Letter From The PaperBackSwap Team

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MEMBERS! YOU DID IT!! We reached more than 100,000 available books in the system on Sunday, August 28th. You've added books, and you've added referrals who have added more books, and the family circle continues to expand. In less than three months our book club inventory has more than quadrupled. Just think what the future holds for all of us book lovers! Let's continue to spread the word and watch those numbers grow.

We've added so many new features and improvements to the site that it is hard to highlight all of them here. In addition to the visible changes, there are many, many programming features done behind the scenes to enhance the site. While you won't see these, you will experience a faster site with a more effective search engine and extensive database content.

We hope you enjoy the many new features and enhancements of The Greatest Book Club in America!

Thank you,

Richard and Robert
The PaperBackSwap Team

I cannot believe how easy it is to find your way around this website! It does everything - even lists all the books I've read. In the past two weeks, I've sent out over 30 paperbacks that have been sitting around the house just gathering dust. And I can find just about anything I'm interested in - this is heaven!
Pam B. - Northport, NY - 8/15/2005

You've Got Mail : )
Sometimes just seeing those three golden words puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? As part of our new Personal Message feature, now you can know when you have new messages as soon as you log into your Account Home Page. Take a look at your Personal Message button which will now have a red number indicating how many new messages you have in the Personal Message section of your account. You will also continue receiving emails to alert you of incoming messages.

Another Personal Message feature that has been added is the ability of members to communicate regarding Wish List requests. Now when you receive a notice about a book available from your wish list, you will be able to communicate to the member that has the book via Personal Message prior to ordering the book. These are just some of the many ways the PaperBackSwap Team is working to promote communication among club members.

No Need to Tie That String . . .
How many times have you received a book and enjoyed reading it and then picked up your next book and started reading without reposting the first one? Now you don't have to tie a string around your finger to remind you to repost that book you finished reading. The club offers an automatic repost feature designed so you don't have to remember to list the book when you are done. Simply go to your Account Home Page, go to My Account, then to Account Settings. This is where you can designate an automatic repost timeframe based on when you receive a book. No more wondering which books are listed or which ones need to be listed. You can designate a specific timeframe or you can select to manually repost your books. Be sure to check out your account settings and make sure your default repost is within the timeframe best suited for your reading needs.

Bigger Isn't Always Better
As founders of the club, we have enjoyed every minute of watching the personalities of members take shape and help to make the club more interesting. When we do have the occasional spare moment, we truly enjoy perusing the Discussion Forums and getting in touch with our members' thoughts.

However, there have been occasions where the signature lines of some members 'overshadow' the thoughts of other members. Therefore, we are asking all members to please be considerate as to the size and content of your signature lines. When placing a large signature line in a Discussion Forum, this causes the need for multiple paging to read the forums. Also, when decorative and graphic content of a signature line is questionable as to the acceptance for the majority, please refrain from including it. Thanks in advance for being considerate of other members' desires and expectations.

In The News . . .
What success we've had with our Public Relations contest! Members from all across the United States have received between 25 and 50 free credits for their efforts in promoting the club. Through contacts with newspapers and television, members have wonderfully exposed their various communities to PaperBackSwap. This exposure means more members for the club, which in turn means more books for everyone. To see a selection of some of our PR and Media Coverage highlights, check out the section in the left hand column of the home page of the club. Thanks to all those members that participated.

Keep in mind that while the contest may have ended, we all still benefit from any PR and Media efforts you offer. We encourage you to do it for your club and fellow members. Remember, Oprah will want to interview lots of members if she ever gets ahold of this story. Just think, we could all meet in Chicago! :)

I Wish, I Wish, With All My Might . . .
Just like little kids wishing upon stars, we all wish for certain books. Now you can see where you are in line for a particular book on your Wish List. Simply roll your cursor over the "!" next to the title of the book. The number indicates what position in the Wish List line you are for the book. We hope you enjoy this level of anticipation brought to you by your PaperBackSwap Team.

We've Got Your ISBN Number, Do You?
We've updated our database of books and are ready to post just about anything. However, to make the club a pleasure for all our members, we cannot stress enough the importance of posting books with correct ISBNs. Many times a member may see a wish for a particular book. They have the book but it doesn't exactly match the ISBN number. The member decides change the ISBN to match the wish list request. Please do not do this as it creates a lot of problems (and more feedback for us to answer). More times than not, there is a reason that the ISBNs don't exactly match (hardback, paperback, condensed, unabridged, revised, etc.) Sometimes it is very important to the member "wishing" for the book that the ISBNs be the same. PLEASE DO NOT list books with incorrect ISBNs just to get a match on the Wish List. We are working on a system that will allow the "wishing member" to specify any and all versions of the book that will be considered acceptable to them as well as a way for you to notify the wishing member of a variation of the wish. Thank you to all members for helping to keep the ISBN system "clean" for PaperBackSwap.

No Response Means "Bye Bye Book"
To make this club successful, we need the full participation of all members. This means that when you receive a request for one of your books, you should honor your membership by responding to the request. If you don't respond, then that book is removed from your bookshelf. This means that if you want it to be available for others to request, you'll have to repost the book.

Wouldn't it be much easier if you just responded to the book request? If you say 'no', you are given an opportunity to say why you couldn't fufill the request. If you say 'yes' you can indicate when you will be able to mail the book. However, the worst case scenario is when you don't respond, then your book goes "bye bye" from the system, and then you will have to repost it to swap it. Let's all do our part as members of the club and simply "Respond" when you have a book request.

Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
Responding to books is only one component of a member's responsibilities. Once you respond, it is your responsibility to send a book when you say you will. Please DO NOT say you will send or have sent a book and then wait a few days later to do so. If you know you will be sending it in two days, then mark two days or even Personal Message the requestor.

Members that request books are counting on you to send a book when you say you will send it. Again, this concept falls back on our members' integrity and honesty to make the club a wonderful experience for everyone!

Condition of Books
As a reminder, we ask that all members comply with the "Condition of Books" statement in the posting and shipping area of the site. Remember, the club policy on book conditions is listed on the posting page. It state:

"Please remember our club is based on honesty and integrity from our members about their books. You will not receive a credit if your book is shipped in poor condition. In order to post this book you must AGREE to the conditions of the book listed below:

1. My book is not missing its cover.
2. My book is not an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC)
3. My book has no water damage of any kind.
4. My book is not excessively worn, and it is in good condition."

In addition to the above conditions, all members will be required to agree to the statement below in order to post books into the system.

"By posting books, I agree to fulfill shipping the requests of other PBS members. I understand that the posting of books without the intention of mailing them upon request constitutes fraud and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

This condition was required because we were alerted to a handful of members who were posting books only to receive their three free credits. Some would even accept a request only to never mail the book. As you all know, one bad apple can affect the entire basket if we don't take action to prevent it in the future. We thank you in advance for understanding the need for this action.

Advanced Search Gives Members Exactly What They Are Looking For
We've been working on a number of new features, including the Advanced Search. This feature offers capabilities beyound the regular Search feature. With Advanced Search, you are able to specify mutliple search criteria at one time to help narrow down your results. With over 100,000 books in the system we are trying everything we can to help make this process even easier for all members. There are many more improvements coming to this new enhancement over the next few weeks.

Bulk Book Orders
How many times have you started to request a book from another member and wondered if they have more books that would match your interests? Now, when you request a book, you have the option to look at the sending member's entire bookshelf to see if they have more books you'd like to request at the same time. If they do, our Bulk Book Order system benefits all. Now the sender can package the books together, sending them to you at a less expensive postal rate than sending them out one at a time. Also, for the sender, this means a better chance of their books being requested. The requesting member also benefits because all the books come in one order, instead of trickling in one at a time. As a sending member, keep in mind that you can accept the entire request or parts of it. Also, if you have a need to mail the books seperately, you can still do this by printing the wrappers individually.

Advanced Notice Available for the "I'm Away From Home" Feature
Usually we know in advance when we're going to be away from home. Now you can place your PaperBackSwap account "on hold" in advance of leaving for your trip or while you are away from home. Simply go to the "I'm Away From Home" area of the site and mark the days that you will be gone using our convenient calendar feature.

Keep in mind that any transactions currently in progress will continue. This means that you will continue to receive emails regarding books on order or that are already in transit. The "I'm Away From Home" feature places the rest of your books on hold so that no new requests nor wish list opportunities are activated while you are away. When you reactivate your account status (either manually or automatically), your books and wish list items will be placed back in the order they were in line for before you left.

Thanks Again to Our Book Family
You, the Charter Members of PaperBackSwap, are what makes this club work. Day in and day out, you come to the site, offer suggestions, engage in discussion forums and search for books to enhance your reading experiences. Thanks to you, we can say it again and again. . .PaperBackSwap is quickly becoming The Best Book Club in America!

Sincerely,

The PaperBackSwap Team