There are some common complaints I have noticed in the Bazaar since I have been back.

1)People not having takers for their deals
2)People being frustrated about not knowing what types of books are on offer. What type of Genre.

I want to challenge everyone in the Bazaar to try something for a month. From today until the end of the mohth. When the month is done, I will take a poll and see if it  helped folks when it was done.

My challenge is this - Put the type of books you have either in your subject line or in the post itself. Those of you who have books other than romance, may see a jump in your  orders. Those of you who  have romance, may see a jump in you orders too. IE: 2 for 1 on  Westerns  or whatever.  I'm guessing that you may have more takers on folks who are looking for spific genes. If people don't know what you have, that are more than likely not even going to look at your deal. I coudl be wrong, its just a theory I have after years of the Bazaar being around.

Keep track for the group if you got  more deal takers when you mention what is one your shelf.

No you don't  HAVE to do this. This is NOT a new rule. Its just something fun I want to try for a month and see if it helps you all to get  more deals!!  :)

Kinda like that Quaker Oat challenge, the one to get your cholesterol down. *lol*

*Edited to try to fix the formating*

Hi Bernie, welcome back!

I think more people would come looking here if the romance, and not romance were separated.  Personally, I pop in occasionally but I get bored when I look at people's lists and it's overwhelmingly romance or crime.  I don't read either genre.  Karen

Go Bernie!!

I think one of the best improvements we could get here would be the ability to filter OUT a genre rather than filter one in.  So that when you go to a large bookshelf, instead of filtering it several times to look for the genres you like, you could just filter out the one or two you don't like.

My bookshelf leans very heavy towards Sci Fi & Fantasy, I also have a lot of Mystery and Action Adventure and then some Romances from Patricia. With 1,000 books posted I am getting where I have a lot to offer. I sometimes think that having too many books listed is a detriment to people looking. The other side of this is I would rather have someone have all of their books posted. "Teasing your books" onto your shelf is a good marketing tool but it drives me crazy :) because then I have to come back ever so often and review the shelf ( I do filter by date posted, descending then) I also enjoy the Book Bazaar, on the hunt to flesh out the missing Sci Fi & Fantasy books that I have missed over the years. Or to replace books I used to have that were destroyed when my basement flooded (it was a "Dry" basement until the broken water line turned it into a swimming pool)  years ago. I reread a lot. I used to take 2 or 3 seabags of books onboard my Submarine for a deployment. Patricia has decided that she wants to reread every children and young adult book she read as a child so PBS is a fantastic place for her. We both end up reading the same mysteries etc. Of course she's driving me nuts for the last 10 Animorphs we need to have a full set. (that was my fault, I picked up a couple on a 3 for 1 because it was Sci Fi, decided I liked the series and started looking for the rest. My mistake was letting her read them :)

When I look at a large shelf with a 3 for 1 or better deal I do not mind looking at everything. Unfortunately that is time consuming (mainly because I have an Excel spreadsheet of my book collection 8000+ books on the computer monitor next to me) and I write down which books I want as well as a couple of questionable books if I need them to fill out the required ratio.

I refuse to look at Springy's shelf because I know if I go through her 7,000 book shelf I will run out of credits, my fingers would cramp from writing and typing, and I would lose a day or two of time.

Kevin

I would really like it if people with very small shelves would restrain themselves from having deals. I can't tell you how many times i go to a shelf which is advertising a 3 for 1 or a 4 for one, or even a 2 for 1, and their entire shelf consists of 16 or 20 books. Not only does that waste my time, but there are very limited options for a deal there, especially if your shelf is all romance that i can pick up anywhere. I don't have anything against romances, in fact i buy tons of them at yard sales and whatnot. It also helps out if you list in your deal Subject what you have on your shelf. And if you MUST offer a deal and have a tiny shelf, then please say so because i am wasting my time looking unless i know what i am looking at.

I am waiting to offer a deal til i have at least 100 books on my shelf. My husband says i should wait til i have 200 but i am not sure he realizes how much space all these books are taking up in the bedroom. Not saying anyone should wait quite as long as i am, but i am not in need of credits that badly. I can find more than enough to read without constantly scouring PBS.

I get enough orders off of my shelf on a regular basis that i manage to keep credits. I don't have a large wish list, either, so i don't have to panic and see a book is coming up and scramble around to get a credit or two for cushion.

So another tip might be, don't bite off more than you can chew on your wish list unless you're willing to buy a credit or two occasionally.

Lots of great suggestions...especially the one about not posting deals on very small shelves, it is frustrating to go there and find less than twenty books on a 4 for 1 deal!!

And I REALLY like the idea of being able to filter out genres that I'm not interested in...again it's frustrating to go to a shelf that's 3/4 childrens' books to see if there might be one or two of the genres I read.

Is it possible to have more than one bookshelf? For those who list childrens' books along with adult books.. maybe that's just a impossible dream!!

But at least, I hope, people will begin to list their genres in the subject line. That's a start and one I intend to do from now on.  Thanks, Bernie, for getting this started!!

I don't necessarily agree with members with small shelves not offering deals. I have gone from a shelf with over 500 books when I started with PBS to a shelf which varies from 30-60 books depending on when was the last time I visited a book sale. Not offering a deal means the only way a member can get credits is to buy them. Why should anyone be restrained from offering a deal? I have ordered books from shelves with less than 10 books on them and have not found anything of interest on shelves with 100+ books. It is a matter of choice and preference and what one is looking for.

I do agree that it would be very helpful to name the dominant genre as well as the size of the shelf. And the ability to filter OUT a specific genre would be awesome.

I'am new here stil. Some people dont have alot of books when they first start out.  The  pbs says  post 10 books to start.  I have 83 books posted. all kinds new and old. 2or 3 of this and that. How to fix things ,cook books, a few kids books, teen books, I'am just trrying to make deals , So that I can get some books.And I do understand as I have went looking .But it can be fun . ( I think) and I have found alot of books I would not have had because I took the time to go to all bookshelfs. The books shelfs thats got like maybe 300 or 500 I go to them later on,Write down who's books when I have nothing to do.We all are here to get books and get credits .I love this place and most people are so nice and kind. Thank You for letting me share my feeling on this. Have a nice evening

To be honest, I prefer browsing smaller shelves.  Larger shelves are overwhelming and my short-attention span kicks in very fast (and yes, I know about the filters, but I like ALL kinds of books.  I do agree it would be nice to filter OUT books such as children's books).

I don't have a large shelf, and I don't intend to ever have a large shelf.  If my shelf gets beyond 30 books, I either run a deal or take it to the FOL for them to dispose of at their sale (I give them the books that are over-represented on PBS - I only keep books that aren't as numerous on my shelf).  My TBR shelf is quite large, and I am NOT getting rid of those.  So the books I have already read will be the first to go... I hate clutter. 

I don't know why it would frustrate someone to browse a small shelf when that only takes a minute.  It is more frustrating for me to look at a shelf with 100s of books because I lose interest pretty fast......

Just my two cents.. and that's about all it's worth.

edited:  Sorry, Susan.  Agree completely with your comment below.  I'm outta here :)

I'm going to irritate a lot of people here but .... this thread is going to start hitting a nerve with me and a few others real quick if it continues where it's going (I'm glad the other one died and went away since I'm the only one that said anything positive on it).

I purposely stay AWAY ( WAY AWAY) from the "Questions about PBS" forum because a good portion of the threads do nothing but complain about this or that element about the PBS site. I really don't want to come here and start having to see threads of this nature as well.

Either honor Bernie's challenge, or don't, but stop telling people what they should and shouldn't do as far as holding deals on their shelves. I've seen shelves with 500 books of total garbage. I've seen shelves with 20 books of excellent books. I usually have just shy of 100 books and I mail at least 25 books a month - more if I'm holding a deal. The key is rotating and having different stock - not having a set amount of books.

Leave it alone already ... or go over to the "other" forum. Please.

Um, i don't know if anyone read the part of my post where i said that if you MUST offer a deal on a small shelf, then could you please SAY SO in the Subject? It's asking the exact same thing as other people... it's nice to know what you're going to be looking at. 4 for 1 Deal tells me nothing about what it's a 4 for 1 OF.

I am not telling anyone 'what to do' or 'what not to do'. I am saying that if i am going to be looking at a shelf with 20 books on it, i like to know in advance. I have 3 kids, and a life outside the internet and when i see a 4 for 1 deal, it would make sense to me that a person is looking to unload books because they have a LOT of books to get rid of. Apparantly it is not the way things are, and it gets frustrating.

I don't have any "complaints" about PBS in general. I think the Book Bazaar is swimming in deals, and most of them are good ones.

AND, i gave the examples of 16 or 20 books. I think 60 books is a lot of books. I think 80-some books are a lot of books. People who are getting irritated at my suggestion actually have decent shelves. So let's not get all defensive about what we have on our shelves, alright? I wasn't critisizing anyone in particular. I just prefer to know what i am looking at ahead of time.

I don't think it's bad advice to tell people that if their wish list has 100 books on it, that they should keep more than 15 books on their shelf. Seems more like common sense. If someone is in that situation, where they have 25 books on the shelf and have 4 WL books come up... eventually they will have to buy credits. It's the basic mathematics of Supply and Demand.

I believe i am perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the thread. I was voicing my opinion on something i think would make the BB a better place. Which is what was asked for. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to make them do it either.

Welcome back, Bernie! :)  I like this idea and I hope it works! :)

I think that you misunderstoodcheezygirl's perfectly clear post. She wasn't telling anyone what to do. She was voicing her opinion and a suggestion which is in the spirit of the OP's point.

OTOH, I think WriterOne was not tolerant of her opinion, which CG is entitled to and she phrased courteously. Telling her to get out of the forum or shut up because she has a different opinon than yours is simply rude and uncalled for.

I'm staying out of this one...looks a bit hairy to me!

Bernie,

I have read some peoples notes about puting what kind of books you have in the subject and how many books you have. So when I posted my deal this was my subject line :

 2 for 1 or 5 for 2, Truely Mixed Shelf of 232 books to pick from

the text part tells some of the kinds of books I have:

I have 232 books on my shelf and a WIDE selection to choose from: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Romance, Religious, Children’s, help books... Take a look, you are sure to find something that fits your taste!

I am in desperate need of some space. So I am offering 2 for 1 or 5 for 2 on ALL of the books on my shelf until 8/7/08. PM me with your freebies :)

I have only had one taker! What am I doing wrong? I am trying to build back up my credits since I have used them this summer for helping build my kid's New School Library. They did not have the funds to finish it last year and have done so this summer. But in doing so they now do not have funds for books. I have been very lucky and have rcvd quite a few good deals on kids and teen books thanks to the Bazaar and some very nice people.

Any advice you (or anyone else) can give is great and I am willing to try it :)

Thanks,

Cat

ps- I also like the  idea of being able to omit a type of book from the list.

I think that you misunderstoodcheezygirl's perfectly clear post. She wasn't telling anyone what to do. She was voicing her opinion and a suggestion which is in the spirit of the OP's point.

OTOH, I think WriterOne was not tolerant of her opinion, which CG is entitled to and she phrased courteously. Telling her to get out of the forum or shut up because she has a different opinon than yours is simply rude and uncalled for.

JK. H ---

Opinions weren't asked for on THIS thread. It's a challenge. It's not another "I don't like this on PBS" thread like is on the "Questions about PBS" forum. Unless I'm mistaken. I went back and reread it and I don't think I am.

Cheezy specifically asked people with small shelves to refrain from offering deals. What would possess someone to ask this? Where would they get off thinking this is an OK way to think? I called her on it.  She said she wanted to wait until she had 100 books and her husband said she should wait until she had 200 books. That's THEIR criteria and not PBS. I personally don't think it's fair fo have people have to name how books are on their shelves if they only have a few - especially since it's so some people can avoid them.

And yes, I did ask her to take her gripe to the other forum because the last time I checked, this was NOT NOT NOT the correct forum to be doing this in. It's the Book Bazaar. Deals/searching for books is the topic here.  You can familiarize yourself with each of the forums if you'd like and then you'd know what is in each and every forum and what types of posts generally appear in each one.

Bernie suggestion was a fine one (Bernie is "head" of this forum .... not just a "regular" like the rest of us. It's up to her to make sure it runs smoothly).  I for one did not see anywhere where she said "post your complaints" on this thread.

As I said, I stay out of the other forum because many many of us consider it a negative place on the whole. I don't want that negativety to spread over here but it looks like I might have a losing battle on my hand with this thread.

Welcome to PBS and he Book Bazaar. It's a great place.   I'm sorry you don't like what I said. I don't like what she said and I'm not afraid to post about it. And obviosly neither are you. Touche. :)

Now carry on, if you must. I'm not coming back to this thread. I'm sticking to the "happy" stuff because this Web site is my "happy" place. :)

Wow, Cat... what a nice thing to do for your kid's school!

I am PMing you, because i want 2 of your books! I hope that helps!

Also, i don't care how many books a person HAS on their shelf, i just like to browse a shelf with substance. It is lovely of you to go the extra mile and tell us that you DO have a larger shelf though!

I am so sorry i hijacked this thread. Excuse me for that, Bernie, i apologize. She's right, no one actually asked for opinions, i re-read the original post. I didn't know there was a designated captain for the forum, and if i stuck my nose in where it doesn't belong, i am sorry but it was told to me, in another thread in one of the other forums that i should put my opinion HERE in this thread because it would belong here.

I was not asking for people to completely restrain themselves from posting deals. What i said was: And if you MUST offer a deal and have a tiny shelf, then please say so because i am wasting my time looking unless i know what i am looking at.

Yes, in my post i said it would be nice if small shelf owners would restrain themselves. THEN i said that if it had to be done, let us know what we're looking at. I wasn't trying to be bossy or anything.

Which i thought was in keeping with the OP's idea. They are asking people to be specific in their subject line. That is what i was asking as well, just for a different reason.

I'm really tired of people on the forums acting like their ideas or opinions are the only ones that matter and tromping all over everyone else because someone is suggesting something that isn't written explicitly in PBS rules. Yes, some things are ridiculous, like the ever-present "But i think my book should be postable because it only has a LITTLE water damage...." That is annoying.

I am not actually complaining about PBS. I try to word my posts in a way that doesn't come across bitchy and like i'm some giant ego who thinks their way is the only way (because i'm not). And yet when people respond to me, they generally act like jerks. It's always in the name of 'Well the way it sounded to me was...'

You can't HEAR anyone's words on the internet. So it's not really fair of someone to accuse someone of having any particular tone to their written words. Some people come off as straight and forthright, and it comes off as bitchy and opinionated, when all they are doing is expressing themselves. I have tried to write with smileys, i have tried just being me, i have tried being diplomatic, and yet someone always reads extra into it.

I wasn't trying to tell anyone that because i want to wait on offering a deal, that they should too. I made a statement with my opinion in it.

I definately agree that the forums are negative. I think it's a bad idea for me to be on them at all. I thought a forum on a site for book lovers would be a good place for me, but the people on here can be just as rude and unenlightened as others, despite opening their minds every time they open a book.

I'll just stick to ordering books, and reading them. That's why i came here anyhow.

cheezy - I don't want there to be any hard feelings between you and I so let's just call a truce.  I know what you mean about not really being able to tell a tone in a post. It is pretty impossible.

I think you'll find that on the whole, this forum is NOT a negative place. Only every so often people just don't know when to stop the complaining (not pointing at you - just in general), which is why I avoid the "Questions" forum because it becomes a fight, an issue and someone gets hurt.

I'm on BB a lot and on the Paranormal and neither one of those are really negative except for certain times. So, don't go away from all the forums - just either take it with a grain of salt, or since I can't do the grain of salt thing, I just stay away.

Welcome back, Bernie!

I think the original suggestions are good ones.  Let's not go off-topic here.  There were two points:

For the 'seller'
1)People not having takers for their deals

This is all about marketing.  How do you make your advertisement stand out in a crowd?  i.e., I've got a shelf full of paranormal romance.... or mystery/thrillers..... or romance..... check me out!!

For the consumer:
2)People being frustrated about not knowing what types of books are on offer

i.e., I'm really a memoir kind of person.... I don't have any interest in Harlequins..  I love military fiction......
OR I really love true-crime  OR I'm looking for pre-school books....  ('sellers' take note of  #1 above)

The suggestions are good ones.  It's all about supply and demand.  How can the sellers move their books, and how can the consumers find the books they want in the most efficient way possible?  Especially in a forum with this much traffic?  Let's not lose sight of the goal, okay?

The discussion got sidetracked into a "how big is your shelf" discussion, which is completely irrelevant.  I mean, you click on someone's bookshelf, they only have 20 books, you use the browser back key to get back to the bazaar.  Total time?  Probably 30 seconds.  Never mind that those could be 20 books that could be great books... you can see in an instant that they only have 20 books and you can leave instantly.  No one is forcing you to stay and read every title.

It's not fair to complain that people with only 20 books are offering deals.  I have been here long enough that I have a TBR shelf in my house filled with wishlisted books.  When I finish them, I list them.  So my bookshelf is not that large.  And it's full of books that my friends have given me because they just cleaned their kids' closets, or just books I've had that haven't got through the FIFO system yet.   That doesn't mean they are useless books.  And it doesn't mean that I am not worthy of posting a deal because I'm tired of them hanging around my house.  So let's keep that in mind...... there is no such thing as a bad book, okay?  Somewhere there is a home for that book where it will be loved and cared for.  Let's not leave them orphans.

Don't judge a bookshelf by it's size, and don't judge a member because they have a small shelf.  Everyone has a right to move their books...... you can look and leave within seconds if it's not to your liking.   Let's think about quality over quantity, shall we?  That is where #1 comes in handy.  Those ten books could all be in your favorite genre..... that's where these suggestions can help.  You probably would want to browse that small shelf it you know in advance they were all (or many) <insert your favorite genre> books before you clicked, right?

Let's do help everyone move their books, and help everyone find deals they'll enjoy.  I think the OP suggestions were awesome.  Let's do it and not get sidetracked. 

I do notice more specific thread titles here..... I hope people keep track and get back with their results to see if it helps move their books. 

Ok, I'm glad to see that folks are working things out in here. People had oponions, expressed them, others had a different oponion and also expressed them. It impresses the heck out of me that folks apologize or try to smooth over things that may sound harsh. Thanks for doing that.

One of the things I love about the Book Bazaar, its pretty much drama free. I'm sure that we can work to keep it that way. We don't all have to agree, but getting along is a good thing. :)

As long as stuff doesn't get ugly, I don't mind if folks ask questions or express thoughts here. IF folks start getting ugly, thats not as much fun.

I wish I had the answer as to how to get folks to take up everyones deals. I appreciate the fact that folks are taking up the challenge. I think it might help a little bit, but again, thats just my thoughts. I've been wrong before.

Someone brought up something in CMT about the types of things that folks used to post, before it became mostly deals. The Bazaar does NOT have to be only for deals. Its a great place to pimp your shelf. People used to make creative subject lines to get folks to look at their shelves. I don't know if it gave anyone more orders, but they were fun to read.

The Book Bazaar can be more than deals. It can be folks looking for books, pimping their shelves, or pretty much other little wierd things. Go crazy, have fun!!!

This is good Bernie, but how do you suggest one word their title if they do have a small varying shelf?  If one only has 1 romance, 3 westerns, 2 scifi, 6 fiction, 1 chick lit, etc, etc, but they still want to, and have the right to, do a deal.  It's difficult to list a specific genre when your shelf is "eclectic".  What wording do you suggest for that? (really asking, not being sarcastic)

small eclectic good fiction shelf: Not harlequin [or whatever]