Book lovers know that there’s nothing like curling up with a good read. But have you ever imagined a life where you could be surrounded by books every day, delivering your love of reading to the masses?
Though big players dominate the space, clever founders who fill a gap in the market can find success in the book industry. There’s plenty of room for newcomers and niche bookstores: In 2025 alone, Circana BookScan tracked more than 762 million printed books sold across the year. And major bookseller Barnes and Noble is planning to open 60 new brick-and-mortar bookstores in 2026.
The global online book market is growing, too. Estimates put it at $26 billion in 2025, with a predicted increase to more than $48 billion by 2034. Even with ebooks and audiobooks in the mix, physical books aren’t relics of another era, and starting an online bookstore can still be a lucrative business idea in 2026.
This guide covers everything from how to source books to where to sell them online, all supported by expert advice from successful online booksellers.
This guide focuses primarily on opening an online bookstore, because that’s where most new booksellers start today. You’ll learn how to sell books through different online business models, from vintage resale and curated drops to subscription boxes and direct-to-reader sales.
That said, this isn’t online-only advice. If you’re an author looking to self-publish, or you’re testing the waters before opening a physical store, the fundamentals still apply.
“My learning curve was everything,” says Dominique Lenaye, former owner of Wisconsin’s Itty Bitty Bookstore. She knew how to connect with people and build community, but the mechanics of running a bookstore were unfamiliar. “I had no idea how to open a bookstore.”
Like most founders, Dominique learned by researching what worked for others and figuring things out as she went. You don’t have to start from scratch.
Opening a bookstore starts with three decisions:
Once you’ve established these basics, you can move into sourcing inventory, setting up your store, and building your marketing plan.
Beyond the traditional bookstore model that carries a wide range of genres, there are many other ways to launch a business in the book space.
Here are a few ideas:
Kerrie Hansler, who founded a subscription book brand called Sweet Reads Box, carved out a niche by focusing on Canadian-made items and handpicking the box contents to match the theme of the book—something she says other subscriptions boxes don’t do as consistently.
Dominique chose to focus on books by and about underrepresented people. “I am continually on the hunt for new books, new authors, new series, and new characters that bring joy into the Black and brown communities,” she says. In staying true to this niche, she’s built a loyal customer base of those looking for a curated experience.
Similarly, mothers Sadaf Siddique and Gauri Manglik launched their own online bookstore, KitaabWorld, when they noticed a lack of representation of South Asian characters and authors in the US market.
“Amazon is a jungle,” says Gauri. “Until you know something exists, it’s not always that easy to find it.” The women would later become ambassadors for book diversity, working to bring South Asian stories to libraries and classrooms and eventually publishing books of their own.
“I don’t want my books to come with my toothpaste,” says Kerrie. Amazon started as a bookseller, and today it’s a convenient solution for consumers who want a one-stop shop for books and pretty much everything else.
While it’s tough for small businesses to compete on price and shipping speed, those who want to succeed in the market need to stop considering massive retailers as direct competition. “Honestly, I pay them no mind,” says Dominique of Amazon.
Like Dominique, lean into what makes your idea unique—especially if it’s something the massive retailers could never achieve:
“I choose every day to focus on my shop, my community, my employees, and my readers’ experience, without comparison,” says Dominique. “I strive to curate the best collection I can, and I stay humbly honest about what our store provides and stands for.”
An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numerical code used to identify a book. Publishers, retailers, libraries, and other businesses along the book supply chain use this unique number for inventory management and ordering. Books published up to the end of 2006 have a 10-digit ISBN, while books from 2007 and on have a 13-digit ISBN.
Here are some other trade terms that you should become familiar with as you embark on your bookselling journey.
Opening an online bookstore can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on how deep you go on custom design and testing.
Below is a practical phased framework with a rough timeline you can use to plan backward from your chosen launch week.
💡Pro tip: Use Shopify’s online store builder to create a branded bookstore, organize collections, and publish pages without needing a developer. Manage physical books, digital products, and bundles from one dashboard and sell through your website, social channels, and marketplaces.
Establishing a clear message, story, and visual treatment of your brand is important in any industry. Your bookstore brand should take a unique perspective that answers the question: Why should customers buy from you?
Once you’ve honed in on your business model and your niche, go through the exercise of writing your brand story. This should include your personal journey to entrepreneurship, your “why” for starting your business, the values that guide you, your mission statement, and the impact you want to have on the industry and your customers.
Also consider bringing your ideal customer profile (ICP) into sharp focus. Homing in on what makes your potential customers tick helps you build your brand around their needs. This also connects your personal “why” to a real audience, helping you translate your brand in a way that resonates with others. When your values match that of your ideal customer, it’s a win-win.
Your brand “bible” will be developed through this exercise and should include clear guidelines around voice and tone, marketing strategy, hiring practices, and a visual system for your branding.
Branding comes next. This is where you’ll develop a logo, design packaging, produce visual assets, and establish the elements like fonts and colors that will be consistent across websites, social media, and anywhere your brand is visible.
The cost of starting a book business will vary considerably depending on your business model.
At one end of the spectrum, you have low-overhead models like self-publishing or print-on-demand. At the other, you have full brick-and-mortar stores with rent, staff, and inventory to manage. Most new booksellers land somewhere in between.
For authors starting their own book business, upfront costs tend to center on production and promotion rather than inventory.
“Costs depend on the experience of the author, as well as the genre and length of the book,” says bestselling author and entrepreneur Joanna Penn. Shorter nonfiction books might cost around $1,000 for editing and cover design, while longer fiction titles often require multiple rounds of editing—pushing total costs into the several-thousand-dollar range.
Beyond the book itself, you’ll also want to budget for a website or online store, advertising, launch promotions, and ongoing visibility.
📚Read: How to Self-Publish a Book: Complete Guide + Costs (2026)
If you’re selling books by other authors, inventory becomes your biggest variable cost. Many publishers and distributors don’t require large minimum orders. That makes it possible to start with a small, curated selection and scale as demand grows.
Typical early costs include:
This model gives you flexibility. You don’t need to bet everything on day one, but you do need enough runway to learn what sells and allow time to restock.
Brick-and-mortar stores come with the highest upfront costs—and the highest stakes.
“Itty Bitty Bookstore started small in a 120-square-foot office space that I turned into a bookstore,” says Dominique. That modest beginning kept costs manageable. But she’s clear about the reality of going bigger. “If you’re looking to go all in right away, you should set aside $20,000 to $30,000.”
That budget typically covers:
It’s a bigger commitment, but for some booksellers, the physical space is central to the experience they want to create.
Yes, it can be, but margins tend to be modest unless you carve out a niche or diversify revenue streams.
Some small online booksellers report annual mid-range incomes once they scale a bit, with common figures cited between $60,000 and $150,000 or more per year depending on traffic, pricing, and operational costs.
In the US alone, online book retail revenue was about $10.2 billion in 2025. The online segment has grown steadily at roughly a 4.6% annual pace over the past several years.
Books as a product typically have lower profit margins compared with many other retail categories, because publishers often sell to retailers at significant discounts, and pricing tends to be competitive.
Selling ebooks or digital bundles often yields higher net margins than physical books, though it usually requires stronger marketing and visibility strategies.
How you decide to fund your business will depend on your budget and needs. Consider bank loans, VC funding, grants, or crowdfunding. “Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms allow for special fan-funded print runs,” Joanna says of self-publishing. You may also qualify for Shopify Capital after you launch your online business, to help you with ongoing costs.
A business plan helps you by forcing decisions that will dictate your budget. It makes you answer questions you can otherwise dodge for months, like: Who are you selling to? What does success look like in year one? How much cash do you actually need, and where will it come from?
According to a Shopify merchant survey* conducted in November 2025, 79% of established merchants fund growth with their profits, but 62% also tap additional funding sources.
The same survey found that only 34% of established merchants wrote a business plan before starting. Of those who didn’t have a formal plan, 46% said they skipped it because the business began as a side project and grew over time. That’s common. It’s also why many founders circle back to planning later, once the stakes are higher.
You don’t need a 40-page document, but you do need a plan that helps you think clearly about:
If you’re seeking funding, lenders and partners will expect to see a business plan. And even if you’re self-funding, you’ll still benefit from seeing the numbers on paper.
You don’t have to pay a consultant to get started:
Generally, new books bought from a publisher will have a set list price (or retail price). Your profit margin will depend on how much you paid for the book—and this number can vary. Large retailers and chains can offer lower prices because they enjoy volume discounts.
A small business shouldn’t try to compete on the best price. Big-box stores often offer discounts on bestsellers and new releases—sometimes resulting in retail prices lower than a small business’s cost for the same book.
“I tend to shy away from trendy or most-popular lists, so I don’t usually have the same books that people see in Barnes & Noble,” says Dominique. If she does carry a widely in-demand book, she reads it herself so she can provide knowledgeable service. “That experience alone makes my customers willing to pay to purchase from me rather than a big-box store.”
When pricing used or vintage books, list price is no longer a factor. Your retail price may be much higher or lower than the list, depending on a number of things: age of the book, condition, demand, rarity, out-of-print status, and cultural relevance.
While there are a number of ways to open a bookstore or sell books, this section focuses on specific advice for two options: self-publishing to sell your own books, and selling used and vintage books.
“The independent creator community is increasingly empowered, as more opportunities emerge to reach readers and make an income,” says Joanna.
When you self-publish a book, you keep a much larger share of each sale, compared to traditional publishing. Instead of earning a small royalty percentage, you control pricing, distribution, and margins. That means every sale contributes more meaningfully to revenue, especially when you sell directly to readers through your own site.
Just as important: You own the relationship. Selling your own books online lets you decide how readers discover your work, how you communicate with them, and what happens after the first purchase.
Many independent authors also use self-publishing as a testing ground. You can launch one title, learn what resonates, and refine your positioning without waiting on gatekeepers or long production cycles.
✨Real-life example: Take HexComix. Self-publishing allowed the comic creator trio of Lynly Forrest, Lisa K. Weber, and Kelly Sue Milano to make their own rules and maintain creative control over HexComix. It was also an inroad into a male-dominated industry.
The women launched cautiously, with a 150-copy print run of their first issue—and sold out by the second day of their first comic convention. “The power has come back into the hands of the creator,” says Lisa. “It creates more opportunities for everyone.”
Some self-published authors go a step further by building subscription-based offerings alongside book sales.
This can look like:
Thrift businesses have increased in popularity as more consumers become conscious of waste and sustainability. Though audio and ebooks have emerged to address some of this issue of consumption, many people still prefer the feel of a paper book.
Used and vintage booksellers will need to contend with a very high number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and product listings, as each item will be one of a kind. Online booksellers, therefore, may choose to hone in on a specific corner of the market and seek out rare or unique titles within a genre or time period.
Used and vintage books can be found through a number of sources, including:
Unless the used book is rare, vintage, antique, or out of print, it would generally retail for less than the listed price on the book. That means you’ll want to be selective about the used books you carry, especially if you’re selling online.
Consider the effort required to list the book (a one-of-a-kind item) on your website and storage. If the book is easy to find elsewhere or doesn’t have much demand, your retail price may be too low to justify carrying it.
💡Pro tip: Books should be stored away from high humidity, out of sunlight, and in a manner that prevents them from warping or bending. When listing used or vintage books for sale, be sure to include additional information about the edition, including print date, condition, and any damage.
If you’re planning to sell new books, you’ll need to find a supplier. You may choose to work directly with a number of publishers or buy books from a wholesaler or distributor. In some cases you may even get better prices on books, and you’ll save the hassle of managing multiple relationships.
As a newcomer, you may find that it’s easier to work with one wholesaler. In Canada, however, Kerrie found that it was simple to set up accounts with publishers directly. “I literally just called them and asked who their sales reps were in the area and then connected,” she says.
As you build relationships with publishers, you will begin to get more flexibility. As Kerrie’s business grew and she proved herself a valuable client, the publishers would send ARCs earlier and earlier.
While some publishers may have minimum order quantities (MOQs), many do not. “I think it would be really common for a small, independent bookstore to only order five copies of a book,” says Kerrie. She adds that it’s possible to order as little as one copy of a book, say, in the event that you get a customer request.
Quantities and terms of the order will affect your costs. For example, if you request for the copies of the book to be returnable to the publisher, you’ll pay a higher cost for each book.
There can be some flexibility, though, says Kerrie. “We buy them as non-returnable to get the bigger discount, but then we’ve been able to return some with special permission.”
Publishers may also provide you with little extras, like signed bookplates and letters from authors, as your relationship grows. “Through the publisher, authors will write a custom letter to our readers,” says Kerrie. “They wouldn’t offer that up as a new client, but we’ve built relationships over the last four years.”
Once your supplier accounts are set up, it’s time to understand how ordering affects your profits. Not over-ordering can keep your costs down, but it can lead to stockouts. It’s important to find the right inventory balance.
Social sales channels, print-on-demand tools, and ecommerce platforms like Shopify help you get set up in minutes.
Now that you’ve done your branding exercise and honed in on your business model, you can set up an online store even before you’ve bought inventory.
There are a number of benefits to getting a website and social pages live before you launch. You can build excitement for your brand, get early feedback, and grow your audience and email marketing list so you have eager customers waiting once you officially open for business.
Plug your logo, visual assets, and copy into a website theme that complements your brand. Many are fully customizable, allowing you to update colors and page elements to suit your layout.
Here are some preset bookseller themes available from Shopify:
Alternatively, use Shopify’s user-friendly AI store builder to create a free store design in minutes. Enter a quick description of your bookselling business to generate custom themes with a unique look tailored for the industry. If your needs are more advanced, you can hire a Shopify Partner to help you build additional customizations.
💡Pro tip: Need help picking the right template for your store? Take Shopify’s theme-picker quiz.
You can also power up your online bookstore with apps that integrate seamlessly with your online platform. Here are a few Shopify apps designed for online booksellers:
Alongside your own website, you should consider additional sales channels to expand your reach to more customers. Depending on your niche and genre, there are multiple options:
💡Pro tip: You can use a pop-up as a great grand opening idea for your online store launch, too.
The November 2025 Shopify merchant survey* found 53% of established merchants said word of mouth was their primary growth driver in their first year. Another 35% grew mainly by building a social media presence. Both are zero-cost strategies, and both reward consistency.
Start with a marketing plan that employs organic marketing tricks to help you build buzz and an audience for your business:
Social media is now one of the most powerful discovery engines in the industry. #BookTok is a massive community of book lovers who create TikTok videos that share reviews and recommendations. Approximately 59 million print book sales in 2024 were tied to #BookTok-related influencer content.
Here’s how to approach #BookTok:
And here’s how to approach #BookTok’s Instagram counterpart, #bookstagram, which has 124 million tagged posts as of writing:
Readers often come to social media to discover the answer to “What should I read next?”
Creating content that answers that question does two things at once: It drives organic search traffic over time, and it positions your bookstore as a trusted reading adviser. The latter is something Amazon’s algorithm simply can’t replicate.
Amazon is good at showing what’s popular, but not at explaining why a book might matter to a specific reader, in a specific moment. Search content lets you do exactly that.
Here are some examples:
Email marketing is your most profitable channel because you own the audience. Align your emails with the book industry’s natural rhythm:
Your biggest advantage over retailers like Amazon is the ability to create genuine connections. Turn your store into a hub for readers gather and socialize:
The logistics of opening and running your own bookstore will vary depending on what you sell and how you sell it.
A common challenge among booksellers, though, is inventory. Book businesses (unless you are self-publishing one book and printing on demand) generally carry a large number of SKUs and have a ton of inventory to contend with. “Without a solid grasp on inventory,” says Dominique, “things can get out of control quickly.”
We went from packing boxes in our basement to our living room to a friend’s basement and then to a warehouse in town. We’ve now moved to a 3PL for packing.
Shopify allows you to sync your inventory across sales channels, and there are several inventory management apps that integrate with your store to optimize your operations. A good inventory system is critical when dealing with thousands of SKUs because it lets you:
As you scale, consider outsourcing warehousing, packing, and shipping to a third-party logistics (3PL) company. “We went from packing boxes in our basement to our living room to a friend’s basement and then to a warehouse in town. We’ve now moved to a 3PL for packing,” says Kerrie. That move also helped Sweet Reads Box enter the US market. “We can get help with the customs clearance because they can clear a whole shipment.”
Sweet Reads Box also brought on more help to manage the back end of the business so Kerrie could stay connected to sourcing the products. Kerrie’s cofounder’s daughter was the first employee. “We’ve since hired employees that help us manage customer service emails, ordering, shipping, and the behind the scenes,” she says.
To aspiring booksellers, both Dominique and Kerrie suggest sticking to your plan. “It is so easy to get sidetracked without a business plan and mission,” says Dominique. Your business plan and brand exercise will become the basis for how you move forward.
If you build your business on a unique niche or format, that’s what’s going to win you loyal customers and help you stand out. “Be true to what you love,” says Kerrie. “I’m not a sci-fi reader. We could do sci-fi boxes, but I wouldn’t know what to put in it.” Both women built businesses that resonate with customers looking to cut through the noise of massive retailers with millions of books.
With new tools emerging every day, there’s never been an easier time to be an online independent bookseller. Find your niche, wield the power of storytelling, and build a future by spreading the magic of reading.
*Based on a 2025 survey of 500 Shopify merchants conducted in English across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Respondents were established merchants with more than two years on the platform. Results reflect the experiences of this specific sample and may not be representative of all merchants.
If you’re selling your own books or using print-on-demand, you can get started with a few hundred dollars to cover basics like a website, design, and light marketing.
If you’re reselling books by other authors, costs rise based on inventory, shipping supplies, and marketing, but many publishers allow small initial orders, which helps keep upfront spend manageable.
Profitability comes less from volume and more from control and differentiation.
Some of the more profitable approaches include:
Most don’t try to, and that’s the point.
Amazon wins on speed and price. Online bookstores win on taste and human recommendation. Readers come to independent stores for thoughtful curation, and community and connection.
Amazon can ship you a book in a day or two, but its algorithm can’t replicate a trusted reading adviser who understands why someone wants a particular book right now.
For most independent booksellers, Shopify is a strong fit.
Shopify supports secure checkout and payments; inventory and order management; and selling through your website, social channels, and more.
No, you don’t need a limited liability company (LLC) to sell ebooks.
Many authors and booksellers start as sole proprietors. That said, forming an LLC can offer benefits like liability protection and clearer separation between personal and business finances.
