Got too many books and not enough space?

If you’ve got more stuff than you know what to do with or are looking to declutter your possessions, then going through your books is a great place to start. 

Here’s a sure guide to decluttering your books, downsizing your collection and selling your books!

How to downsize & sell your books

Gather all your books

Your first step is to get all your books off the shelves and collect them in a single location. Going through your books one-by-one is okay if you’re casually thinking of getting rid of a few, but if you’re serious about downsizing your physical collection then you’ve gotta go all in. 

Gathering your books in one place also means that you’re forced to evaluate every single book before putting it back on a shelf, so you’re taking away the temptation of just skimming over it all without purpose.

And finally, gathering all your books is a great way to show you what your book collection really looks like — it’s likely to look a lot larger when it’s all in one place than when it’s spread out over your apartment!

Choose a game plan

You can’t sort out your books until you have a reason for sorting them, so this is a good place to stop and consider what you’re downsizing your collection for.

Are you looking for more physical storage space?

Are you wanting to grow your collection with more intentional pieces?

Are you looking for a design and decoration aesthetic that matches the rest of your apartment?

Are you looking to make money?

Are you looking for books that you know you’ll revisit in the future?

These are all questions that will guide the way you sort out your books. If you’re looking for physical space, then you could consider digital copies of your books and be more aggressive with your downsizing — if you’re looking to refine your collection, then you’ll need to be more specific with your choices. 

Sort them out

Sorting out your books can help you weed out duplicates and see how much of each genre/author/color you have. 

The way you’ll sort them will depend on your goal, but a good place to start is to sort them by genre. You could also sort them by size, color or any other category based on your goal!

Evaluate 

This is the fun part!

It may take a while, but this part of the process is going to be the most satisfying and the most productive, for certain.

Start with a pile of “keeps”, “give-aways” and “maybes.” 

The “maybe” pile takes away some of the stress of deciding then-and-there if you want to keep or get rid of it, and you can revisit the pile after your first run-through to see if you’ve changed your mind. You can also wait a few hours and revisit it then, or maybe even a day or two! Either way, don’t feel too stressed about the “maybes.”

The “give-away” pile, though, you should keep in a box or crate. Once you’ve decided that you don’t want those books, then you don’t want to have them change your mind just because they’re lying out in the open. Sure, you can revisit it later if you’d like, but if you want to be aggressive with your decluttering, then keep that box out of sight! 

You can take your “give-away” pile straight to the donation bin (which we’ll talk about next) or you can wait until you’ve gone through all your “maybe” books and make one big trip. That’s up to you. 

Downsize your collection

Now that you’ve got your pile of “give-aways”, you can get rid of them! And the good news is that there are a lot of ways to do that. 

Sell them online

The magic of the online world is that you can sell practically anything with very little effort. You can downsize your entire book collection from your living room sofa, the dining room table or in a hot bath — sky’s the limit!

Here are a few good sites to sell used books:

• BookScouter: this website will show the highest offers for books you’re trying to sell.
• AbeBooks: you can sell all sorts of things here, including maps, art, comics and collectibles.
• Decluttr: use your phone to scan your books for a quote.
• Amazon: there’s a bit of setup for using this method, but it’s a great platform to use.
• eBay: you have more control over the price and auction time here, though you’re responsible for all the work, too!
• Powell’s Books: this website has options for selling your books online or at the bookstore where you bought it. 
• Textbooks.com: this website will give you an instant quote for your book.
• SellBackYourBook.com: great for all kinds of books.
• BooksRun: good for textbooks.
• Bookstores.com: good for all kinds of books.
• TextbookRush: this textbook-based website has free shipping and is very quick!
• Chegg: this website offers free shipping for sellers!

Sell them in the real world

Though maybe a little more work upfront, you can also sell your used books in-person if you don’t want the hassle of shipping it. 

• Half Price Books: if you live somewhere near a Half Price Books Store, then you’re in luck! You can walk in and sell your book right then and there. 
• Facebook Marketplace: you’ll have to field the influx of “is this still available?” and “what is this?” messages, but you’re likely to sell your stuff quickly and on your own terms if you’re lucky!
• Garage sale: if there’s a neighborhood garage sale happening anywhere nearby, see if you can get in on it and sell your wares there!

Donate them

There are plenty of ways to donate used books, and you can have full control over where your items can be put to the most use.

Here are some local services that are nearly always willing to accept used book donations (call and check anyways, though!):

• Libraries
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Social services
• Correctional facilities
• Day care facilities
• Churches

You can also donate books to nationwide thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army, as well as local thrift stores that are run by your local community. 

Some bookstores will accept donations, but usually only if the books are in excellent condition or if it’s a rare find. Call around and see what your local bookstore says!

Use them in a craft

There are plenty of ways to use old books in crafts. 

Make a cool garland, use pages in a papier-mâché creation, make a cool 3D cutout, turn a stack of books into a table — whatever you want!

All you have to do is type “crafts using old books” into Pinterest and voila! Every single idea on the internet is at your fingertips. In fact, you don’t even have to type it — we’ve already done it for you here. You’re welcome.

Gift them to friends

A book is a great gift, but a book that’s been gifted by someone who’s already loved and appreciated it enough to pass the mantle of ownership to you is even better. In our opinion, at least. 

If you’ve got some books that you know a friend will love, then there’s nothing wrong with giving your copy to them. It’s more sustainable than buying a new one and it may end up meaning more to them in the long run!

Find digital replacements

If you’re feeling sentimental about your books or are hesitant about losing the chance to revisit them, consider finding a digital copy to replace them. You can amass a pretty decent digital library on an e-reader or Kindle, so don’t worry about losing access to your favorite pieces of writing just because you’re downsizing!

Recycle them

Most books are made of paper materials that can be recycled, so that’s always an option, too. Just make sure you separate the pages from the binding and recycle or dispose of each material correctly, and you’re good to go!

Whatever your reason for downsizing your book collection, don’t let the process intimidate you! You’ll be all the happier for it in the end!

Good luck!

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Featured photo by Unsplash/Christin Hume