Find Out Where to Donate Books

Making the World Better One Book at a Time

By Alan Cohen, published Oct 20, 2006
Published Content: 27  Total Views: 21,125  Favorited By: 2 CPs
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What do you do when you are done reading a book? Share it with a friend? Toss it in the rubbish? What about those extra books packed in the attic or collecting dust in your bookcase? Do you save them for a yard sale or the annual church bazaar? Why not put your books to work making the world a little bit better?

BetterWorldBooks is an organization that everybody should know about. They sell books and donate proceeds to literacy organizations around the world. This venture offers a variety of books starting at $1.99. Genres include: Art & Photography, Biographies and Memoirs, Business & Investing, Children's Books, Comic & Graphic Novels, Computers & Internet, Cooking, Food & Wine, Entertainment, Gay & Lesbian, Health, Mind & Body, History, Home & Garden, Horror, Literature & Fiction, Medicine, Mystery & Thrillers, Network Essentials, Nonfiction, Notes, Outdoor & Nature, Parenting & Families, Professional & Technical, Reference, Religion & Spirituality, Romance, Science, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sports, Teens, and Travel.

BetterWorldBooks is a for profit social venture. Monies from the sales of their books go to a variety of organizations. Some of these are:




This type of business is an example of social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is the act of creating a company whose goal is to resolve an issue, concern, or to make the world a little bit better. It is not just donating a percentage of profits to charity (although this is certainly a commendable act). The product or service of social entrepreneurship can make the improvement.

Here is an example. CitizensEnergy, a company in Massachusetts provides oil for people that cannot afford it, tries to make prescriptions more affordable, and provide other important services. In their own words,

 
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Takeaways
  • Social entrepreneurship is the act of creating a company whose goal is to resolve an issue.
  • Better World Books capitalizes on the value of the book to fund and support literacy initiatives.
  • When you donate books you can specify which organization you want to support.
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I'd like to know more specific information than you have provided. How unscrupulous can a company be if they are re-selling used books which no one wants anyway, and for $1.99? What criteria do you use when making a this type of statement ? I am curious what would prompt an individual to be so angry with a company. Do you feel bitterness toward them because they want to make a profit? At least, it seems they have found and provided a use for books which would otherwise be thrown away, as no one and few charities want books. What gives? Are we too good to re-use a book for heavens sake? I do not understand.

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Posted on 05/07/2008 at 8:05:06 AM

 
better world books is absolutely notorious in the bookselling world, for their unscrupulous campaigns and practices. they have a terrible reputation, and I would caution everyone to avoid donating to these booktrolls.

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Posted on 02/27/2007 at 1:02:00 PM

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