AbeBooks at The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar
Maria attended The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar earlier this month. Now in its 29th year, the event provides an opportunity for leading specialists to share their expertise with booksellers, librarians and collectors.

Maria reflects, “The seminar offered a great opportunity to meet a diverse group of people that care about books. Attendees were not all book sellers but everyone had a shared passion for books. As more booksellers choose to operate internet only bookstores events like this, and others offered by the Rare Book School, will become even more important, providing a way to network and share knowledge with colleagues.”

She also gained deeper appreciation for what is involved in selling collectible books, noting, “Our rare and antiquarian sellers are a remarkable group of people. What we see through AbeBooks is such a small part of what they do.”

See Maria’s full reports from Colorado in the AbeBooks blog, Reading Copy.

Textbook Microsite Launched
Classes begin in less than two weeks at many universities and colleges, and textbook season at AbeBooks is off to a roaring start. All indications point to this being the best textbook season ever!

If you haven’t already done so, have a look through our recently launched Textbook Microsite. Designed to help students find and purchase your textbooks as quickly and easily as possible, the Microsite offers a multi-ISBN search function. AbeBooks is committed to connecting student buyers with your textbooks!

If you have any questions about the Textbook Microsite or its features, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Support Team.

Bookseller Ratings Launched to Buyers
Bookseller Ratings were successfully launched to buyers on August 1. So far, the response from buyers has been exceedingly positive.

We’ve noticed a trend toward improved completion rates amongst high numbers of AbeBooks booksellers. Improved completion rates mean higher Bookseller Ratings, improved buyer confidence, and, ultimately, increased sales!

Customer Support Tips

Responding to Buyer Inquiries
by Demelza
Timely responses to buyer inquiries are one of the best ways to provide superior customer service. One of the most common buyer issues we see in Customer Support is non-response from booksellers. We require that booksellers respond to both pre- and post- purchase inquiries within 2 business days to maintain buyer satisfaction. Doing so can also drive sales and prevent returns, resulting in higher revenue for you!

Roundtable Chat Schedule Change
In an effort to encourage more booksellers to participate in the monthly Roundtable Chats, we have made a slight adjustment to the schedule. Instead of a morning and afternoon chat occurring on the same day, going forward we will hold them two weeks apart.

The next Roundtable Chat will be on August 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PDT. This will be followed by a chat on September 9, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. PDT.

Maria will still open a thread in the Bookseller Forum for you to submit your questions in advance. We look forward to seeing you there!

Coming Up: Feature on Art Books
Watch for our art books feature, coming in September. If you have an idea for a unique feature invloving new, out of print or collectible art volumes, send us an email!

In the Works: Celebrity Book Buyers
Has a politician, actor or sports star ever walked into your bookshop and bought a book? We are currently planning a feature on celebrity book buyers. If your bookshop has ever been visited by a prominent public figure, please tell us your story by taking this quick survey.

Most Expensive Books Sold on AbeBooks in June
See last month's most expensive sales.