5 Tips for Friends of the Library Book Sales
Friends of the Library book sales are a cornerstone of library fundraising. They bring in revenue, engage the community, and give donated books a second chance. But they also take a lot of work — and the logistics can overwhelm even the most dedicated volunteer teams.
Here are five tips we've picked up from working with Friends groups across the country.
1. Price by Category, Not by Title
Individually pricing every book is a time sink that rarely pays off. Instead, set flat prices by category: hardcovers $2, paperbacks $1, children's books 50¢. Your volunteers save hours of work, and customers appreciate the simplicity.
The exception: if you spot something obviously valuable (a first edition, a signed copy, a rare title), pull it aside and price it separately or look it up online.
2. Plan Your Leftovers Strategy Before the Sale
This is the tip most groups miss. The sale ends, volunteers are exhausted, and there are still dozens of boxes of unsold books with no plan for what to do with them.
Decide in advance: who's picking up the leftovers, and when? This is where a partner like BookDrop comes in — schedule a pickup for the day the sale ends or the day after, and the problem is solved before it starts.
3. Don't Store More Than You Can Manage
It's tempting to accept every donation and stockpile books for months before a sale. But storage has real costs: space, organization, volunteer time to sort and move boxes. If your storage room is overflowing, consider more frequent sales or scheduling regular pickups for overflow inventory.
4. Make the Sale Easy to Shop
Layout matters more than you'd think. Organize by genre or category with clear signage. Keep aisles wide enough for browsing. Put the best-looking books at the front to draw people in. A well-organized sale moves more books in less time.
5. Build a Year-Round Donation Pipeline
The best book sales aren't one-time events — they're fed by a steady stream of donations throughout the year. Set up a permanent donation drop-off point at your library. Promote it in the library newsletter and on social media. The more books flowing in, the better your sales will be.
And for the books that come in between sales? A partner like BookDrop can handle regular pickups so donations don't pile up faster than you can manage them.
Running a Friends group is rewarding work, and a little planning goes a long way. If you'd like to talk about how BookDrop can help with your book logistics, reach out anytime.