7 Online Book Store Success Stories [2024]
Bookselling is the commercial trading of out-of-print books or collectibles. If you are an avid reader or just love selling online, opening an online book store in the age of Amazon and massive retail stores can be a rewarding and fun business. You can sell books on sites like eBay, Abebooks and other high-traffic bookstores.
You can write and self-publish your own books, and sell to fans directly, or resell books by different publishers. Alternatively, you can venture into the vintage, rare or out-of-print books.
To start a bookselling business follow these basic steps:
- Find a niche and create an inventory
- Develop a book brand
- Source the books you plan to sell
- Launch and market your online store
To compete effectively, differentiate your bookselling brand and be hyper-focused. Focus on delivering a curated experience so you build a community of book lovers.
In this list, you'll find real-world online book store success stories and very profitable examples of starting a online book store that makes money.
1. Kindlepreneur ($1.44M/year)
than the leading software, but it will also work seamlessly on both Mac and PC. With a proven track record of success in the software industry and a strong customer base, the future looks bright for Dave Chesson and his new venture.
How much money it makes: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 6
Founder Dave Chesson shares how he created a successful book marketing software, generating $120k a month, and offers advice for non-techies on how to hire programmers, prioritize support, and innovate continuously.
2. Foreword Reviews ($1.08M/year)
Victoria Sutherland, founder of Foreword Reviews, came up with the idea for her business while working for a small press magazine. She noticed that independent publishers were not getting much coverage and saw an opportunity to provide long-form reviews for these smaller presses. With her background in advertising and a passion for books, she started Foreword Reviews to fill the gap in the market and support indie presses.
How much money it makes: $1.08M/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 7
Foreword Reviews is a media company that started out as a magazine with a print run of 7,500 copies, serving as a brochure for publishing services including foreign rights exchange and digital content, and twenty years and some intense pivots later, it has become one of the most profitable in the book business.
3. RedTedArt ($264K/year)
Maggy Woodley, the founder of Red Ted Art, started the blog as a way to make some extra income while staying home with her kids. She initially tried selling pop art canvases but discovered a love for blogging and crafts. Through dedication and perseverance, she built up her blog and now earns a full-time salary through various revenue streams such as automated adverts, pre-roll ads on YouTube, and sponsored projects.
How much money it makes: $264K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
Discover how Maggy Woodley built Red Ted Art, a crafts blog that now generates $22k per month through various revenue streams, including automated adverts, sponsored projects, and publishing books, all while keeping the projects accessible and easy to replicate.
4. Conundrum Publishing ($240K/year)
Nick Thacker stumbled into full-time writing after realizing he was making more from writing novels than from his 9-5 job. He started by self-publishing his books and honing his craft, eventually building a full-service book production firm and earning around $10,000 to $20,000 per month in royalties from his thriller and action-adventure novels.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How many people on the team: 2
This case study follows full-time thriller and action-adventure author Nick Thacker who earns between $10k to $20k per month from writing, predominantly through Amazon Kindle Unlimited sales, and goes in-depth into his self-publishing strategy which maximizes sales and minimizes costs, such as developing a mailing list and utilizing print-on-demand services.
5. Mouse Book Club ($120K/year)
David Dewane, the co-founder and president of the Mouse Book Club, came up with the idea while sitting on a bus and noticing everyone on their phones. He realized that people are constantly reading on their phones, but often don't remember what they read. This led him to create phone-sized physical books as an alternative, mailing over 40,000 books to 60+ countries and generating $170,000 in sales in the first two years.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How many people on the team: 0
The Mouse Book Club is a start-up that mails physical, pocket-sized books to help readers disconnect from their digital devices, with over $170k in sales and 40,000 books sent to 60+ countries in the first two years.
6. Finn and Remy, LLC ($24K/year)
Jane, a lawyer and engineer with an artsy streak, rediscovered her love for art while decorating her children's nurseries. After launching a watercolor greeting card design featuring a hedgehog, she received positive feedback and decided to create more animal-based doodles. With a baby strapped to her waist, she ran test prints, launched a presale, and eventually expanded to art prints and books. Now, she and her husband travel the world while writing and illustrating children's books that spark curiosity and appreciation for storytelling.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.2K
How many people on the team: 0
This case study follows Jane, an artist and author, who left the American Dream to travel the world while writing and illustrating her books, with her latest book, "Finn + Remy Present: Einstein’s Trampoline," aimed at introducing fundamental concepts of physics to children aged 4-10, available on Amazon for just $4.99.
7. DragonTree Publishing ($2.4K/year)
This British founder's idea for a business came about when she realized the potential market for a guidebook to the astronomical observatory on the Spanish island of La Palma. Through personal connections and targeted marketing, the founder has sold thousands of copies of her guidebook, and plans to continue expanding her book collection and guiding services. The combination of tour guiding and self-publishing has allowed her to have a good quality of life on the island.
How much money it makes: $2.4K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Learn how a writer and tour guide turned her niche knowledge of the Spanish island of La Palma into a successful book business, earning ⅓ of her modest income through sales of her self-published guide book to the island's astronomical observatory and other publications, often selling directly to observatory visitors and other outlets, and how the books promote her income-earning work.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
