Are you passionate about books and always looking to support small businesses? Do you love second-hand books and want to be surprised by your next read? Then I have the perfect solution for you: Bee Books.
Bee Books is a small business owned by Chloe (@literarychloe), a graduate with a masters in Publishing. Passionate about books and ‘the art of storytelling’, Chloe pursued studies in literature and started her own Bookstagramas well as her own Blog
After graduating, Chloe’s passion for books did not disappear, and she decided to create Bee Books, ‘an online second-hand bookshop that allows readers to discover new literary books.’
‘Each book we sell are excellent in quality and price. Bee Books offers something different for readers, the opportunity to be faced with a good book with no pre-judgements as we are the ones who choose the books. At Bee Books we will always find you something good to read; perfect if you’re in a reading slump, unsure of what to read next or want to explore a new genre but don’t know where to start.’
Chloe was kind enough to agree to an interview to showcase her incredible business.
What kind of products does your business offer?
Bee offers quality second-hand books with a twist. All of our books are Book Blind Dates: the customer will choose the genre that they want to explore and they don’t know what book they will receive until it arrives! We like to make every order extra special. Each order is carefully wrapped in our signature Bee wrapping and includes a few extra items such as a Bee Books Bookmark, a sachet of tea and book recommendations that we think that the customer would like based on the genre that has been selected. Throughout November and December, we provide Christmas wrapping on all of our books that includes a candy cane with the aforementioned items.
We also sell Mystery Book Boxes which work the same as our Book Blind Dates — the customer only chooses the genre of the book — but there are other items that are also included in boxes to make every reading session more of an experience.
We currently have two Mystery Book Boxes available:
- The Bee Box which includes items from our Book Blind Date range with added extras that are Bee themed (Manuka Honey Face Mask, Vegan Stinger Sweet Bar, Eco-friendly Bee and pen, literary quote print)
- Our Children’s Mystery Book Box, that we have recently launched, is tailored to make reading fun and immersive. In addition to a book and Bee Books bookmark, there is also a Bee Books Activity sheet and Crayons, a Snap Band Wristband, Stickers and Vegan Stinger Sweet Bar. Instead of choosing a genre, customers would select the reading age of the child that they are buying for. Launching a product for young readers has always been something that I wanted to add to our shop. The reception we have received on it so far has been so lovely, we really love to hear what customers think of our products!
With every order, there is an opportunity for customers to add a personalised message, making a gift more special.
We have more that we are excited to share very soon…stay tuned!
What drove you to start your own small business?
I wanted to explore a new venture that was rooted in the book industry and would fuel my creativity whilst also enabling me to develop transferable skills for my CV. I was also starting to lose shelf space for my own books and thought ‘what if I start there? I will trial selling a few of my books that I no longer want/have space for as a Book Blind Date with something a little extra included and see where that goes…’ — I’m glad to say that it has gone well.
How long have you had your business for?
One year! We have just celebrated Bee Books’ first year anniversary, which is so crazy to think about! Within the year, Bee has sent hundreds of books around the world, grown the product range, launched an official website and blog, been showcased on the amazing (and our favourite)podcast: The Island Library Podcast. I’m excited and intrigued to see what the next year will bring!
How much time does your small business take you?
Everything in our shop is original and made to order, so it can take quite a bit of time to wrap orders, particularly the Mystery boxes. I like to make sure that every order is wrapped with care but also meets our two-day dispatch time. As orders come in at different times and on different days, I schedule time during the weekend to prepare all ofthe elements that goes into an order before hand. I found that this is more time effective when it comes to wrappingas I can have everything ready to go and complete orders in more of an efficient way.
What is something that you have learned from starting a book business?
One thing that I have learned from starting a book business is be adaptable. Within the book industry there is a lot of constant changes from trends and bestsellers which is something that I was aware of but never necessarily saw the impact of until I started Bee. For example, the phenomenon of the bestselling The Thursday Murder Club series has greatly impacted the sale of our Crime and Thriller books recently which in turns impacts what we feature on our social media pages; it has been interesting to see this cycle first-hand.
Reflecting on it, I think that adaptability has allowed for Bee to continuously thrive over this past year, by trying new product ideas and launching a bigger platform of an official website that features everything related to the business in one place that I like to call “the hive”.
What would be your advice for someone who wants to start their own business?
Advice I would give to someone who wants to start their own business is try to pinpoint what your passion is and start your business in that area/industry. Your passion will be your driving force to keep going, especially when obstacles arise or during the early stages when everything is coming together. With the amount of time and dedication that it takes, you want to be passionate about what you’re doing.
Do you think that being on multiple platforms (etsy, website and instagram) is a strength? What would you say are the advantages and downsides of it?
Yes, definitely, in more ways than I could have anticipated.Being on multiple platforms allowed Bee to be showcased in different ways and connect to an audience. For example, we have hosted giveaways and partnered with The Island Library Podcast for a giveaway on Instagram, we showcase products through Reels and TikTok videos, we provide people with more insight into Bee on Twitter. The success of Bee I highly credit to the use of social media and the engagement that we have gained within the book community because of it. Social media is where most people first hear about us. I am continuously blown away by the support that is shown for Bee on social media. I am so grateful for every order, like, comment and share that Bee receives.
With the holiday season about to begin, you may be on the lookout for some great gift ideas. If you know book lovers, or are one yourself, Bee Books’ boxes are a great way to support a small business while also discovering some great books. Who knows, you might just find your next favourite book!
Bee Books’ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/beebooksmcr/?hl=fr)
Bee Books’ website (https://beebooksmcr.co.uk/)
Juliette
Interviewer and Writer
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