Sarah from SLR Books co uk
Interview by R Grayling
Sarah has sold books through an online book store for nearly two years now and so has seen patterns emerge of what books sell when and the emergence of some contemporary ‘classics’.
Well Sarah, looking at the many hundreds of books you have sold recently, what type of book seems to have staying power?
I would say it is books that have something different about them, something original. If you look at Mitch Albom’s Five People You Meet in Heaven for example, the author was not afraid to put their ideas out there and release a book that was totally different. It was a big hit and has retained its staying power. We can normally sell this book in less than 48 hours and still charge more than half the original price. Also, a book like The Time Traveller’s Wife still gets the punters in. It is a great book – I’ve read a lot of them myself – and people are borrowing it from friends then buying a second hand copy as they wish to keep it for themselves.
So, the idea is to be original and bold in your writing then you think?
Yes, don’t hold back, write as if nobody will read it – then it will be original and yours.
What would you say is the most popular genre for used books?
Definitely what we call Holiday Reads. By this I mean your Marian Keyes, Freya North type ‘chick lit’ as well as your Tony Parsons, Bill Bryson books. Obviously these books sell well from May/June onwards as people are getting prepared to hit beach and poolside. We recognised this from the previous year and now run a 3 for 2 offer so that people take enough books with them. Personally, I need five books for a two week holiday!
Quite right, I’m the same.
May I ask what SLR Books is currently doing to help Struggling Authors and what do they plan to do in the future?
Well, at the moment, one of the best things we can do is supply prospective writers with books! So, for the rest of the year we are giving 10% discount to anyone who comes from the ‘authors’ site and quotes the discount reference 'SLRSA'. We are also going to co-sponsor a competition in the coming months and plan to stock author consumables like Journals etc (to which the discount will apply). We will also be one of the outlets for any publications/anthologies that the site produces.
Excellent, it all looks good for the future then. Finally, do you keep a comprehensive list of what books sell well second time around?
Yes certainly, I have linked it to our Amazon affiliate site so that, as well as having reviews etc, you are also given the choice of hardback/paperback if you choose to purchase.[Click here to view list] As ever, check our Ebay bookshop first – it’ll probably work out cheaper if we have it – especially if you use the discount ref!
Shameless plug there. Well thank you very much for your time and your insights into the second hand book business. Best of luck for the future
SLR Books links
If you would like to check out Sarah's site then please click on any of the links below.