Books, in all their forms, are a very important part of life. They serve as documentation of cultures, ideas and thoughts and have the power to transcend time. While the world slowly moves towards completely going digital with ebooks and audiobooks rise in popularity, paper books are still in demand in some sections. What makes books ripe for business ideas is that those who do spend their money on books do so with a die-hard level of commitment. Here are a few book-based business ideas that you can try out.
Book reseller
While there are a great many bookshops in Zimbabwe there hasn’t been a recognizable effort to corner the ebook or audiobooks markets. venturing into these alone could give you a very powerful market advantage if done right. Zimbabweans are not against electronic book formats but rather lack easy access to them. This has opened up the opportunity for the sale of unauthorised copies. With so many people in the nation willing to spend on books, there is a good market out there. Selling via a completely online catalogue offering both electronic books and paper book deliveries can work well in the market.
Publisher
Zimbabwe has many many writers working on books in many different genres. Fiction and literary works are very popular but there are plenty more out there. Publishing is not for everyone, of course, it takes considerable knowledge and connection to understand the book market while being able to advocate for authors and their works. With a host of options available for financing arrangements, you can provide authors with much-needed assistance whether it be in editing, printing, publicity or any other part of the book journey.
Printer
Printing does require considerable resources and is more palatable to those who are already in the printing business. The idea here is to offer a package for authors. There are many authors in Zimbabwe relying on international printers to print their work. A local printer who can take into account the specific circumstances Zimbabweans find themself in can provide incredible value while.cashing in on authors. You don’t necessarily need to be cheaper than international printers you just need to be better according to what’s important to your local authors. The same goes for digital publishing and providing authors with copy-protected electronic versions of their work.
Editor
There are a lot of people writing out there who could use the help of an editor. It’s not just about grammar and punctuation, editors help with issues of direction and overall style. Editors are very important to the success of books and if you’re gifted with writing you can be very useful to authors by becoming an editor for others. Various payment arrangements are available but editors generally take an upfront fee for their work.
P2P book market
Peer to peer business ideas are always attractive because you don’t have to have any stock on hand. The idea here is simply to connect people with books to books. An example of a P2P book market could be a system where people buy second-hand books from you and can also trade in books they have. Say those who buy will pay $1 per book while those who trade in books can get a book ($1 value) for every two books they bring in good condition. Thus the book market keeps growing. There are many other P2P book market setups available. The idea is lucrative none the less and can work out very well for those who start such ideas.
There are a host of other book-based business ideas related to the ones contained herein such as writing, graphics and artwork and more. It’s always wise to master one element and then open up to the next.