Life has taken an abrupt turn here lately for me that has clarified many issues in my life.  Just a few weeks ago I literally felt like I was in a different world.  In my full time job in technology I had to work over 85 hours one week and 103 the next.  I literally only worked, ate (at my desk) and slept when I could.  Everything else was on hold including selling books (luckily my employees held things up), writing for and managing this blog as well as having to ignore my family.  At the same time, I didn’t realize it but my ADHD medication was, in a sense, acting like speed to me.  I was able to sustain those hours for that long simply because many ADHD medications are very similar to methamphetamine.  Talk about super-worker!  It wasn’t until the Monday afterwards that I physically became sick and now, over a week later, I’m feeling back to normal again.

It took a bout of non-stop work for me to finally realize that I had been overtaxing myself for way too long.  Like many of you, the book business is a part-time endeavor.  However, you guys being smarter than I , that’s where you stopped.  You probably realized that a full-time job and a used book business was enough for you to handle.  Not me.  I was so excited by making lots of extra cash I decided I’d then start a blog writing about my experiences, developing software applications to help other booksellers as well as take on another potential business with some of my coworkers.  You see, I either succeed or die trying.  I consider this month my “death”.  I was going 100 miles an hour all day, every day and in the midst of work I was blind to everything else.  I was blind to think that I could sustain interest in an area in which I had no previous experience.  I was blind to think I could complete the (literally) 83 projects I had lined up for myself.  I had no idea I couldn’t see two fee in front of me at the time but it’s all too clear now.  I was also constantly following others’ lead and not completely believing in myself.

I’ve been selling used books online for about 3 years now.  When I first started out I was buying up everything I could to learn about the business.  I picked up some of Craig Stark’s eBooks from Bookthink, bought Michael Mould’s book, Steve Weber’s paperback and also a book on selling on eBay by Skip McGrath.   They were all pretty good reads and I did learn a thing or two from them but I didn’t just stop there.  I also Googled terms like “online bookselling”, “used books thrift stores”, “selling books on Amazon”, etc.  I not only paid for information I also devoured a lot of the free info as well.  Honestly, if you’re patient enough and your Google skills are strong you can get 90% of the information I provide in my eBook as well as what any of the other “gurus” sell to you online for FREE.  The biggest benefit you get from buying my eBook, for example, is that it comes from someone that (hopefully) you’ve learned that you can trust, comes from my own personal experience and all of that information is provided in one, single place.

Why do I tempt you not to buy my eBook or any other product out there?  I have three reasons.

1. I don’t live off of the money I make via this blog so I’m always completely honest, up front and won’t blow smoke up your ass.
2. I loathe “selling” things.  I hate marketing, hyping up something and trying to get the word out just to make money off of something.  It just feels dirty to me.
3. I see too many people get all jazzed up about what they pay money for and then just quit.

During this moment of clarity I’ve realized you can really kid yourself.  It doesn’t become obvious to you until you reach that climatic moment to where it all comes crashing down around you.  You can “research” for new information all day or you can spend thousands of dollars on eBooks, videos, audio guides and expensive full-blown courses but it doesn’t mean a hill of beans unless you apply that knowledge.  Adam Bertram can’t give you that one “secret” source that will change everything.  Michael Mould can’t hold your hand when setting up an Amazon account.  Steve Lindhorst can’t sell you a niche WordPress site and automatically make you ten thousand dollars.  Skip McGrath, Jim Cockrum, Chris Green, JD Malik, or Nathan Holmquist can’t MAKE you succeed.  We can all only try to help.

Here’s my final advice to you: If you really want to start or continue a used book business quit Googling for the next new thing or buying up all the how-to information then forgetting about it.  No one else can make you succeed.  If you truly want to take control of your situation, step out of your comfort zone and quit pretending like the next post by Adam is going to be the one to do it all for you.  I have shared helpful advice in the past but I’m just tired of “gurus” squirting out a new product weekly to put a different spin on an obvious solution.  At the same time, I don’t want to get an email with (10) 1 paragraph questions about what you should do next.  I honestly (HONESTLY) don’t mind emails and I do answer nearly all of them but I DO mind when someone can’t think for themselves.  Put the pieces together yourself, quit believing the next secret is going to be revealed and get out there and sell some books!

P.S.  I appreciate all my readers and respect everyone else that decides to share their experience online in any kind of eProduct.  Please forgive my occasional rant if you have somehow taken offense to this post.