How to Declutter Your Bookshelf

We’re big on books at our house.  Maybe too big.  The pile has gotten out of control.  Now we’re finally coming to grips with the reality of hanging onto so many books.  They’re just cluttering our life.

I’m establishing a system for parting with our old loves (and making a few bucks along the way!).  Chances are, your shelves are as stuffed as my boxes, so here’s a couple tips for bidding excess books a final bu-bye.

books

What should you ditch?

First get all of your books together in one or two places so you can clearly see just how many books you have.  How many books do you want in the end?

Second put nostalgic books in one pile, and sort them separately so you don’t end up keeping every one.  I have to assign myself a number of books I can keep before I start looking through the pile.

Third – and this one’s the biggy – get rid of every book you don’t see yourself picking up within the next five years.

Fourth pull out the novels that were ehh and all that nonfiction you’re pretty sure you’ll never need again.  Get that stuff out.  (Like why am I holding onto my old statistics textbook?)  Heck, if you’re hesitant about that novel you’ve had for ten years now, give them to the library, and you can check them out later!

organized-bookshelf

Now what should you do with the books?

Try donating them! As the daughter of a librarian, I couldn’t stress how much libraries could use your books – especially libraries in small communities and elementary schools.  More people get to enjoy your books, and there’s a tax deduction to boot!  Women’s shelters and organizations, overseas servicemen, senior centers, and even your neighbors and expat friends would love a few delicious English books.

Try selling them.

First consider secondhand bookshops.  They’re a great way to get rid of your unused books without a lot of work.  Just be prepared to get a shop credit instead of cash.  The Brits are awesome about opening used English bookshops around Germany.  Danke!

Second try the Amazon Marketplace.  Search for a book you don’t want on Amazon and click on the link that says “Have one to sell?  Sell yours here.”  Pick the book’s condition, choose a price, and add comments about the book.  Then wait.  Note: it’s hard to get ahead with book sales on Amazon if your books are popular because lots of people will be selling them for cheap.

Or a Paperback Swap.  A couple of readers told me about paperswap.com.  Post ten books on the site when you join and swap for new books.  The only expense is shipping.  Nice!  The problem, of course, is that you’re not actually getting rid of books.  You still have the same number in the end.

Or even try selling them on other sites like cash4books.com, abebooks.com, and on and on.  Entering the data of one book at a time and mailing them can be tedious, so it’s your call.

What do you guys do when it’s time to declutter your shelves?  And while we’re at it, what’s your favorite book or author that you could never part with?

(Images from our shelf in Berlin & Flickr)