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It is only now that the greater part of the population are migrating to audio books. Only a few years ago, conventional book lovers had to buy paperbacks or the hardcover to read the works of their favorite authors. People have realized by now that not only are audio books easy to use and more convenient than traditional print, they are equally if not more entertaining. Besides, these audio books cover almost all genre so one gets to enjoy what ever he likes -- mystery and suspense, romance, science-fiction or adventure. Those who have taken to listening to audio books normally obtain their copies from the bigger establishments like Audible, the current market leader. Although industry competition is stiff, demand for audio books is still on the rise. This is indeed one great business opportunity that you must not pass up. Open your own audio book online store and do not be afraid to play with the big boys.

Audible tops all others in the distribution of audio books with annual revenues exceeding $80 million. Yes, they are that big but that should not discourage you from starting your own audio book online store. You too can aim for that spot but first you have to establish your own audio book online store and sign up a good number of regular subscribers so you can recoup your investments, realize profits, and plan for your expansion.

It is not really a secret, but the key to your success in the business is to develop your own loyal membership base that would be more than willing to pay the monthly subscription of $10 to $15 so they can get to listen to at least two audio books. You need to calculate your costs and operating expenses to determine your break-even which should be the least number of subscribers you need to keep you in the black. Then factor in your investments and your desired profit so you can estimate your target number of members.

When you open your own audio book online store, explore possible drop ship sources for your audio books. Your suppliers can ship the ordered items directly to your customers. Effectively, you are cutting down on the amount of time and money necessary to maintain and manage the inventory of books, packing and shipping them out. While there are fees involved -- first the setup fee and then the drop fee per order, you are given more free time to focus on marketing and generating new subscriptions. If you wish, you may do a cost-benefit analysis to help you decide if the drop shop system is the best option for your own audio book online store.

Drop shipping seems to be the most practical arrangement for anyone with limited resources who want to open his own audio book store. Funds need not be tied up and inventory and there is no need for space to keep all those stocks of books. The process is simple. As the outlet, you will take orders for the different audio books and collect the payment at your retail price rate. Then, you will need to forward the order to your drop shipper/supplier and remit your own payment at wholesale price plus the drop fee. This may cost you about half of the sales amount you received from your customer. The drop shipper/supplier now takes responsibility for packaging and shipping the order to your customer. This system almost limits your costs to promoting your own audio book online store. Other than luck, you would need perseverance, good marketing strategies and effective advertising. And with the right attitude, you are on your way to be the proud owner of a successful audio book online store.