Collecting books is an interesting thing to do. Therefore, you can come up with the decision to become a book collector. However, it is important to have a clear understanding about the steps that you need to follow in order to become a book collector.


Following are the steps that you should follow in order to become a book collector and start collecting books.


Remain focused 

If you come up with the decision to become a book collector, it is important for you to remain focused at all times. Then you will be able to stick to it. You will come across numerous challenges while working as a book collector. If you don’t remain focused, there is a high possibility for you to get distracted because of the challenges that you come across. 

No matter what, you need to remain focused and stick to the goals. Then you will be able to simplify the overall strategy as well.


Locate the sources

You need to have clear understanding about the best sources available out there as well. Then you can stick to the sources and get your hands on the rare books you want with ease.


Numerous sources are available for the people to get their hands on the books. You need to consider what source would provide you with the best results based on the budget, time and ambition. 


Most of the book collectors tend to keep bookshops as their source. The well-established online bookshops like Shapero, will be able to provide you with the opportunity to collect rare books with ease. On the other hand, they will have excellent networks with other entities, which will assist you to figure out the books that you want with minimum hassle. You can start off by contacting the local bookshops that are available.


Then you will be able to explore the books that are available in your local bookshop. If the specific book that you are looking for is not available in the local bookshop, you will need to ask for recommendations on how to find the best source to locate those books.


If you are specifically looking for a vintage book, you need to pay more attention towards the second hand bookshops that are available in the region. They are having vintage and second hand books. You can browse through the book collections in these second hand stores and locate the best books you want. 


There are thrift and charity stores, which will be able to deliver assistance with locating the best books as well. Along with that, you need to think about attending the street markets. 


Be aware about the facts

As a book collector, you need to make sure that money that you are spending to purchase books can provide you with value at the end of the day. The time and effort that you spend on the research can deliver amazing results to you in the long run. 


You will need to verify the value of the books before you purchase. Then you can reduce the chances of making a mistake. For example, you can take a look at the sources available on the internet, such as abebooks.com. You will be able to enter information about the book in these sources and get to know about the value of the book. Based on that, you can compare the amount of money that you are spending to collect a specific book and figure out whether you are receiving the best returns out of it or not.


Special editions of the books have a high value when compared to others. On the other hand, signed editions are associated with a higher value as well. You need to be aware of these facts and become a book collector. Otherwise, you will not be able to get the most out of it.


Get the maximum out of your budget 

You will need to spend money to purchase books. This is where you should think about getting the maximum out of your budget at the end of the day. Then you will be able to make sure that you receive amazing results based on the amount of money that you spend.


For example, if you can find more than one copy of a book within your book collection, you need to think about trading it. Then you will be able to get a new book that you want. On the other hand, you can also think about the space restrictions that you have as well. Then you will be able to make sure that you are optimizing the tight space that you have at home as well. You should only stick to the physical books that are with great value and extremely rare.