Myrna Coburn, Coburn's Book World

How did you get started in selling books?

It started out as a partnership between my husband and another gentleman. When the partnership ended, we were left with 60,000 books but we knew there was gold in there. Even though I didn't know much about selling books in the beginning, I started researching the books on Abebooks and listing 25 to 30 a day. Narnia Books has been a tremendous help to me, and I'm still learning from other booksellers.

What is your favourite story about a book you've sold?

It's a sad story, but very heartwarming. There was a lady in our town who was terminally ill. She once had a book she loved, but lost it somehow. The book became very important for her to have and to read once again. We found the book for her on Abebooks, and as we knew the bookseller who owned it we were able to pick it up and give it to her. All her friends and family were so pleased that this had made her so happy.

What are your future plans for bookselling?

I'm planning on doing training seminars with Mr. MacDonald from Seattle, to train new booksellers wanting to sell used and collectible books online. We'll be discussing how to grade books, how to price them, and all the things they will need to know in order to be successful online. (Note: booksellers wanting more information on Myrna's training seminars, please contact her at books_@telus.net)

Also, we're planning to open a bookstore in Midway (better check that out with Mr. Coburn first though ;0), in addition to selling books through the local Greyhound depot.

If you could give new booksellers a tip, what would it be?

Don't misdescribe the cover of a book! It makes buyers wonder, if you can't describe the cover right, what else is being misdescribed?!?

To what do you attribute your success?

Hard work! In addition to stumbling on Abebooks 4 ½ years ago. Abebooks has very helpful technical support staff!

How has selling on Abebooks changed your business?

I wouldn't say that it has changed our business, but I would say it's grown it. We sell more than a third of our online inventory each year, but we do have certain rules. We only list books if there are less than 30 of them on Abebooks, and they must be at a certain base price. Since we live so close to the US border, we are able to ship from the US and have a US mailing address. This has helped to increase our US sales by 25% and has tripled our in-state sales! Abebooks may be an international site, but we'll always be the little bookshop around the corner.

What would you like to see at Abebooks in the next little while?

A fulfillment rating system based strictly on the number of orders a bookseller fills. Buyers want to know that their orders are likely to be shipped!

- Myrna Coburn, Coburn's Book World

The views of the author, expressed above, are not necessarily those of the Advanced Book Exchange.