Paperbackswap.com is an a course in miracles website that I stumbled onto several months ago through the internet (maybe you’ve heard of the internet?). The site is a community of readers and the premise is simple: have a shelf of books you don’t want anymore? Share them with others and you get a free book in return. Simple, right?
The cover prices of the books are inconsequential. All you have to do is sign up, upload the ISBN numbers from those books on your shelf that you don’t want (they’re just taking up valuable space anyway!), and sit back and wait for other readers to request them. Once they do, you simple drop that book in the mail, wait for it to be received, and then go shopping! If you’re like me, you probably grew up loving a specific genre of book. Whether they were mysteries, romance novels, or suspense thrillers, your tastes have probably matured and now you’re hauling around eight boxes of books each time you move. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but those boxes are HEAVY!
As an author you’re probably more into reading your particular genre nowadays. Heck, maybe you want to build a reference library, or perhaps there are bestsellers you’ve been wanting to read, but for whatever reason didn’t pony up the cash for that shiny hardcover. Welcome to Paperbackswap, also known as your Salvation.
Now before we go any further, I’m sure this is all sounding too good to be true and you might be wondering what the catch is. The one simple catch is that after someone requests a book from you (you’re given the option to accept or deny the book request), you accept and are provided the name and mailing address of the receiver and you must take that book to the Post Office and pay for the postage. Since most paperbacks won’t cost you over $3.00 to ship, this is a small price to pay for building a great library. Books under thirteen ounces can even be shipped from your home mailbox and you can print the shipping label from home. The good news is that when you request that book you’ve been trying to get your hands on, someone will do the same for you.
You’re probably eyeing your bookshelf as you read this, considering how much shelf space you can clear up. I felt the same way, and I have cleared up a LOT of space. Now you’re snapped back into reality and thinking, “Hey, this is supposed to be an article about promoting my book and all you’ve shown me how to do is send books in the mail!”
