Opening Bookstore

[PaulAllen]

I am on Samui and in my part of the island there are no book stores but plenty of tourists so I think one would do well. I want to sell new and used books as wells as newspapers and magazines.

How do I go about getting the new books? Do I have to pay for them all up front or do I get them "free" and then pay back a commission when they sell? I beleive that is how the mags and newspapers do it? If so, then it doesn't seem like I would need a lot of capital to set up the store other than construction and staff. All the printed material would be stocked with no costs to me. I know it will take a while to build up the used book section.

Also, I know there are chains of bookstores in Thailand such as Bookazine. Maybe this is a way to go? However, I am sure they want a huge up-front payment for using their name.

Please, any ideas or suggestions would help.

Thanks in advance.

[blizzard]

dont do it. peeple dont go to samui to reed. tourists dont hang out in bookstores. thais do but they dont buy.

Edited September 9, 2007 by blizzard

[Orion76]

dont do it. peeple dont go to samui to reed. tourists dont hang out in bookstores. thais do but they dont buy.

Lots of people read books when they're on holiday, in addition many tourists buy picture books of Thai architecture and art etc. to put on the coffee table back home.

I seriously doubt any publisher or distributor would provide a full inventory of books with no upfront money to a start up in Samui though.

[Crash999]

dont do it. peeple dont go to samui to reed. tourists dont hang out in bookstores. thais do but they dont buy.

Leaf him alone. He may be a little green but opening a bookstore branch is an idea ripe for picking.

[palm]

I am on Samui and in my part of the island there are no book stores but plenty of tourists so I think one would do well. I want to sell new and used books as wells as newspapers and magazines.

How do I go about getting the new books? Do I have to pay for them all up front or do I get them "free" and then pay back a commission when they sell? I beleive that is how the mags and newspapers do it? If so, then it doesn't seem like I would need a lot of capital to set up the store other than construction and staff. All the printed material would be stocked with no costs to me. I know it will take a while to build up the used book section.

Also, I know there are chains of bookstores in Thailand such as Bookazine. Maybe this is a way to go? However, I am sure they want a huge up-front payment for using their name.

Please, any ideas or suggestions would help.

Thanks in advance.

If you love books and don't expect to make fortunes, why not?

Good luck!

[blizzard]

i think he wants to make money. he thinks he sees an oppurtunity.

sorry i just dont see tourists in bookstores.

usa reading material like papers and magazines just cost too mut in los, otherwise id buy...lol.

Edited September 10, 2007 by blizzard

[Prakanong]

i think he wants to make money. he thinks he sees an oppurtunity.

sorry i just dont see tourists in bookstores.

usa reading material like papers and magazines just cost too mut in los, otherwise id buy...lol.

Well maybe you do not see tourists in bookstores because you do not visit bookstores yourself.

Take a look in Bookazine next to Tony Roma's, Asia Books in The Landmark and Time4s Square plus across the road - you will see plenty of tourists in bookstores as well as locals.

In Samui the % of tourists in bookstores is even higher - last time I bought books down there the store was quite busy. I think one store I have been to down there has been there about a decade or so.

People do read on holiday, they also buy the coffeee table books spoken about above as well as books set in the region - just look at the preponderance of badly written novels in any of these shops about bar and non bar girls etc - Private Dance looks like Dostoevsky compared to most ;-)

The OP may want to consider second hand books or even a mix - a poster on here looks to be quite successful in Chiang Mai - maybe look at his model?

[thomo]

I wouldn't open or be involved with any type of business venture on Samui as it's as good as a mafia run Island, or will be in the not too distant future. If you want people threatening you with 'You pay 10,000B every month or your house and business get burned down' then setting fire to your motorbike to show they're not joking then go for it.

As for the bookshop it could be a good little venture that brings in enough to survive and live quite an idyllic life, like all businesses it depends what you put into it. Check out Gecko Books in Chiang Mai, think they have about 4 or 5 branchs open nowadays. The owner is a regular on the Chiang Mai forum I think.

All the best.

[blizzard]

the bookstore near tomy romas is devoid of customers. i walk past there every time . go to mbk and look at bookstore next to sizzler, all thais.

[JR Texas]

the bookstore near tomy romas is devoid of customers. i walk past there every time . go to mbk and look at bookstore next to sizzler, all thais.

People are reading less worldwide.......I would advise you to be very cautious about opening a bookstore. Have you thought of combining it with something else, like a coffee and crepes (very inexpensive to make and delicious) place.

When I was at the University of North Carolina--Chappel Hill, we had a nice bookstore right by campus. It was different because half of it was devoted to books and the other half was a coffee place with nice chairs and reading lamps. The idea was to pick up a book and have a coffee while deciding to buy it. The idea seemed to work.

In a way, this is what Starbucks is doing......they offer newspapers and magazines and coffee and comfort. Just an idea. Good luck. I know, from experience, that when you start a business you do not want to hear people say "you can't do it." It can happen, but it is risky, in my view.

[Prakanong]

the bookstore near tomy romas is devoid of customers. i walk past there every time . go to mbk and look at bookstore next to sizzler, all thais.

And how long does it take you to walk past - all the while telling the tuk tuk boys you do not wantr massage and telling the time share girls no thanks?

Of course you can see upstairs as well while heading to the beer garden or wherever

I pop in there almost evey visit and its busy enough

Just because you do not read do not assume that other do not either!

[Prakanong]

the bookstore near tomy romas is devoid of customers. i walk past there every time . go to mbk and look at bookstore next to sizzler, all thais.

People are reading less worldwide.......I would advise you to be very cautious about opening a bookstore. Have you thought of combining it with something else, like a coffee and crepes (very inexpensive to make and delicious) place.

When I was at the University of North Carolina--Chappel Hill, we had a nice bookstore right by campus. It was different because half of it was devoted to books and the other half was a coffee place with nice chairs and reading lamps. The idea was to pick up a book and have a coffee while deciding to buy it. The idea seemed to work.

In a way, this is what Starbucks is doing......they offer newspapers and magazines and coffee and comfort. Just an idea. Good luck. I know, from experience, that when you start a business you do not want to hear people say "you can't do it." It can happen, but it is risky, in my view.

Yes - this business model is offered by a lot of the big book shops too.

One thing I would worry about though is casual readers rendering books unsalable due to breaking spines etc - I am a fascist about that and once dumped a girl as she broke the spine on a book I lent her

[garro]

I think that this could work but the OP needs to be aware that he could easily lose everything he puts into it. Worth a gamble though and at least he is not wanting to open another bar.

It is my dream to one day open a bookstore here in Phitsanulok but I wouldn't be expecting to make money but see it more as a hobby as I love books.

Good luck to tho OP anyway.

[Prakanong]

I think that this could work but the OP needs to be aware that he could easily lose everything he puts into it. Worth a gamble though and at least he is not wanting to open another bar.

It is my dream to one day open a bookstore here in Phitsanulok but I wouldn't be expecting to make money but see it more as a hobby as I love books.

Good luck to tho OP anyway.

Exactly - its a lifestyle business in most cases on this scale - if it funds your lifestyle and maybe provides a surplus to invest in the future well done.

If you want to grow a large scale profitable business then thats another whole scenario

[tutsiwarrior]

I'd think about opening a used book business...1000s of tourists come with throwaways to read on the beach...it would be hard to get quality stuff as the favored material is the likes of garbage like Tom Clancy and Danielle Steel but you have to consider yer market...

UG, don't puss out...get in here and help out; we need more booksellers to counter the local mafia in overpriced paperbacks...

[blizzard]

good run bar has better chance than a well run bookstore.

[MickeyM]

the bookstore near tomy romas is devoid of customers. i walk past there every time . go to mbk and look at bookstore next to sizzler, all thais.

Bad Example - That is a Sci-Ed store which has predominantly Thai Materials. Try Kinokunya or Asia books for a better example (Paragon, Discovery, Empoium, etc.). Good mix of Thai and Foreigners.

[Prakanong]

good run bar has better chance than a well run bookstore.

So what is the capital involved in each?

The hassle of more staff in the bar and its inherent problems

What about your own lifestyle ie opening hours - when does the owner get a social/family life.

I know you are pretty new to Thailand - the allure of owining your own bar seems attractive to so many at some early period but you get over it

[canadiangirl]

I'll preface all of this by saying I know nothing about owning a bookstore (but I worked in one in high school) but I've often been a customer. I've also never been to Samui, so I don't know how long the average person stays there, etc.

So at least you know you're getting an informed opinion! :-P

But if I were thinking of opening a bookstore somewhere like Samui, I would ask myself:

How long does the "average" visitor to Samui stay? What are the demographics of people who come to Samui? A backpacker who stays for a month, IMHO, would buy different kind of books than a middle-aged couple flying in and out for a one week vacation. On an island with many long-term visitors, perhaps a used bookstore, with a good exchange program (like gecko books has in chiang mai, I think) could do well -- as people want to buy a bunch of books, probably would return more than once, and might want to trade in the ones they already have for more books to read. Whereas I think a couple flying in and out might be more interested in the latest best sellers to read on the beach, and then some spiffy coffee tables books/gifts to bring back home. Long term visitors are less interested in those big glossy books, I think, as they are expensive and annoying to drag around if you're not going home immediately.

Depending on what's already available around where you are planning on starting your bookstore, I would be tempted to have a little coffee shop/snack section (as someone also suggested), or something else that fits well with books. Is it feasible to offer free wifi access for customers or something else to draw them in?

Things that i found good about bookstores in Thailand:

* used bookstores with great selections -- some on Kao San and Gecko books in Chiang Mai have a better selection than many back home!

* Having lots of great books about Asia/Thailand

* Having really nice staff (I once almost fainted in a store because of the heat, and the Thai cashier was SO nice to me, I always went back there when I wanted books)

* Having exchange programs for used bookstores -- when I saw this with gecko books, i thought it was genius. (sorry to harp about gecko books -- but i thought it was really good store when i went there.)

Dumb things some bookstores in Thailand do that I suggest you avoid:

* having rude Thai staff

* wrapping books in shrinkwrap (Maybe you can't avoid doing this, but it's so annoying, and some places have probably lost sales from me because of it)

* Being open unpredictable hours, so you never know if your trip into town might be for nothing

I think bookstores, like bars, really benefit from having an owner that's a bit of gregarious character who likes to chat up people and give advice, tell stories, recommend interesting books etc. It makes people want to come back to get more interesting books suggestions, and in a saturated market like Thailand (where every business gets copied 5 million times), I think having a cool personality and making people feel at home is something that sets you apart from all the similar stores.

As well, I would give serious thought to relying too much on being the only bookstore in the area in your plans -- it seems to me that every successful business with low startup costs gets immediately copied in Thailand. Can you think of a way to still make money if a competing bookstore opens across the street?

I have no idea if any of this is of any use to you at all, but I wish you good luck! :-)

Edited September 11, 2007 by canadiangirl

[Prakanong]

"* wrapping books in shrinkwrap (Maybe you can't avoid doing this, but it's so annoying, and some places have probably lost sales from me because of it)"

This anoys me as well but I can totally see the requirement for it ie you can not sell damaged books except at a discount.

To get round it you can have one copy for browsing I suppose (or 2 or 3) for a popular book while keeping the rest shrink wrapped for sale.

The problem arises when there is only one copy of a book in the store as happended to me in Kinokyiyu (SP) on Orchard Road the other night - I could not be bothered to go to information counter to have it unwrapped so bought a different book on the same subject I could browse first - saved me a 10 SDG and is probably a better book i bought

[canadiangirl]

"* wrapping books in shrinkwrap (Maybe you can't avoid doing this, but it's so annoying, and some places have probably lost sales from me because of it)"

This anoys me as well but I can totally see the requirement for it ie you can not sell damaged books except at a discount.

To get round it you can have one copy for browsing I suppose (or 2 or 3) for a popular book while keeping the rest shrink wrapped for sale.

The problem arises when there is only one copy of a book in the store as happended to me in Kinokyiyu (SP) on Orchard Road the other night - I could not be bothered to go to information counter to have it unwrapped so bought a different book on the same subject I could browse first - saved me a 10 SDG and is probably a better book i bought

Yeah, it might be unavoidable to wrap books up. What do businesses in the West do about the damaged book problem? Do they just absorb it in the cost of doing business? Can they return damaged books to the publisher?

Your "one copy for browsing" seems like it could be a good compromise.

If it were my business, I'd try to estimate out how much money you'd lose in damaged books vs. how much business you'd lose from wrapping up books.

Edited September 11, 2007 by canadiangirl

[Khun Jean]

Samui already has a few bookshops selling used and new books.

In my opinion those are enough to supply the market which is not that big after all.

Another angle is to get your hands on as many second hand books as possible and you can be a supplier to bookshops.

Passing tourist can be a good supply, as are hotels and guesthouses. Many books are left behind once read. Try to get those by chartering a few room cleaners and such.

In Bangkok and Chiang Mai there is always a shortage of good second hand books.

[Prakanong]

"* wrapping books in shrinkwrap (Maybe you can't avoid doing this, but it's so annoying, and some places have probably lost sales from me because of it)"

This anoys me as well but I can totally see the requirement for it ie you can not sell damaged books except at a discount.

To get round it you can have one copy for browsing I suppose (or 2 or 3) for a popular book while keeping the rest shrink wrapped for sale.

The problem arises when there is only one copy of a book in the store as happended to me in Kinokyiyu (SP) on Orchard Road the other night - I could not be bothered to go to information counter to have it unwrapped so bought a different book on the same subject I could browse first - saved me a 10 SDG and is probably a better book i bought

Yeah, it might be unavoidable to wrap books up. What do businesses in the West do about the damaged book problem? Do they just absorb it in the cost of doing business? Can they return damaged books to the publisher?

Your "one copy for browsing" seems like it could be a good compromise.

If it were my business, I'd try to estimate out how much money you'd lose in damaged books vs. how much business you'd lose from wrapping up books.

I have no idea about damaged books but have seen them sold of in the sales or maybe the staff get them very cheaply - anyone?

As to when bookstores pay I treally do not know but the story below made me laugh.

I heard a good one from Irvine Welsh the other week on the World Service. He was telling the story of a Glasgow "Ned" (http://www.glasgowsurvival.co.uk/gallery/gallery5.htmlwho) came up to him and said he had read every one of his books. The "Ned" then said sorry Welsh had got no money from him as he had stolen every one of the books from the bookstore to which Welsh replied, "I still get paid so go on stealing them"

[blizzard]

having read all responses carefully, if you want to make money running a bookstore................fougettaboutthit!

just wondering. how can one say samui has book stores and one says there isnt?

how can one see many customers in nana bookstore and another sees very few.

Edited September 11, 2007 by blizzard

[anonymouse]

Canadian Girl has pretty much hit the nail on the head with her suggestions.

I run a little cafe, bar and bookshop up in Chiang Mai, I certainly wouldn't make a living if I concentrated on just one of the income streams, not sure about Samui, it's about ten years since I was last there.

As with ninety nine per cent of all business's location is important, you want to be near other business's that complament yours, eg guest-houses, internet cafes - places that the backpackers go.

Sourcing secondhand books can also be difficult, you don't want to end up with a shop full of Grisham and his ilk.

[blizzard]

so how mut do you make?

[anonymouse]

so how mut do you make?

Never enough!

But if I was selling only books or only food and drink I wouldn't survive the low season.

[canadiangirl]

Canadian Girl has pretty much hit the nail on the head with her suggestions.

I run a little cafe, bar and bookshop up in Chiang Mai, I certainly wouldn't make a living if I concentrated on just one of the income streams, not sure about Samui, it's about ten years since I was last there.

As with ninety nine per cent of all business's location is important, you want to be near other business's that complament yours, eg guest-houses, internet cafes - places that the backpackers go.

Sourcing secondhand books can also be difficult, you don't want to end up with a shop full of Grisham and his ilk.

Oh wow, thanks Anonymouse!

I really know nothing about running a bookstore apart from just knowing what kind of stores I like as a customer.

Chiang Mai has great bookstores! I wonder if I've ever visited yours.

I miss Kao Soi from Chiang Mai.

[bkkmadness]

sorry i just dont see tourists in bookstores.

I'm always visiting a bookstore when I'm on holiday, best time to sit back and have a good read.

[Prakanong]

sorry i just dont see tourists in bookstores.

I'm always visiting a bookstore when I'm on holiday, best time to sit back and have a good read.

He does not see tourists in booksops as he has not been in one himself for years!!!

The three R's seem to have passed him by - well one for sure!