College students often find themselves with plenty of homework, but not too much cash. Our guest on 69 News at Sunrise this morning was Eric Ginsberg. He’s a rental industry expert and vice president of marketing for Bookswim who has a way he says will put more money in students’ pockets.
Click to vote for BookSwim at Forbes.com
BookSwim.com rents books like Netflix rents movies, with the convenience of free home delivery and best-sellers guaranteed in stock. An estimated 12% of Americans (36 million) read one or more books each month, one-third of which read at least three books, monthly. The largest single segment of BookSwim members is women (80%), ages 26 to 40 (36%).
To date, BookSwim has delivered books to nearly 12,000 members. In BookSwim’s rental model, members pay a monthly fee of $15 to $40 for unlimited use. Books are reused, spreading the initial purchase cost over multiple members and creating net profit. Launched in 2007 with a $6,000 investment of personal cash, BookSwim is now funded by reinvested operational cash flow, boasting $900,000 of revenue in 2008.
BookSwim’s only purported competitors (Booksfree.com and Paperspine.com) don’t stock hardcovers, the medium in which new releases and best-sellers are almost exclusively available, whereas these titles make up the bulk of BookSwim’s rentals. Even public libraries often have difficulty keeping new releases in stock, offering waiting lists for the few copies that a tight budget allows. BookSwim guarantees new releases and bestsellers to be in stock and imposes no due dates or late fees.
BookSwim co-founder George Burke has grown BookSwim from an idea to a thriving enterprise in the past two years. He has added to his management team officers with over a decade of experience each, including restructuring Scholastic at Home; managing four successful start-ups exited for a combined total of $200 million; former COO of BMG ($1.1 billion company); executive vice president of BookSpan ($700 million company).
The next level for BookSwim is to increase year-on-year membership by 50%, growing community and enabling additional revenue streams. BookSwim will use $50,000 of advertising to sell Forbes.com readers discounted holiday gift cards. Since most Forbes.com readers are not in BookSwim’s target demographic, the space is best used to enable readers to help make members of friends and family who are.
The $50,000 cash prize will be used to hire a new junior developer (at $40k/year) charged in the first year with developing and managing added-value and new-member-generating projects, including: Applications for Facebook, iPhones and other smart phones, mobile version of BookSwim.com; member points/rewards program, book buy-back program, Platform enabling book clubs to rent in bulk and an interface to manage book clubs; Twitter functionality to search and request titles in BookSwim’s catalog, Twitter contest giving away an iPhone (or comparable gadget) each day for one month to tweeters who help build BookSwim awareness through hash tags and deep-linked URLs, other community-building imperatives.
BookSwim will also spend money on prizes for aforementioned Twitter contest, ad space on GoodReads.com (the preeminent social network for readers), $400, victory dinner; the small staff deserves a token of appreciation for all they do.
Watch the video and read the article at WNDU.com
What is being called “transumerism” by the rental industry seems to be on the rise. Some say you can save hundreds of dollars by simply choosing to rent instead of buying certain items.
Eric Ginsberg, vice president of marketing for “BookSwim.com,” says transumerism is the “common desire to get beyond paying the high premium of ownership and just have what you need when you need it.”
Ginsberg says you can rent just about anything you can think of; just by doing some quick searching online. He says especially right now with a new school year, students can save money by renting text books instead of buying new or even used. Ginsberg says students can save an average 60% on books each semester by renting through websites like BookSwim.com.
To learn more about “BookSwim.com”, click on the big red bar.
Read the full article at iStockAnalyst.com
Resolve to start this school year with a dedication to leisure reading. Exercise your mind, expand your vocabulary, and savor creative language with a renewed interest in literature. Take a pause. Read a book for less with these insider book tips……….
……….BookSwim.com – Book Swim offers plans that allow users to take out multiple books at a time. The $19.95 basic monthly fee still permits readers to check out as many books as they choose. You aren’t locked into a contract and have a read-to-own option. Through Book Swim’s college textbook service, students can save up to 60 percent on books ordered online…………
You’ve probably rented cars, apartments, and even movies before, but what about a wedding cake, a purse, a pooch, or a best-selling book?
“We’ve gotten to a point where you can rent almost anything,” said retail expert Marshal Cohen.
Call it the rise of the rental industry. Born out of the faltering economy, retail analysts said consumers who can no longer afford to buy are renting goods from dozens of websites for a week, a weekend, even longer.
On this website, you can find designer dresses that retail for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, up to 90% off.
You can rent a $2300 classic Chanel bag for only $80.
“In many cases it’s someone who’s been entrepreneurial creates a collection, puts that collection out for rent and it’s just been growing for them ever since,” Cohen said.
And it’s not just luxury items. Basic, everyday goods are available to rent too.
“Books we rent are mostly popular fiction and popular non-fiction, all the newest best-selling hot releases as well as all the classics,” said Eric Ginsberg, spokesman for BookSwim.com.
You can borrow books from the library for free, but at most book rental sites there are no due dates, no late fees, and free shipping to your door.
“You can rent your textbooks online for up to 75 percent off and that can be the difference between affording to go to school full-time or part time.
Tired of shelling out money for toys your kids outgrow? Rent them like mother Connor Herman does.
“We’ve got choo-choo trains, we’ve got puzzles and books” she said.
And it doesn’t have to end there. For all you June brides, you can rent everything from your dress to the wedding cake.
You can even rent a dog. “Flexpetz is a flexible dog ownership program for people who love dogs but are unable to own dogs full time,” said spokeswoman Marlena Cervantes.
“Another benefit to renting instead of buying: it’s much more environmentally friendly because the goods get recycled.
Read the full article at Time.com
Clear out your bookmarks. You’re going to need the space for 50 offerings that are indispensable to navigating, enjoying yourself, shopping or just killing time on the Web.
If you have a DVD player, odds are you already know about Netflix’s excellent movies-by-mail service. Netflix is morphing into a similarly excellent streaming-video service, but that’s no reason to forget the mailman’s name. There is an array of niche “flix” companies that specialize in delivering media to your door. SmartFlix specializes in how-to tutorials; Fight-Flix, in martial-arts videos; BookSwim… in books….
Read the full article at TheNewsTribune.com
‘Tis the season to be reading. With school starting just around the corner students are getting ready to shed the summer lazies and get back to academic business. Resolve to start this year with a dedication to leisure reading. Exercise your mind, expand your vocabulary, and savor creative language with a renewed interest in literature.
According to Maryanne Wolfe author of “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain,” “when you read you have more time to think. Reading gives you a unique pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral language – when you watch a film or listen to a tape – you don’t press pause.” Take a pause. Read a book for less with these insider book tips.
Online Book Rentals
Thank you, Netflix, for pioneering the inexpensive media rental frenzy. With your blazing trail, you squashed Blockbuster late fees and introduced a new, less hectic way to enjoy entertainment. Book lovers who can’t seem to break the Barnes & Noble spending sprees will delight to know that book rental online is just as simple with many options from which to choose………..
……….BookSwim.com
Book Swim offers plans that allow users to take out multiple books at a time. The $19.95 basic monthly fee still permits readers to check out as many books as they choose. You aren’t locked into a contract and have a read-to-own option. Through Book Swim’s college textbook service, students can save up to 60 percent on books ordered online.
Watch the video at MyFoxAL.com
Eric Ginsberg, a rental expert, joins us with details on how you can save the most on your college expenses.
As college students head back to local campuses, many are looking for ways to save money.
Rental Industry Expert, Eric Ginsberg joined us on Daybreak Friday morning to tell us why renting goods may be a better idea for college students than buying them.
He said students can save hundreds of dollars a year by renting textbooks, video games, laptop computers, even cars.
It’s becoming more popular and works similar to how Netflix works to rent movies.
For more information or to get started renting items, visit www.BookSwim.com.
Read the full article at Go Frugal (FreeShipping.org)
‘Tis the season to be reading. With school starting just around the corner students are getting ready to shed the summer lazies and get back to academic business. Resolve to start this year with a dedication to leisure reading. Exercise your mind, expand your vocabulary, and savor creative language with a renewed interest in literature.
According to Maryanne Wolfe author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, “when you read you have more time to think. Reading gives you a unique pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral language—when you watch a film or listen to a tape—you don’t press pause.” Take a pause. Read a book for less with these insider book tips.
Online Book Rentals
Thank you, Netflix, for pioneering the inexpensive media rental frenzy. With your blazing trail, you squashed Blockbuster late fees and introduced a new, less hectic way to enjoy entertainment. Book lovers who can’t seem to break the Barnes & Noble spending sprees will delight to know that book rental online is just as simple with many options from which to choose……
……BookSwim.com
Book Swim offers plans that allow users to take out multiple books at a time. The $19.95 basic monthly fee still permits readers to check out as many books as they choose. You aren’t locked into a contract and have a read-to-own option. Through Book Swim’s college textbook service, students can save up to 60% on books ordered online…….
……Library
More than once I’ve racked up a $20+ late charge on checked out books, so it appears I’m not responsible enough to call the library a free service. Depending on funding in your area the local library has a wealth of new audio, video, and print titles. Inquire about getting on a list for the new releases to avoid bugging the librarian once a week. Keep in mind that many titles stay in circulation for several years or decades–review the publication dates fro technology books, and all non-fiction in general, before checking out.
Read the full article at 10Connects.com
Booklovers who can’t afford the latest best-seller will love today’s hot link.
Bookswim.com is an online book rental club, and you can rent as many titles as you want.
A membership costs $15 a month, but that’s still cheaper than buying a hardcover.
And if you really love it, there’s an option to buy it for cheaper than you’d get at the book store.
Watch the video and read the article at ABC2new.com
This is it! The week you drive, head to the airport, jump on a train, or kiss your college student goodbye. But it is also a time of the year where spending on the college students certainly increases. But we have some ways you can save a lot of money without losing any of the educational value.
Today on Good Morning Maryland @ 9, Eric Ginsberg, a retail industry expert, sat down with Jamie to talk about how college students can now RENT their books, equipment, and other items in an effort to save them money.
Eric explained how the program works a lot like NetFlix does for movies. You can rent the books you need for the class and just return them in a pre-paid envelope at the end of the semester. You can do the same for equipment like expensive calculators you may only need for one semester of your college career. The advantage? You don’t have to pay a lot of money up-front for something you may not need again in four months.
To hear more of Eric’s examples and get other ideas, just click on the video box to the right of this article and see the segment again. And we have provided links to the left for more information.
Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full article at JournalStar.com
Round-up: 1. Textbooks to rent. Company Cengage Learning will jump into the college textbook rental market this December with CengageBrain.com. Already in business is the Netflix-like outfit BookSwim.com, which rents textbooks through a partnership with BookRenter.com………
Read the full article at DailyGrommet.com
……..Netflix-style Book Rental
Don’t want to lay out big bucks for the syllabus list? Tired of long wait lists for the hottest best-sellers at the library? BookSwim gets it right: for a flat monthly rate pick the books you need for home delivery and keep them as long as you need them. (Memberships start at $19.98 / month) Find out more about BookSwim online book rental here……….
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