid of them.
SOLUTION: eBooks
Wait! Put down that hardback copy of War & Peace. Hear me out.
I am not demonizing paper volumes. I like both digital and physical books. In fact I prefer to own both if the title is really good. I keep the digital copy and highlight to my heart’s content while staying free to share the hard copy with friends. There something special and relationship building about handing someone a book, isn’t there?
Let me elaborate on the solution by first reminding you of the problem: I have too many books. Some of them need to go because I will never re-read them.
What if there was a way to keep all of the awesome content from a book without having to keep the actual book for dust bunnies to devour?
Paper books for discounted eBooks.
I propose a publisher eBook exchange program.
Let’s use Thomas Nelson as an example. I have a few Donald Miller books, but they are getting dark with dust. I might be more inclined to re-read (and write about) them if I had eBooks instead (it’s easy to carry around a library on a Kindle or iPad). However, since I already own the books I’m not willing to pay full price for digital copies on Amazon or iTunes.
What if Thomas Nelson let me mail in the Donald Miller titles and exchange the hard copies for 50-75% off the eBook version? I get the benefit of a condensed digital library and Thomas Nelson can recycle or resell the book while gaining small profit from my purchase of the discounted eBooks.
And we all know the margin on eBooks is huge. Especially when the content is already established. Alternatively, a publisher can donate exchanged paper books to a library or church as a tax write off.
I don’t know what the market is for this type of service, but it’s a program that I’d take advantage of in a heartbeat.
Dustin says
I wish SO MUCH that something like this existed! I know exactly what you mean! Great plan!
As far as preference…I went through a phase a couple years ago where I was all about ebooks. Call it nostalgia after turning 30, but now I’m 50/50 and it really depends on what the book is.
ThatGuyKC says
Glad you think so. I like the minimalist strategy of eBooks and the interactive features, but there’s definitely a nostalgic factor to tangible books.
Chris Wilson says
Travelling so much lends itself to ebooks. During the course of the year I usually pick up ebooks rather than hard copies but there is something about paper (it’s so silly really) so I’ll pick up a few books during the year and then aim to “lend” (indefinitely) to someone so they can get some value out of it. The best part of this strategy is that I send some amazing books all around the world to people who can’t get hold of them.
I do have some books back in England which I might consider a trade in scheme for but over the years I’ve done a good job of “lending” my books away.
ThatGuyKC says
That is one of the few things that keep me attached to paper books. The ability to lend or give them away to someone else is so easy.
Thomas says
Would I use a book exchange program like this? Considering that nearly half my garage is converted to a small library full of books that I’ve never read, and I actually prefer reading on my Kindle anyway, yes.
ThatGuyKC says
Sounds like we need to write to a few publishers.
Eric Dye says
Do it! 😀
Michael Hyatt says
Let me start by making it clear that I am not associated any longer with Thomas Nelson. This is just the personal opinion of a private citizen but someone who has spent his career in book publishing.
I don’t think the economics work. The processing costs for the publisher would exceed the value of the book. (The value of second-hand books is pennies on the dollar.) It’s difficult enough to create demand for new books. The margins are already razor-thin. The challenge of creating demand for used books would be next to impossible.
Sorry, but I don’t see it.
KC says
Thank you, Michael, for taking the time to stop by ChurchMag, read, and weigh in on this topic.
I can see how a used book recycling program would not be economical for a publisher. I didn’t factor in the logistic costs when proposing this idea.
However, I would still like to see a program where people who have bought a paper title can get the eBook at a discounted price. The ability to exchange some of the books on my shelf for a digital copy would allow me to clear up space in my home. I’d likely donate my hard copy books to a library or give them away to friends.
Thank you again for dropping by and thank you for Platform. I own the hardcover and digital versions. 🙂