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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/History_of_bookselling/2Lr8FAMK">History of bookselling</a></p> <p>The founding of libraries in c. 300 BC stimulated the energies of the <a href="/facts/Athens/mBxlp8X1">Athenian</a> booksellers. </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Ancient_Rome/cGqIuxPd">Rome</a>, toward the end of the <a href="/facts/Roman_Republic/Han0FRLT">republic</a>, it became the fashion to have a library, and Roman booksellers carried on a flourishing trade.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>The spread of <a href="/facts/Christianity/nKyJHlqq">Christianity</a> naturally created a great demand for copies of the <a href="/facts/Gospel/oC3s2MdL">Gospels</a> and other sacred books, and, later on for missals and other devotional volumes for both church and private use.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> The modern system of bookselling dates from soon after the introduction of <a href="/facts/Printing/ta4QpeDE">printing</a>. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the <a href="/facts/Low_Countries/umPWQ5hV">Low Countries</a>, for a time, became primary center of the bookselling world. Modern book selling has changed dramatically with the advent of the Internet. Major websites such as <a href="/facts/Amazon.com/YzUTUVE8">Amazon</a>, <a href="/facts/EBay/bDswVAKB">eBay</a>, and other big <a href="/facts/Book_distributor/xSrMs3JF">book distributors</a> offer <a href="/facts/Affiliate_marketing/zXF81bUX">affiliate programs</a> and dominate book sales. </p> <h2 id="background">Background</h2> <p><i>Main Article: <a href="https://www.publishingtalk.org/get-published/book-publishing-process-8-step-guide/">The book publishing process – an 8-step guide</a></i> </p><p>The Production and Publicity phases are the prerequisites to book sales and bookselling. </p> <h3>Production</h3> <p>The Production phase focuses on the publishing process that turns the raw manuscripts into actual books. During the Production phase, an <a href="/facts/Author/9pcsEamu">author</a> will meet with several people, along with their <a href="/facts/Publishing/7g01YeYG">publisher</a> to create an actual cover for the book. These people may include, a <a href="/facts/Book_design/EHShVCsU">book designer</a>, a <a href="/facts/Copy_editing/xkewaACP">copy editor</a>, a <a href="/facts/Typesetting/CsKmfY0t">typesetter</a>, and a <a href="/facts/Proofreading/5gTPjRUr">proofreader</a>. The Production phase can take from several months to a year, depending on the publisher's urgency. </p> <h3>Publicity</h3> <p>The Publicity phase is closely related to marketing. This phase focuses on the aspect of getting the word out about the book being published. The Publicity phase may include, going to a literacy convention, <a href="/facts/Blog/bb6awu2X">blogging</a>, or going to a local bookstore to schedule a book signing event. The sole purpose is to let as many people know that the production of a highly anticipated book is on the way. This allows revenue to begin brewing amongst booksellers and bookstores. </p> <h2 id="book-sales">Book Sales</h2> <p><i>Main Articles: <a href="https://www.publishingtalk.org/get-published/book-publishing-process-8-step-guide/">The book publishing process – an 8-step guide</a>; <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/422595/print-book-sales-usa/#:~:text=Data%20showing%20how%20many%20books,not%20surpassed%20800%20million%20since.">Print book unit sales in the U.S. 2004-2024</a></i> </p><p>For books to be sold to customers, they must first make it to the shelf to be sold. In order for a book to make it to the shelf, a publisher and their sales team must sell an author's book to <a href="/facts/Retail/unzV9sPF">retailers</a>; this process is called <a href="/facts/Trade_sale/dpN7FxMu">trade sales</a>. Trade sales sell books to any location that sells books, even online. The publisher's sales team will send representatives across the country to various bookshops, retailers, and booksellers in different territories. These sales representatives' sole purpose is to continuously advertise and sell the book, along with their author, to retailers in order to begin distribution. During this time, the retailers, or booksellers, will be analyzing the value of the book and the author. Booksellers know the market and what their readers' interest aligns with. Once an agreement is made between the sales representatives and the booksellers, distribution of the book may begin. Soon, the book will leave warehouses and land on shelves to be sold. According to Amy Watson's article, <i><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/422595/print-book-sales-usa/#:~:text=Data%20showing%20how%20many%20books,not%20surpassed%20800%20million%20since.">Print book unit sales in the U.S. 2004-2024</a>,</i> a total of 782.7 million units of printed books were sold in 2024. This shows an increase of 1% in printed sales from 2023. </p> <h2 id="modern-era">Modern Era</h2> <p>Bookstores (called <i>bookshops</i> in the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Ireland/k8JzXVze">Ireland</a>, <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>, and most of the <a href="/facts/Commonwealth_of_Nations/TcIRQnNq">Commonwealth</a>, apart from <a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a>) may be either part of a <a href="/facts/List_of_bookstore_chains/xd2vDD4Y">chain</a>, or local <a href="/facts/Independent_bookstores/xmLMMRRA">independent bookstores</a>. Stores can range in size, offering several hundred to several hundred thousand titles. They may be <a href="/facts/Brick_and_mortar/6YtP52r6">brick and mortar</a> stores, internet-only stores, or a combination of both. Sizes for the larger bookstores exceed half a million titles. Bookstores often sell other printed matter besides books, such as <a href="/facts/Newspapers/q4waJGVL">newspapers</a>, <a href="/facts/Magazines/4CPK1emz">magazines</a>, and <a href="/facts/Map/KxQX4B2U">maps</a>; additional product lines may vary enormously, particularly among independent bookstores. <a href="/facts/College/PejltRvj">Colleges</a> and <a href="/facts/University/skaJt2Io">universities</a> often have bookstores on campus that focus on providing course <a href="/facts/Textbook/9sunkH2y">textbooks</a> and scholarly books and also sell other supplies and <a href="/facts/Logo/nUlH9REj">logo</a> merchandise. Many on-campus bookstores are owned or operated by large commercial chains such as <a href="/facts/WHSmith/k5Hk7yBc">WHSmith</a>, <a href="/facts/Blackwell%27s/NJmuzVUa">Blackwell's</a> or <a href="/facts/Waterstone%27s/skykEUkb">Waterstone's</a> in the United Kingdom, or <a href="/facts/Barnes_%26_Noble_College_Booksellers/akmuHJlb">Barnes & Noble College Booksellers</a> in the United States. </p> <p>Another common type of bookstore is the <a href="/facts/Used_bookstore/EBQpzo38">used bookstore</a> or second-hand bookshop which buys and sells <a href="/facts/Used_book/7eSa6u6b">used</a> and <a href="/facts/Out-of-print_book/NzvjPPQW">out-of-print books</a> in a variety of <a href="/facts/List_of_used_book_conditions/6nuJ7jVL">conditions</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> A range of titles are available in used bookstores, including in print and out-of-print books. <a href="/facts/Book_collector/zPTxlzFg">Book collectors</a> tend to frequent used bookstores. Large online bookstores offer used books for sale, too. Individuals wishing to sell their used books using online bookstores agree to terms outlined by the bookstore(s): paying the online bookstore(s) a predetermined commission once the books have sold. In <a href="/facts/Paris/DrNHpwnA">Paris</a>, the <a href="/facts/Bouquinistes/lJKWBk1k">Bouquinistes</a> are antiquarian and used booksellers who have had outdoor stalls and boxes along both sides of the <a href="/facts/Seine/Chd1gSKo">Seine</a> for hundreds of years, regulated by law since the 1850s and contributing to the scenic ambiance of the city.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Books portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Book_store_shoplifting/1Pdcc2Xt">Book store shoplifting</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Bookstore_tourism/ofHzXrtt">Bookstore tourism</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/History_of_books/bpUDxTdU">History of books</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Independent_bookstore/xmLMMRRA">Independent bookstore</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_independent_bookstores/dcPDcNtI">List of independent bookstores</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Quarter_bin/z4tebxrG">Quarter bin</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes-and-references">Notes and References</h2> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Amory, H., & Hall, D. D. (2005). <i>Bibliography and the book trades: studies in the print culture of early New England</i>. University of Pennsylvania Press.</li> <li>Lister, Anthony, 'William Ford: the Universal Bookseller' <i>The Book Collector</i> 38 (1989):343-371.</li> <li>Thomas, Alan G. (1979). "Solomon Pottesman."<i>The Book Collector</i> 28 no 4:545-553.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bookselling. Look up <i>bookselling</i>, <i>bibliopoly</i>, <i>bookshop</i>, or <i>bookstore</i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070914134621/http://members.forbes.com/fyi/2005/1212/162.html">Forbes article on book collectors by Finn-Olaf Jones, December 12, 2005</a> (archived 14 September 2007)</li> <li><a href="http://ilab.org">The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)</a></li> <li><a href="http://ioba.org">The Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Centre for Economics and Business Research, Bookselling Britain: The economic contributions to - and impacts on - the economy of the UK's bookselling sector: A report for tve Booksellers Association, p12 <a href="/wiki/Centre_for_Economics_and_Business_Research" target="_blank">/wiki/Centre_for_Economics_and_Business_Research</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Dix, T. Keith (1994). ""Public Libraries" in Ancient Rome: Ideology and Reality". Libraries & Culture. 29 (3). University of Texas Press: 282–296. JSTOR 25542662. <a href="/wiki/Libraries_%26_Culture" target="_blank">/wiki/Libraries_%26_Culture</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Kenyon, Frederic G. (1 October 2011). Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 101. ISBN 9781610977562. <a href="9781610977562" target="_blank">9781610977562</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Brown, Richard & Brett, Stanley. The London Bookshop. Pinner, Middlesex: Private Libraries Association, 1977 ISBN 0-900002-23-9 <a href="/wiki/Private_Libraries_Association" target="_blank">/wiki/Private_Libraries_Association</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Chambers, David. English Country Bookshops. Pinner, Middlesex: Private Libraries Association, 2010 ISBN 978-0-900002-18-2 <a href="/wiki/Private_Libraries_Association" target="_blank">/wiki/Private_Libraries_Association</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"The Bouquinistes of Paris". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2022-05-01. <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-bouquinistes-of-paris" target="_blank">http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-bouquinistes-of-paris</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Les Cahiers français (Issues 13-24) (in French). La Documentation Française. 1957. p. 30. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=YavPAAAAMAAJ" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=YavPAAAAMAAJ</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>