Many booksellers joined Shelfari from its early days and continue to connect with fellow readers in groups and book discussions. Some connect with other readers as peers simply for their own enjoyment of reading. Others make it well known that they own a store and invite Shelfarians to participate in store for events or just drop by to say ‘hi.’

First, create a Shelfari account and put the name of your bookstore along with your logo, a picture of the shop, or picture of yourself. Make sure your description gives the flavor of what you’re all about: whether its fun and playful, only for serious collectors, or strictly children’s books. Then fill up your bookshelf and add some of those great book reviews that were in your last newsletter or on sticky notes around the store. Have fun with it.

The secret to marketing on Shelfari is to be genuine. People want you to be truly who you are. The community will love that you’re a bookseller, so let it be known. The first step is to make friends. To find friends, do a member search for your city, region, area, or genre. This search for Seattle yields hundreds of Shelfarians who may already know your store. Add them as friends. Provide recommendations of good books and announce events.

To tell your patrons about your Shelfari profile, add a link to your Shelfari page on your business cards or fliers next to the register. You could include the link in your newsletters and emails, put the Shelfari widget on your website and blog, and invite your patrons via email.

Anyone with an Amazon Associates ID can generate revenue through clicks on their widget. The first thing to do is join the Amazon Associate program. Then put the Amazon Associate ID given in the widget. Every time a book is purchased by clicking your Shelfari widget through Amazon, you receive all associate revenue.

Currently Shelfari only supports Amazon. That may change in the future.

Shelfari enables booksellers to connect with readers outside of their bookstores. Find readers from your city and recommend books, share reviews and inform them of upcoming events in your store. Through Shelfari you can stay in touch with your patrons actively through notes and book recommendations, or passively through observing their reviews, wish list, and new books, and through them receiving updates on your activity.

To spread the word on upcoming events, comment on books for upcoming weeks. Ask your friends if they are going by leaving notes on their profiles. Target groups that you think would be interested and start a topic on the discussion board. Find anyone who has that author’s book on their shelf, and let them know about it.

Have your staff create profiles on Shelfari and add them as friends. Their profile could include their name and the store name. Then ask them to review books as they read them.