It's time for a new Picky Pledge post! I've said it again and again: I have always been a fan of curating my book collection, which usually means I wind up with piles of books that I mean to get rid of on a regular basis. Earlier this year, Hannah talked about culling your shelves, while I took on culling your TBR; either way, you get the same results. Though I tackled it briefly, I decided it would be a good idea to talk about what to do after the cull!
I recently went through my entire book collection, and wound up with a few stacks of books to give away. I split them up to pass on in various ways, and I thought it would be enlightening for everyone if I shared a few ideas.
1. Ask your friends or family. I always check with the people I know in real life if they want to take some of the books I've culled off my hands, especially if I feel like the story is something up their alley. I'm considered the "book dealer" in many of my groups, which I'm quite proud of.
2. Bring them to a secondhand bookstore. It's a viable option to sell your books to a used bookstore. You'll get cash or credit to spend on new books that you want, and someone will get the opportunity to snatch up whatever you culled. The amount you get will be contingent on your bookstore, so you might want to check with them first.
2. Bring them to a secondhand bookstore. It's a viable option to sell your books to a used bookstore. You'll get cash or credit to spend on new books that you want, and someone will get the opportunity to snatch up whatever you culled. The amount you get will be contingent on your bookstore, so you might want to check with them first.
3. Donate them - to a library, a school or an organization like Better World Books. It's also nice to donate piles of books to places that desperately need them. Each place will have a different policy, so you should always call ahead and check out their requirements.
4. Host a giveaway. I usually do this with review copies, because I want to be sure they get the exposure and publicity they deserve. I also do this for duplicate copies, though that's a very rare occurrence. Obviously, this possibility relies on how much you're willing to spend for shipping.
5. Trade books with someone else. I know that #booksfortrade is quite popular, and there are other features, groups or sites where you can trade with just about anyone. I personally prefer to trade with people I know or have traded with before, since I can rely on both ends of the trade being held up.
There you have it - a couple of ideas for what to do with the books you no longer want to keep! The best thing about books is that there will always be someone who wants to give them a new home (whether directly or indirectly), so you don't have to feel too bad about giving them up. Here's to hoping these points give you a few ideas. And if anyone else has ideas for what to do with books they're getting rid of, do share in the comments!
What do you do with the books you no longer want to keep?
Do you do any of the things I've mentioned?
Another suggestion - check with your local schools and see if a teacher or librarian would like them for their classroom! I spend $1000+ out-of-pocket every year on books and donations are AWESOME. I saw a former student post a picture on Instagram a few weeks ago of boxes of books with the caption "Library donations... moving is so sad." I commented "Wait! No! If you're giving them away, I would LOVE them for my classroom!" I came home to find almost 100 YA novels waiting for me that otherwise would have gone to a library book sale (where, realistically, I probably would have bought them).
ReplyDeleteIf you can coordinate shipping and/or drop offs another place to consider is ARCs Float On which lists teachers/school librarians seeking donations (arc or otherwise) for their school or classroom libraries. This is their URL: http://www.reachareader.org/arcsfloaton.php
ReplyDeleteMy friends/family don't read that much. I often give books to my sister in the hope she picks them up (because when she reads, we do have the same taste), but she doesn't make the time for it. Such a shame :( I always bring them to secondhand shops :)
ReplyDelete