First Full Day for Cheri's Bookseller Online Blog

Yesterday... A "Murphy's Law" Day

Well... This is my first full day as an official blogger. As I look back at yesterday, I am amazed that I even got Cheri's Bookseller Online Blog posted online. Everything that could go wrong... went wrong yesterday but as any netrepreneur knows... you do not give up.

That is true for selling book, or anything online. There will be slow selling periods, non-paying buyers, charge-backs, and even personal challenges. But you just do not give up! For tomorrow may bring the ultimate sale that voids each difficult situation. You have to look at each "challenge" as a learning opportunity.

Over the years, I have had many "learning" opportunities from web designing... to determining the proper light for clear auction photographs... to identifying a First Edition book. When I started my venture into the vast world of e-commerce, I literally had no choice but to learn as I went along.

• Web Designing - I could not afford the services of a professional web designer, so I set out to learn html codes. Now, I can create attention-catching websites and auction text in record time (a personal opinion).

• Camera selection - Initially I used a basic 35-mm camera. I took pictures of auction items (books included) and had the local photo shop to process and transfer the pictures to a computer disk. It was a happy day when I placed a bid on eBay and won my faithful Olympus digital camera that has long been retired now. Now, I am using another Olympus that I bought at a local retail store's close-out sale. (Tip: Retail sales are good for locating certain items to sell online.)

• Proper Lighting - Good, clear pictures are essential for online selling. My first ones were a little dark and blurry until I created my "Studio", my photo box. It is simply a three sided box with a white or black drape cloth (the color used depends on the color of the object to be photographed). I can attach lights to the top or sides for the desired amount of light needed for a clear, bright picture without a glare. I am able to take pictures with an uncluttered background and good lighting. Although not very "high-tech", but it works for me.

• Book Conditions & Grading - In bookselling, condition and grading are very important when describing books to potential buyers. In my start-up years, this lack of information led to a costly mistake. I sold a $300 book for $24.95 (ouch!) just because I was unable to identify the book as a First Edition. (That must have been one happy buyer.) Needless to say, I made it my business to learn as much as possible about First Editions and the various publishers' identification practices.

Yesterday... A Learning Opportunity

The sampling of past learning "opportunities" is a case for establishing an ongoing goal... To Learn Something New Daily. It might be a bookselling resource, marketing tool, website, or blog. Your learning should not necessarily result from a problem but result as a planned personal and/or business goal. Information is a valuable commodity.

So, as I looked back on yesterday filled with problems. I can identify several learning opportunities. Well, lets see... I discovered and used two powerful business solutions that will help me to expand my online presence, learn what my website visitors are interested in, network with others, and learn how other people are using the Internet. So, it was a "Good Day" because...

MyBlogLog:

I learned about MyBlogLog through Steve Weber's Selling Books Blog. MyBlogLog is an online blog community where you can learn what your visitors find interesting on your website or blog. As a "newbie" blogger, I have some difficulties getting my website properly posted but the quick assistance from MyBlogLog fixed the problem. Highly recommended!

The Blogger:

Once I linked my website to the MyBlogLog community, I decided that it was time to launch my own bookselling-related blog... Cheri's Bookseller Online Blog. It will allow me to share newly found bookselling resources and information faster. A special thanks goes to Elaine Smith for her contribution to the bookselling blog community. That is one thing that I have discovered... despite all of the negative things that you hear about the internet, there are a lot of helpful people willing to share information online. The forums and blogs have been excellent sources for bookselling, online auction, and technical information. More about the forums later!

Tomorrow is another day for learning!