To make money selling books you first need to have books to sell. Start by deciding what kind of books you wish to sell; hardback or paperback, used or new, rare or common, specialized or general, fiction or non-fiction, etc. You could sell whatever you can find, but you are likely to do much better if you find a niche for yourself and stay in it.

1. Base your decision of what to sell by what people are seeking and prepared to pay for. Do extensive research until you find a niche that you like the idea of selling in, and one that is already profitable. Don't be afraid of some competition. It's healthy, and if you have no competition, people are probably not buying in that niche.

2. You have to be able to source books in the niche you choose. This means that while you need to find a profitable niche to sell in, and one that you like, it will only work if you can buy books in that niche at a low enough price to resell for profit. This part of the research is vital and you must get it right.

3. Locate all the best sources for your books in areas close to where you live if possible. It will make things a lot easier for you. However, it can be possible to source books in areas distant to you if you have access to the store's lists. Remember also that yard sales, garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets and used book stores can also be great sources to explore.

4. Gain as much experience as you can about the kind of books you plan to sell. In general, a book with a dust jacket will sell for more than one without, though bear in mind that some books are published without dust jackets. Any book-of-the-month club type published books should be avoided. Heavy non-fiction books are generally of more value that lightweight books, or fiction stories.

5. Decide where you will sell your books. There are a number of choices in this respect. You could sell through mail order, online, or at a market stall. You could even rent out commercial premises and set up your own little shop. It may be that you wish to do a mixture of several options.

6. Start small and build up. Don't go out and buy a hundred books hoping to sell them all in the first week. Buy one or two good quality books that you are fairly sure you will make a reasonable profit on. Sell them before buying more. This will prove the viability of the venture. Once you feel you are on solid ground, scale up the operation gradually.

7. You will likely find that some books will simply not sell. Dispose of them rather than keeping them in the hope that they might sell some day. Find a used book store that is willing to consider taking books from you. They may agree to issuing credit rather than paying you. That can be valuable too. There are many ways to make money selling books, and experience in the market will reveal them further over time.