Our New Ad in GOOD Magazine

Posted by Geoff on 11.14.2008 at 12:25 pm

Check out our first ever print ad in GOOD Magazine on newsstands now. GOOD is a really well done bimonthly magazine about what is right in the world. What is really cool about GOOD? 100% of your subscription fees go to non-profit organizations like our friends at Room to Read or Dave Eggers’ 826.

Also in the issue is a new feature called GOOD Business. The GOOD Business section was done in partnership with B-Corporation. (Of which Better World Books is a founding B-Corp). The most interesting article for me was “What Nau?” about what went wrong with the clothing start-up Nau. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Nau had gambled naively without a backup plan. But the company had come close to turning a corner. The clothes, the webfronts, the giving program, the bylaws—they all worked. The fundraising and the timing hadn’t. The irony, of course, is that a company so committed to sustainability was ultimately unsustainable. But not because of its principles. Rather, the mundane problems that plague most startups—lack of money and poor execution—had undermined Nau. Still, the brand had an impact in its short life span, accelerating the greening of the apparel industry and creating a new genre of outdoor clothing.”

Read more…

3 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized, bcorporation, good magazine, natural capitalism, Nau, press, Thomas Friedman

Show Us Some Love: Scotland Edition

Posted by admin on 10.22.2008 at 11:52 am

Over at business.scotsman.com there’s a glowing report of recently opened Better World UK.

Check it out:

A US-BASED online bookseller which gives a proportion of its turnover to literacy charities has launched its first overseas subsidiary in Scotland.Better World Books (BWB), which was set up in 2001 by a trio of IT graduates in Indiana, has opened a warehouse in Dunfermline and claims it is aiming to become a serious rival to Amazon on both sides of the Atlantic. (continue reading)

2 Comments » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, better world books UK, press, scotland

Show Us Some Love: It’s All Greek to Me Edition

Posted by admin on 10.21.2008 at 9:41 am

Greek Media: Politis loves Better World Books

1 Comment » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, Greece, Politis, press, Show Us Some Love

Great American Book Drive Brooklyn

Posted by admin on 10.10.2008 at 2:54 pm

The Great American Book Drive got off to a strong start in Brooklyn.  There was a band, a book sale, face painting, and, of course, lots of book donations.  Minus a few stitches in Dustin’s finger, the drive went off without a hitch.  By the end of the day, the library was already talking about a repeat performance in the spring – and given the number of people who asked when the next event would be, this seems like a great idea.

We received some good press in advance of the event – including mention in the New York Times and TimeOut New York.  And while a concerted push the past two weeks to promote the event resulted in a total of 15,000 – 20,000 books (many were recycled locally and 8 packed pallets are en route to the Green House), the next time around we will be able to considerably build upon this with sustained and concerted promotion.
Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, book drive, brooklyn, Chris Johnson, community, great american book drive, press

Show Us Some Love, Library Edition

Posted by admin on 09.16.2008 at 2:29 pm

Library Journal, the most respected of periodicals about the business of libraries just posted an article on LibraryJournal.com called “Green Weeding: promoting eco-friendly options for library discards.”  Within the article, check out the following:

…and Better World Books (whose Dustin Holland was a 2007 LJ Mover & Shaker) are two of today’s most popular discard solutions. Both help libraries make the most of the marketing principles of the long tail, as coined by Wired magazine’s Chris Anderson, wherein obscure titles are able to find a larger audience owing to the efficiencies of e-commerce.

…contributors to Better World Books are pleased with the results. “The Brooklyn Public Library sees a real value in this relationship and has been more than happy with the revenues it generates,” over $155,000 since 2005, says Barbara Genco, director of collection development. Western Kentucky University Libraries, Bowling Green, succeeded in building a $200 Alibris credit over a two-year period. Southwestern University earned $300 with Better World Books during the 2006–07 academic year.

Thanks, Library Journal!  We do our best to bring libraries the best value while providing a much needed service.

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, book drive, green for all, library, library journal, press

Show Us Some Love, Chilean Edition

Posted by admin on 08.25.2008 at 9:44 pm

Check out this latest bit of press about Better World Books’ own, Jaime Knabet.  Mind you that if you can’t read Spanish then you may need to find a bilingual friend (Jaime is from Chile and this article is from the “New York Times” level paper in Santiago).  That being said, it’s great to get some cool press abroad and it’s also great to see Jaime get some press as the man is flat out talented.  If you’ve ever seen us live at the Green Festivals you’ve seen his tables built of books and various architectural pursuits, and if you’ve bought a book from us you’re indebted to his commitment to crazy new ideas and progress, so now enjoy reading a bit about him.

Jaime is 33, moving back to Chile (we’re all wiping away the tears, seriously), he’s an architect by trade but a warehouse manager by day and, sorry ladies, he’s happily married to his lovely wife Pia (who also works at Better World Books and is a total business rockstar) and has two kids, Victoria and Benjamin (who are obviously training to become book nerds at BWB as well).

Congrats, Jaime!

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, argentina, chile, press, Show Us Some Love

Better World Books Takes the Gold!

Posted by David on 08.22.2008 at 10:48 am

Exciting news to share: Better World Books has won a National Literacy Award (the 2008 National Coalition For Literacy Leadership Award!)

This Award is being presented by the National Coalition for Literacy (“NCL”), a Washington DC-based non-profit whose mission is to “advance adult education, family literacy, and English language acquisition in the U.S by increasing public awareness for the need to increase funding and programs; promoting effective public policy; and serving as an authoritative resource for the field on national adult education issues; www.national-coalition-literacy.org.  Note:  NCL here is not to be confused with our major non-profit literacy partner NCFL (The National Center for Family Literacy) they are two completely separate and distinct organizations!

The Award is in recognition of the commitment and service of Better World Books to the field of adult education and family literacy. To quote the NCL:  “This award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to improving literacy in the United States.  Award recipients have demonstrated a deep and sustained individual, organizational, or corporate commitment by supporting literacy across the lifespan of the local, state and national level.”

Additional 2008 award recipients include Rep. Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, The National Council of La Raza (Janet Murguia, President and CEO), and John Comings, former Director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.

The 2008 NCL Literacy Leadership Awards will be presented at a reception on Wednesday, September 10th, at the James Madison Building of the Library of Congress.   I have been asked to receive the reward and speak at the award ceremony and I look forward to representing all of you there.

2 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized, awards, david murphy, Impact, NCL, press

Green Daily Hearts Better World Books

Posted by admin on 07.31.2008 at 5:34 pm

Over at Green Daily, your blog source for all things environmental and awesome, they’re showing some love Amanda Miller, a far better writer than I am, scribes: to Better World Books.

While we’ve spotlighted green book sources before, I do believe that Better World Books might be the only place you’ll be shopping in the future.

Here’s what makes them so great, and my new top pick for book buying:

1. All books sold help fund high-impact literacy projects around the world.
2. Not only do they sell new books, but they collect and sell donated books as well. Not only is this a great way to reduce/reuse/recycle, it also has helped to generate $4.5 million in funding for literacy and education. So far, over 6,000 tons of books have avoided landfills.
   
3. To date, Better World Books has donated over 1 million books to literacy programs.
4. Every order is shipped carbon neutral, using offsets from Carbonfund.org.
5. The company was started by college students who knew first-hand about the importance of passing on textbooks, literacy and business with a social conscience.

Ah, that feels good… like a warm towel after a shower.  Head over to Green Daily for great tips on how to greenify your life, a little bit at a time, and a sweet “Top Ten Green Kids’ Books” list that I’m way jealous I didn’t think of first.

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, books, children's books, green daily, press

Better World Books and Peoria = Library in Sudan

Posted by admin on 07.29.2008 at 9:51 am

Taken from PJStar.com, apparently we’re doing something good again. You know that we’re really doing the right thing when the so-called evangelist can’t even keep up with all of them!

From PJStar.com -

Many college students have a hard time committing to weekend plans, let alone a pledge to rebuild a community in Sudan.

But recent Illinois Central College graduate Matt Hoffman vowed to make a difference – one book at a time – in the lives of the “Lost Boys.”

Over the past two decades, more than 27,000 boys have escaped villages in southern Sudan during a civil war that has claimed millions of lives. While their parents and sisters were being slaughtered, the young boys banded together for the 1,000-mile walk to refuge.

Though the violence mostly has subsided, the survivors have had little incentive to return to their war-torn villages. But Hoffman and other members of ICC’s honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, want to give the Lost Boys a reason to go home.

The fraternity recently partnered with Chicago media company Endless Eye Productions and national bookseller Better World Books to conceive a plan to build and stock a library in Sudan’s Punyijiar County. Over the past few months, the effort, called “Walk Sudan,” has collected more than 8,000 books, which volunteers loaded onto a truck Thursday to be shipped to Africa.

“We wanted to start with a library because education is a way to empower them,” said Hoffman, adding that most of the Lost Boys have seen no more than three books in their lives. “We want to give them something to come back to.”

Hoffman, who graduated from ICC in May, sat down with friend Sean Fahey from Endless Eye earlier this year to devise a plan about how to help Fahey’s friend, Justin Machien Luoi, a Lost Boy who was educated in the United States as a refugee.

After just an evening of brainstorming, the two set out to raise awareness and money to rebuild part of Luoi’s country. Nearly 50 members of Phi Theta Kappa began speaking at area schools and churches during the spring semester, asking for monetary donations as well as books. They also sponsored a 3-mile walk from Bradley University to the Peoria riverfront in May to raise awareness about their campaign and to simulate the trek the Lost Boys made to refuge.

While Hoffman has remained involved in the effort, his graduation from ICC and move to Loyola University in Chicago required him to pass on the reins to new Phi Theta Kappa president Thomas Aguilar, who is just as devoted to the cause.

Aguilar was covered in sweat Thursday, as he and other volunteers loaded the hundreds of boxes of books onto a truck. Better World Books also is donating texts and shipping the first batch to Sudan shortly, as construction of the library is scheduled to begin within the next few months. Endless Eye will follow along to capture the effort in a documentary called “A Library for Panyijiar.”

Walk Sudan has promised the library is just the beginning of the effort to rebuild the African community over the next 20 years. A school will follow, Aguilar said, then a water treatment plant. The project has no limit.

“This is our way of showing that Peoria can make a difference for people on the other side of the world,” he said.

2 Comments » | Tagged Impact, Our Partners, africa, better world books, Illinois, Impact, Our Partners, peoria, pjstar, press, walk sudan

Hippie 2.0?

Posted by admin on 06.10.2008 at 1:43 pm

News source Profy.com has an article by editor Cyndy Aleo-Carreira about us, entitled: Hippie 2.0: Better World Books Is Proving You Can Make Money Being Green:

There are those who would assume that running a business that keeps old textbooks out of landfills, takes those books and sells them at a low price, and then buys carbon credits to offset emissions that result from shipping those books is actually a charity. How could a company ever make money by trying to do good things for the environment? Better World Books is out to prove those doubters wrong.

Read more over yonder.

[ed. note: Now I know the betterworld.com team isn't far from Haight Ashbury but as a New Yorker I resent this hippie tag, harumph.  (kidding!  thanks for the support, Cyndy!)  However, we've actually raised $4.5 million, not just $2.75 (the difference is the money we've raised for libraries)!]

Have your say » | Tagged Show Us Some Love, press, profy.com, social entrepreneurship