The written word is as ancient as man himself. The first examples of written language were an astonishing five-thousand years ago in the ancient Sumerian civilization. The written word can take us on an adventure to mystical lands inhabited by indomitable beasts and it can take us far into the depths of our souls. Books are our greatest treasure, and we must cherish them and love them. No single book is useless, for there will always be somebody out there searching for it who has not yet found it.
There are many things you can do with your old books, and before resigning yourself to throwing them in the bin, try these top six ideas out.
Buying and Selling Books
As touched upon in the introduction, there is always somebody searching for a rare, and obscure book. If you have a collection of books you are trying to get rid of, whether old or new, then here is what you should know about selling them. Selling books second-hand is quite easy, and if you are trying to make a business out of it, then you can make an astonishing amount of money.
You can get started buying and selling books in a few different ways. The most popular are setting up a car boot sale and selling your second-hand books over the table on a Sunday, or you can set up a webpage dedicated to second-hand books and sell them online. There is a huge market for books online, and if you price your books competitively, then you can make a fortune.
Some people buy and sell books as a fulltime job and make a substantial income doing this. Be honest and forthcoming about the condition of your books and you will find no shortage of buyers waiting.
Donate Them to a Hospice
It will not come as a surprise to anybody that the older generation reads a lot more than the younger. Hospices are in dire need of books and openly accept donations, providing the books are in reasonable condition. Donating your books to a hospice will mean that you give them a second life, and not only that but give those who are there an opportunity to forget their situation and become lost in the fantasy world of the books they are reading. Donate and rest-assured you have done a good thing.
Encourage Your Children to Read Them
For many of us, our old books are something we are not willing to get rid of, whether for money or for free. If you have a bunch of dusty hardbacks on your shelf, then consider encouraging your children to read them. In our digital generation, children have become reluctant to read, choosing to beguile their time on smartphones and playing video games instead. Take their phones away from them and have them read a chapter of a book every day, and if you are lucky, you may instill a love of reading in your child which will benefit them no-end.
Record Audiobooks
If you have a physical copy of a book in front of you, and a lot of time, then maybe you could record audiobooks. There is a huge market at the moment for audiobooks, and not enough people to record them. If you sit down and read aloud for two hours a day, you should be able to finish an average-sized book in a few days. You can get paid to do this, and it can be a lot of fun revisiting your old literature.
Release Your Books
There is a new fad up-and-coming where people leave their books outside and arrange for a stranger to collect them. This process is called BookCrossing and is very, very popular. If you have nothing else to do with your books and do not want to sell them, then consider getting involved in a BookCrossing program. In return, they will leave you a collection of their books.
Donate Them to a Library
Rather than throw them away or destroy them, your last point of call should be the library. Unsurprisingly, libraries are in dire need of books, as many people do not return library books, and others vandalize them. Libraries have served mankind for hundreds and hundreds of years. You can give back to your local library by donating books to them that will be loved and cherished, and hopefully not vandalized, for many years to come.
Now you know a few ways to give your old books a second life. Books should be cherished and kept in good condition, as they serve as a reminder to us of how older generations lived and can take us back to the place and time where we read them.