Don't judge this book by its cover

Before the browser

Richard Weatherford is a bookseller who loves old books and new technology. After earning his doctorate in English from UCLA and teaching college for some years, Dick turned to selling antiquarian books via specialized catalogs from his home near Seattle. He soon realized that computer databases had a lot to offer the antiquarian book business. In 1982, he wrote a business plan for a company that would build an online database for antiquarian booksellers. He called the company Interloc because it would serve as an interlocutor (that's English professor for "go-between") to help sellers to locate hard-to-find books. Unfortunately startup capital was harder to find than a signed JD Salinger, in part because personal computers were still scarce, expensive, and difficult to connect.

In 1991, Dick was hired by Faxon, a book and magazine subscription service firm, to salvage BookQuest, an early online database for antiquarian booksellers. BookQuest failed, but it taught Dick a lot and it revived the idea of Interloc. Because computer use was growing exponentially, the idea seemed timely and Dick was able to raise nearly $50,000, mainly from booksellers who respected his thinking and vision. Interloc went live in 1993, prior to the widespread use of the world-wide web.

The first successful online bookseller service

Initially, Interloc was a database for professional booksellers only. It was not open to the public. (Even as the web exploded in popularity, Dick decided against putting the Interloc database on the web, arguing that "our mission is to help booksellers find books for their own customers.") Dick recruited Tom Sawyer, who in 1993 published Record Manager, the first desktop software for booksellers. The data standard that Tom developed for Record Manager, called UIEE, is still in widespread use today. Interloc enabled sellers to transfer files of book listings over modems using DOS-based computers. Interloc built the first system to match requests, or "wants" from customers with books available for sale. It was a pioneering system, and the small company became the first successful online service for booksellers.

Interloc was quickly copied, right down to the UIEE data standard. Imitators wisely ignored Dick's advice to "stay off the web." Several launched websites before Interloc finally launched its own site in 1996.

A global vision from traveling the backroads

In 1997, Marty Manley asked an author friend how to find a copy of her book, which was out-of-print. Manley had what might politely be termed a nonstandard resume: among other things, he had been a machinist and a leader of several labor unions, a McKinsey & Co. management consultant, a sought-after turnaround expert, and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton. Over dinner, the author suggested that Marty use Interloc to track down a copy of her book. Marty found the book and was immediately hooked on Interloc's rich content. He sought out Richard Weatherford and was soon introduced to him in an office at the top of San Francisco's highest skyscraper.

Marty and Dick discussed how Interloc might become a large company that could deliver the growing power of e-commerce to independent booksellers while delivering extraordinary selection to businesses and book lovers. They spent three weeks traveling and meeting with booksellers across the US to learn what was working and not working with the emerging world of online bookselling. By the end of these travels, they had decided to create a new company out of Interloc.

Thus was Alibris born. Marty started the new company in California, where the first employees came to work in his house.

A different approach to online bookselling

From the beginning, Marty and Dick were determined to bring several new approaches to online bookselling:

A partnership with independent, professional booksellers. Marty and Dick decided early on that Alibris would be an at-risk partner, not a listing service. This approach attracted a large number of professional sellers and now enables Alibris to offer tens of millions of books for sale.

Sales to business as well as to retail customers. Alibris was determined to enable professional booksellers to reach business and library customers, not just consumers. Interloc had learned this lesson early by serving as the first supplier of out-of-print books to nearby Amazon.com.

Specialized logistics. Many business customers required orders to be consolidated, repackaged, custom invoiced, or shipped overseas at low cost. By building sophisticated low-cost logistics capabilities from the start, Alibris would serve those customers and booksellers could enjoy the benefit of increased sales.

Superior market intelligence. Because Alibris naturally collects a great deal of information about book buying and selling, the company came to be able to offer both customers and sellers essential market information. Today, Alibris knows exactly what books sell and at what price. Alibris helps sellers continually update prices, makes sure that business customers get data for used books that is as good as new, and handles publishers' returns and remainders in very large quantity.

A great place for talented people to work. From the start, Alibris worked to attract and motivate talented people by encouraging initiative, respecting differences, and rewarding professionalism and results.

Alibris today

Today, Alibris is a vibrant marketplace operating in the two fastest growing areas of the $90B worldwide book business: online sales and used and out-of-print books.

Many, many people have made the Alibris journey possible. Alibris thrives thanks to the loyalty of more than a million business and retail customers and an incredibly capable and dedicated business, technical, and support staff. Alibris continues to benefit from experienced venture investors who stood by the company in good times and bad. Finally, Alibris has been incredibly well served by its leadership, including a board and management team that is widely and justly admired.

Alibris tomorrow

But the most exciting part of the Alibris story is still being written by our customers, sellers, staff, and investors. It is a story that will feature overseas growth, a vibrant movie and music business, new forms of book purchasing, and new kinds of sellers who help Alibris connect people who love books with independent professional booksellers from around the world.