Selling books online can be the start of moneymaking business or can be a effective way to make extra money. Amazon is the largest marketplace in the world for everyone can sell by this platform online. As one of the largest online marketplace for books, Amazon provides a extensive customer base for everything from used novels to sparse ornaments.
While you seeing to sell a small amount of books you don’t have need launch a online-store for this activity. For beginners complete guideline step-by-step and we will give you key information about how to set up an Amazon Seller account , essential guide and strategies which will beneficial for you to creating Amazon selling account and support to you maximize your profits.
Let’s explain in this blog how to sell books on Amazon in 2025.
Why sell books on online?
In today’s everyone want to make money through online, there are many platform available for making money from different methods. Why sell books online? is the a common topic in 2025.
There are numerous forms of entertainment like TV shows, music & movies but people yet feel glad to read books. Selling books online provides many advantages , making it profitable and convenient business. Here are key benefits on selling books online:
Online marketplace gives a global reach, permitting sellers to attract customers from various parts of the world without reigns restrictions.
Contrast with physical bookstores, Online book selling needs little overhead costs, as there is no need to rent a shop.
No need of maintain inventory or a wide variety of inventory.
You can sell used or new books through online.
However, besides these benefits for online selling books you have required to build up a website for handling inventory, orders managing and customer services. Overall, selling books online is a cost-effective, scalable, and accessible business model that provides flexibility and profitability.
Why Sell Books On Amazon?
Amazon is a large online store that sells a wide variety of products and shipping them to customers doorsteps. Selling books on Amazon is a smart choice due to its massive customer base, trusted reputation, and efficient fulfillment services. As the world larges online marketplace, Amazon attracts millions of book buyers daily, giving sellers with a ready-made audience without the requirements for extensive marketing.
Amazon platform offers different selling options, including Amazon FBA, where Amazon handles storage, packaging, and shipping, making the process hassle-free. The platform also provides secure payment processing and customer support, ensuring a smooth experience for both sellers and buyers. Moreover, Amazon advertising tools enable targeted promotion, increasing sales potential. Whether selling new, used, or self-published books, Amazon provides a cost-effective, scalable, and profitable way to tap into the booming online book market.
How to Sell Books on Amazon step-by-step guideline?
Selling books on Amazon is a straightforward process that can be highly profitable. Follow below steps to get started:
1 Step. Select Seller Account Type
This is crucial for beginner’s to know the key types of Amazon seller accounts, before starting selling books on Amazon:
Below are two types of Amazon seller account:
- Professional Seller Account: Amazon charges on monthly subscription fee of $39.99. Professional Amazon seller account is ideal for those who want to sell a wide number of boos or who want to selling into the form of small business.
- Individual Seller Account: Individual seller account is best for those who want to sell occasionally few books, for those individual account is great choice. Currently Amazon charging a little fee $0.99 on per book item sold.
- Individual Seller Account: If you’re only planning to sell a few books occasionally, the Individual account is the best option. Amazon charges a small fee per book sold (currently $0.99) but does not have a monthly fee.
Note: Professional Amazon Seller Account is overall more economical.
2 Step. Decide how you want to Source books
Sourcing books effectively is key to running profitable book-selling business on Amazon. There are numerous ways to acquire books, each with different costs, effort levels, and profit margins.
Below are the best sourcing methods to consider:
- Library Sales
- Retail Arbitrage (Buying from Local stores & Reselling)
- Wholesale (Buying in Bulk from Distributors)
- Publishing Your Own Books (Self-Publishing)
- Distributors
- Yard sales
- Estate Sales
- Auction
By choosing the right sourcing strategy, you can build a successful Amazon book-selling business with sustainable profits.
3 Step. Amazon Seller Account Set Up
Setting up an Amazon Seller account is the first step toward selling books or other products on Amazon. For getting started follow the below steps:
- Got to Amazon Seller Central.
- Click on “Sign Up” and start the registration process.
- Select a Selling plan between individual or professional seller account according to your planning.
- Provide Business and prosomal detail and complete the registration form with all based information and payment details.
- Verify your identity, and approved.
4 Step. Access the Competition and Profitability
Before listing books on Amazon, its essential to analyze profitability and competition to ensure you are making a smart investment. Profitability determines how much money you can make after deducting costs, while competition affects hoe easily you can sell your books. Analyzing these factors will help you choose the right books and avoid losses.
Here’s how to evaluate both factors effectively:
- Checking Profitability: To determine whether selling a book is profitable, you need to calculate the costs involved and compare them with the expected selling price. Amazon charges different types of fees, including a referral fee (15% of the sale price), a closing fee ($1.80 per book), and FBA fees if you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). You should also consider the cost of purchasing the book, shipping expenses, and storage fees.
Using Amazon FBA fee Calculator can help you estimate the exact costs.
- Analyzing Competition: Even if a book is profitable, selling it can be challenging if there is too much competition. The number of sellers offering the same book at a low price can reduce your chances of making a sale. Checking the “Other Seller on Amazon” section on a product page can support determine the level of competition. Another important factor is whether Amazon itself is selling the book. If Amazon is a seller, it usually wins the Buy Box and offers lower prices, making it difficult to compete.
Moreover, looking at customer demand through ratings and reviews can support determine of the book has a strong market. Books with 100+ reviews often indicate high demand.
Note: Checking price trends using Keeps or CamelCamelCamel is also impotent to see if the boos value is decreasing over time.
- Making the Right Decision: Once you have analyzed profitability and competition, you can decide whether to sell a book. A good book to sell should have a high-profit margin after Amazon fees, low competition, and strong demand. However, if the profit margin is too low, Amazon is dominating the listing, or the boos has a high BSR with low demand, it may not be a good choice. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can maximize profits and reduce risks when selling books on Amazon.
5 Step. List Books for Sale on Amazon
Once you have created a seller account an sourced books, the next step is to list your books for sale on Amazon. Listing books involves adding them to Amazon marketplace so potential buyers can find and purchase them. This process includes selecting the right book, setting its condition, pricing it competitively, and selecting the shipping method.
1:Search the Book in Amazon Catalog
If the book is already available on Amazon, you can simply search for it using the ISBN, title, or author name in Amazon Seller Central. Choose the right listing and proceed to enter the necessary details. If the book is not in Amazon catalog, you will need to create a new listing through providing details like the title, author, edition, and description.
2:Set the BOOK Condition
When listing a book for sale, you must specify its condition, which affects pricing and customer expectations. The available condition options are:
- New-The Book is in perfect condition, unread, and untouched.
- Like New-The book has no visible wear and looks nearly perfect.
- Very Good- Minimal signs of use, such as slight creases or marks.
- Good-Some wear still readable and in decent shape.
- Acceptable-Noticeable wear, possible writing or highlighting, but still functional.
3: Set a Price
Pricing plays a key role in attracting buyers. Check the prices of other sellers and use Amazon pricing tools to remain competitive. Keep in mind that lower prices often sell faster, but you should ensure a reasonable profit after deducting Amazon fees and shipping costs.
4: Select a Shipping Method
You must decide how your book will be delivered to customers:
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Amazon stores, packs, and ships the book for you. This option is convenient but includes storage and handling fees.
- Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM): You handle storage, packaging, and shipping yourself, which can save money but requires more effort.
6 Step. Improve Your Books Listing
- Use Amazon seller central to track sales.
- Monitor your inventory levels.
- Adjust pricing based on sales history.
- Review customer feedback and return rates.
What kinds of books can you sell online?
Selling books online is a profitable business, but selecting the right kinds of books can significantly boost your sales and success. Some books have higher demand and profit margins than others.
Below are the most popular types of books you can sell online:
1. New Books
Brand-new books, including bestsellers, newly released titles, and trending books, are in high demand. If you have access to publishers or wholesale suppliers, selling new books can be a great option. But, competition is high, and profit margins may be lower due to pricing wars.2. Used Books
Used books are popular among budget conscious buyers. They can range from “Like New” to ” Acceptable” condition. Selling used books can be highly profitable, particularly if they are rare or out of print. Sources for used books include garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales, and book fairs.3. Textbooks
College and university textbooks are one of the most lucrative book categories online. Students often look for affordable, second-hand textbooks before each semester. Books on subjects like science, engineering, medicine, law, and business have strong demand. Keep in mind that edition updates can affect a textbook resale value.4. Self-Published Books
If you are an author, you can sell self-published books by platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or print-on-demand services. This allows you to publish and sell books worldwide without upfront printing costs.Selling New versus Used Books on Amazon: Which is Better?
When selling books on Amazon, you have two main options: new books or used books. Both have their pros and cons, depending on factors like profit margins, competition, and sourcing availability. Understanding the differences can help you decide which model suits your business goals best.
Selling New Books on Amazon
Selling new books on Amazon can be a profitable business, but it requires strategies sourcing. competitive pricing, and proper listing optimization. New books are in pristine condition, directly from publishers, wholesalers, or distributors, making them ideal for buyers looking for brand-new copies.
- Higher Customer Satisfaction: New books attract the customers, when you are selling new books with quality. You can get customers satisfaction by selling new books.
- Buy Box Winning: When selling new books, it usually enhance the chances to winning Bu Box of Amazon. Getting Buy Box can improve your sales and increase your profitability.
- Less Competition: New books selling comes with low competition due to its offering new crucial editions and new releases. Most effected point is that have not hit the used market currently.
- High Profit Margin: Selling at retail prices, new books typically enhance the profitability by setting more price comparatively used books.
Disputes of Selling New Books:
Selling new books on Amazon can be a profitable business, but it also with several challenges. Here’s the key cons of selling New Books:
- Retailor Competition: Since new books are widely available, many sellers compete for the same title. Large retailers, publishers, and distributors usually dominate the market, making it harder for smaller sellers to compete on price and visibility.
- Large Upfront Investment: Unlike used books, which can be sourced cheaply, selling new books requires bulk purchasing from wholesalers, leading to high upfront costs. This can be risky if certain books do not sell quickly.
- Storage and Shipping Costs: If you are using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon charges storage fees, which increase for slow moving books. Long-term storage fees can eat into profits if books do not sell quickly.
Selling Used Books on Amazon
Selling used books on Amazon is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to start an online book-selling business. Since used books can be sourced cheaply or even for free, they usually provide higher profit margins compared to new books.
However, sellers must pay close attention to book conditions, pricing, and customer expectations to succeed.
- Minimize Risk of Holding Inventory: Selling used books can be beneficial for you that usually used books be bought in minimize quantities, and that support the low risk of holding inventory and costs.
- Market Demand and Vintage: You may command a good price than for new books, if you can identify valuable books or collectibles. For vintage and used book there is a thriving market.
- Less Costs of Investment: At a much lower cost from thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales used books can be sourced. You can get more profit margin with less costs of investment by selling used books on Amazon.
Disputes of Selling Used Books
Selling used books on Amazon can be challenges for seller in different prospects. Here’s is some key challenges:
- Less Profit Margin: Compare to new books, used books selling price less, and which automatically decrease the profit margins.
- Enhance Competition: Used books may be enhance competition, for famous titles the used book market can be soaked. For gaining competitive advantages you will need to set your listing by competitive pricing and by giving extra services to customers like fast shipping and improve quality.
Conclusion
Selling books on Amazon in 2025 remains a Profitable and accessible business for both beginners and experienced sellers. Whether you are selling new or used, or self-published, success depends on strategic sourcing, competitive pricing, and effective listing optimization. By leveraging Amazon Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), sellers can streamline logistics, while those opting for Fulfillment b Merchant (FBM), can maintain greater control over inventory.
The key to long-term success is staying updated with market trends, using data-driven pricing strategies, and ensuring excellent customer service to build trust and positive reviews. While challenges such as competition, Amazon, fees, and inventory management exist, they can be overcome with smart sourcing, automation tools, and consistent effort. As Amazon continue to evolve, book sellers who stay adaptive and innovative will thrive in this growing marketplace.
FAQs about Selling Books on Amazon
How does Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) helps books sellers?
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) helps book sellers by handling storage, packaging, shipping, and customer service, allowing sellers to focus on sourcing and scaling their business. With FBA, books are stores in Amazon warehouse, and when a customer places an order, Amazon picks, packs, and ships the book on behalf of the seller.
This ensures faster delivery, Prime eligibility, and higher chances of winning the Buy Box, leading to more sales.
Is selling books online profitable?
Yes, selling books online can be highly profitable, particularlly with the right strategy. Whether selling new, used, or e-books, sellers can earn significant profits by sourcing books at low cost and pricing them competitively. Platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy gives access to a blobal audience, increasing sales potential. Using FBA can automate shipping and boost visibility, while low overhead costs make selling used books specially lucrative. But profitability depends on factors like book demand, competition, and fees, so proper research and pricing strategies are essential for success.
what types of books i can sell on Amazon store?
Selling books online is a profitable business, but selecting the right kinds of books can significantly boost your sales and success. Some books have higher demand and profit margins than others.
Below are the most popular types of books you can sell online:
- New Books
- Used Books
- Textbooks
- Self-Published Books
However, you are a writer , you can sell self-published books by platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or print-on-demand services. This allows you to publish and sell books worldwide without upfront printing costs.
Can i sell books on Amazon without a professional account?
Yes, you can sell books on Amazon without a Professional Seller Account by using an Individual Seller Account. This option is best for those selling fewer than 40 books per month since there is no monthly subscription fee, you only pay a “($0.99 fee per sale)” plus Amazon referral fees. However, individual sellers “don’t get access to bulk listing tools, advertising options, or the ability to win the Buy Box” as easily as Professional sellers. If you plan to sell books in high volume, upgrading to a “Professional Account ($39.99 per month)” can be more cost-effective and provide additional selling benefits.
What are the best types of books to sell on Amazon?
Trending title, college textbooks, and rare collectibles in high demand are the most profitable.
How much does it cost to sell books in the Amazon store?
The cost of selling books on Amazon depends on the selling plan, fees, and shipping method. If you choose an ” Individual Seller Account”, you pay “$0.99 per sale” plus referral fees . A “Professional Seller Account” costs “$39.99 per month” but removes the per sale fee, making it cost-effective for high volume sellers. However, using Fulfillment by Amazon, you will also pay “Storage and fulfillment fees” based on the books size and weight.
what types of book most sell on Amazon?
The most sold books on Amazon including:
Bestselling Fiction: Including popular novels and book series, also perform well.
Textbooks: especially during school seasons, as well as business, self-help, and personal development books, which attract a large audience year-round.
Additionally, health and wellness books, and “niche non-fiction” on topics like finance, productivity, and spirituality sell consistently.
How do i increase my Amazon book sales?
Here’s some key steps that will help you to increase your Amazon book sales:
- Optimizing you listing, with clear title, detailed descriptions, and relevant keywords to improve search visibility.
- Use high-quality images and ensure the books condition is accurately described.
- Pricing competitively with “repricing tools” helps attract more buyers.
- Enrolling in Fulfillment by Amazon can boost sales by offering fast shipping and Prime eligibility.
- Running Amazon Ads and using social media to promote your books can drive additional traffic.
