Send us pictures of your books right from your phone.
Not sure how? Don't worry. Here's a quick and easy guide.
Book Collections
Photographing (or taking a video of) shelves of books is an effective and easy way to show us what you are interested in selling, especially if you have a lot of books. While a list can be helpful, we find that photos or videos of the collection are actually a better way to see general subject, title, edition and condition.
Make sure to: Have books spine out and grouped together. Take photos that are clear and in focus, so we may zoom in for a closer look. Use proper lighting that will show the important details we need to see in order to help you further.
Individual Books
If you think you have something exceedingly rare, signed or unique, you can send us photos of individual books. Please make sure that:
- Each and every one of your photos is clear and in focus. We often enlarge photos to scan for details and they must be clear for us to do so. This helps you get a faster reply from us.
- For individual books, please include at least four photos of each book including: Spine, Front Cover, Title Page, and Colophon. (The colophon is the page that includes all the publishers information. This is often found on the back of the title page, but also at the end of many books)
- Each photo is not larger than 1MB. If you are sending multiple images, please be sure the attachments are not larger than 10MB in size. Anything larger may be bounced back to you by your server.
- Send them to: info@blueskyrarebooks.com.
STEP 1: Spine and Front Cover (Two photos)
Why does this matter?
As you might guess, the exterior condition of a book is crucial for determining value. For modern books (printed since 1900) the condition of the dustjacket (the colorful wrapper that goes around the book) is very important. Often, the dustjacket is worth more than the book itself. When making photos, then, do not take the dustjackets off the books, simply photograph the books as they are.
STEP 2: Title Page and Colophon (Two photos)
Why does this matter?
We need this to confirm details such as the title of the book, the author, the illustrator, the publisher, the publication date and the edition. This also helps to identify imprints that distinguish it from other printings of the same book.
Make sure to: Be extra careful that no words are cut off and all words are clearly in focus.
Have further questions about how to describe and photograph your books? Email us at info@blueskyrarebooks.com and be sure to include your full name and telephone number.