Archive for the ‘CKYbooks’ Category
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Fiction new releases:
04/20/2010
Other Lives HC (Peter Bagge)
Burning Lamp (Arcane Society Series #8) (Amanda Quick)
Eight Days to Live (Iris Johansen)
Parrot and Olivier in America (Peter Carey)
All That Follows (Jim Crase)
Deliver Us from Evil (David Baldacci)
This Body of Death (Inspector Lynley Series #15) (Elizabeth George)
The November Criminals (Sam Munson)
Edge of Apocalypse (Time LaHaye/Craig Parshall)
The Double Comfort Safari Club (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series #11) (Alexander McCall Smith)
The Third Rail (Michael Kelly Series #3) (Michael Harvey)
Lucid Intervals (Stone Barrington Series #18) (Stuart Woods)
Super (Jim Lehrer)*
April 26, 2010
The 9th Judgement (Women’s Murder Club Series #9) (James Patterson)
*Added to my “to be read” list
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Here’s the weekly comparison of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times Top 5 bestsellers in Fiction Hardback. Changes, Jim Butcher’s new Dresden novel, debuts at #1 on both lists. The Help holds strong at #2. The Walk (Richard Paul Evans) debuts at #4 on NYT (#12 on WSJ) and A River in the Sky (Elizabeth Peters) debuts at #5 (#15 on WSJ).
| Wall Street Journal Top 5 |
New York Times Top 5 |
| Changes Jim Butcher |
Changes Jim Butcher |
| The Help Kathryn Stockett |
The Help Kathryn Stockett |
| The 39 Clues, Book 8: The Emperor’s Code Gordon Korman |
Caught Harlan Coben |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney |
The Walk Richard Paul Evans |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Jeff Kinney |
A River in the Sky Elizabeth Peters |
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Buying used books used to be a hit or miss process. The standards for accepting books through buyback programs were inconsistent, so it was possible to have books accepted for re-sale whose bindings were broken or with pages ripped and missing. This resulted in unsuccessful attempts to resell the books. To make the used book market strong and profitable, the vendors needed to improve standards to positively reflect the integrity and usefulness of the products available. Today, the pre-owned book market is strong and resale values are cost effective for most customers. Unfortunately, this does not mean that all resellers have equally high standards.
If you are going to be buying used books at a bookstore, there are things to look for that indicate the quality of the book. Open the book, if it lays flat, with the binding visible in the center, the binding is broken. If the pages come away from the book cover, it has been separated, and if pages are not already loose, they soon will be. Evidence of water damage includes stiff, wavy pages that will not lie flat and darkened areas on the pages. This type of damage may eventually lead to mold growth.
If you are buying used books online, look at the site’s requirements for purchasing used books. If they will not accept books that show signs of damage discussed above, you can be assured of the quality. Most vendors also go through the books to make sure there are no missing pages, confirm that notations and highlights are kept to a minimum and that the general condition of the book could be described as “good”. A rating of good means that the signs of wear and tear are small and do not detract from the usefulness of the book.
When buying used books, it will be worth your time to research the quality standards set forth by the vendors for purchasing used books. These standards will alert you to the quality of their offerings. The online used book business is very competitive. As a result, it is becoming more common for sites to specialize in a niche market. The types of books available through buyback programs range from older textbooks to last season’s bestsellers. Paperback and hard covers have their own market values and standards.
Checking for quality is important whether your intention is selling the books to an online vendor, such as CKY Books or growing your personal collection. Happy shopping!
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
You’ve seen the pictures. You’ve talked with us on Twitter or Facebook. But what is involved in a transaction with CKY?
CKY Books has been buying books for over a decade. This is our primary business. There are a few specific requirements before the purchase process can be completed. (1) The book must have an ISBN. This number is located near the barcode usually located on the back of the book. If there is no ISBN, the transaction cannot be completed. (2) A successful purchase cannot be processed if there is noticeable damage. This includes water damage or stains, missing pages or covers, broken bindings, or excessive highlighting. If any of these conditions exist the purchase offer will be revoked or reduced.
There are also some books CKY Books cannot accept. These include advanced reading copies, Foreign Edition Textbooks and Teacher’s Editions or Solution Manuals. We are generally interested in non-fiction books and textbooks. This includes Self-Help, Foreign Language, Art and Travel books. While fiction books are accepted, the genre spectrum may be a bit narrow, depending on current needs. Customers should keep trying if the first titles are not accepted.
To make it worthwhile for customers as well as CKY Books, there are a few minimum requirements. There must be at least five books in the check out cart or a total of at least $8.00. Special arrangements can be made for a purchase that includes multiple copies of the same book, or a bulk purchase. Once the packing slip is printed and the books have been packed and shipped, it takes approximately fifteen days until payment is issued. During that time, emails are sent informing the customer of the status of the order. Each step of the process will be displayed from Pending to Paid.
We make every effort to be prompt when communicating order status and any issues that may affect discrepancies in order totals. Payment is sent via check or deposited into a PayPal account approximately twenty-four hours after receipt and inspection of the books. We are one of the few companies that will hold or return the books if customers change our minds about the sale or if the books are damaged and not acceptable for sale. Shipping is always free, checkout is simple and payment is fast.
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Recently CKYbooks was able to move into a new space with more room for inventory.
Considering these are the packages that came in on February 3rd alone, it seems to be a very necessary move!
And here is the other side of CKYbooks – the side that interests their customers. Here are the checks sent out that same day (February 3rd).
Not too shabby. We’re excited about the new space and the opportunities it will give us to continue to provide excellent customer service.
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Since I publicly admitted to the boxes of books in my garage, I decided I HAVE to do something about them. Part of the reason they’re still sitting there is the job seemed overwhelming. I knew I wanted to sell them but how? I don’t want to spend hours upon hours on this little endeavor. So I did a little research and found out, this is pretty easy!
To successfully sell used books, a bit of research is required if you want to bring in top dollar. If you have boxes of old books, take the time to go through them. If the bindings are damaged, pages are missing or if the cover is ripped, set them aside. While you may be able to sell them, the price you receive will be negligible. One of the best ways to begin your search is online. If the books have an ISBN, you will be able to enter it into many sites to find the one that will pay the most.
The same book may bring five dollars on one site, and less than a dollar on another. Hard cover books usually carry more value than paperbacks. Many sites that sell used books specialize in certain types of books or genres, so take your time to look around. The Frequently Asked Questions pages are filled with detailed information. These types of sites are a fast, easy way to get cash for unwanted books. If you are unhappy with the quotes you are given, there is another option. Instead of using a third party vendor, as described above, there is the direct sale method.
It may take more time to sell used books using this method, but it will be more profitable in the long run. These sites will allow you to post your book’s title, ISBN and price you want with a description. When you decide on this route, the importance is in the presentation. The more accurate the description, the more appealing it sounds, the more likely you are to get the asking price. If the book, hard cover or paperback, is in good condition it might be described as “vintage”. This will bring a better price than “old”.
Generally speaking, there is no exact, consistent price that used books are worth. If you want to sell used books, the selling price is what the market will bear, based on supply and demand of that book. Researching sites and selling online is usually an easy way to get the most for the books. There are used book sites that search a database of sites that sell books, showing you which site will pay the most for any given book, based on ISBN. This will reduce the research required. To learn more about selling used books, visit our web site at www.ckybooks.com
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
We’re all bound by books – paperbacks, hardbacks, textbooks – books have impacted everyone’s life at some point, even if it was the dreaded classic in high school English! Here at CKY, books are (obviously) a prominent part of life and one we would like to share more with you. The desire to connect more with you guys prompted this site. This page was created for us to gather & talk. (You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook!) You’ll find reviews, book/literary related articles and CKY updates we think you’ll find of interest. There’s even talk of starting a book club. Personally I’m really excited about that idea.
Oh, but I’m being rude! This blog doesn’t write itself! My name is Rhoni. I’ll be the voice here as well as on Twitter and Facebook. I’ve been a reading addict ever since I realized that letters form words and words form narratives and those narratives open new worlds and lives and ideas for exploration. Books are stacked throughout my house. There are boxes in my garage full of books that, truth be told, I really need to sell. Not only would it free up space in our garage but, more importantly, I could use the cash to buy new books!
I’m really looking forward to talking with you. Please feel free to leave a comment below or email me at rhoni@ckybooks.com
