World of Books, a major U.K.–based e-tailer of new and used books, is planning an aggressive expansion of its U.S. business in 2025.
The company, which recently purchased U.S.–based websites SecondSale.com and SellBackYourBooks.com and runs sales on Amazon Marketplace under the name GlentheBookseller, has consolidated its operations stateside and relaunched new book sales on WorldofBooks.com. It currently generates more than $200 million in annual sales, with the majority of revenue coming from the U.K., but hopes to grow the U.S. into its lead territory within the next three years.
"We established in the U.K. We don't have many competitors there, but we are definitely the market leader, whereas in the U.S., Thriftbooks.com obviously dominates," Sarah Walden, the company’s head of supply partnerships, told PW. Now, she added, "we're positioning ourselves as the planet's bookstore, where customers read more and waste less."
World of Books sold 31 million units globally last year and maintains an inventory of about seven million books. It has established its U.S. base in Montgomery, Ill., where it maintains a warehouse, and has partnered with Ingram as its wholesale supplier for drop shipping new books. It currently lists approximately two million titles on its platform.
The company's business model relies on sales of both new and used books, with a particular focus on backlist titles. World of Books sources much of its used inventory from book lovers trading old books through their consumer app and partnerships with Goodwill and other charitable organizations, using proprietary algorithms to determine purchasing decisions for both business-to-business and consumer-to-business transactions.
"We are really strong backlist retailers," Walden said. "76% of our sales from last year were pre-2024," as compared to an industry standard of around 70%—a number pulled from a survey World of Books conducted in partnership with Nielsen in the U.K.
World of Books employs what it calls an "end of life strategy" for buying, which entails purchasing titles that are no longer selling at a pace that makes them viable to go back into bookstore stock, or else are hurt, damaged, or remaindered. The company is selective in its purchases and does not buy mixed palettes or dumps. To make purchases, it employs an algorithm that can value a book virtually instantly, based on demand.
"The average purchase prices is $1.75 per a book," Walden said. "We seek a broad number of ISBNs, and not deep stock."
Walden joined World of Books after holding positions at Penguin Random House and shuttered U.K. online bookseller the Book People. She emphasized the company's research showing the complementary nature of used and new book sales. "What we can prove, having done the survey with Nielsen, is that there's a huge interaction between the formats," Walden said. "Of those purchasers asked if buying a used book affects how they buy new, 66% said they either maintain or increase their level of new book purchasing."
Founded in the early 2000s in the U.K., World of Books began by working with charity shops that were discarding unsold books. The company has since expanded to seven countries, with consumer-facing online storefronts in Australia, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, with shipments going out globally.
The company has made significant changes since July 2021, when the British private equity firm Livingbridge bought a majority stake in World of Books from Bridges Fund Management. Recently, the company has shifted its online sales platform to Shopify, which has generated some consternation online among fans, who claim that Shopify’s dynamic pricing algorithms have been troublesome. Walden told PW that the updated site, which has only been functioning for a short time, is in the process of being further developed.
"We're just starting in terms of promotional connectivity and partnerships," Walden noted. She added that World of Books will be sponsoring both the IBPA Publishing University and the U.S. Book Show in the coming months, as part of its efforts to raise awareness in the American market.
