Libraries have long lost the battle to the commuting constraints of a metro city, with people having little time or inclination to visit great distances to borrow and return books. The ease of online shopping hasn't helped either, subsuming even the endearing neighbourhood bookshops. When one such bookshop-cum-lending library in Delhi found itself trapped in this flux, it proved to be the trigger for an online lending library-Book me a Book-in 2007.
For Nidhi Verma, a lecturer at Delhi University, the idea took root as early as 2004. After teaching English for three years at DU, Verma got married and shifted to Bangalore. Here, again, she took up a teaching assignment at the Bangalore University for a year. "As a student of English, I had always been interested in reading. Then, in 2004, I took a sabbatical after the birth of my baby. It was around this time that I decided on starting an online lending library, which would be the best way to continue my love for books and keep myself occupied," says the 35-year-old.
However, it wasn't till the end of 2007 that the website was launched. This delay was primarily due to the time and effort it took to select and categorise the books. "I had the basic infrastructure in terms of books, but categorising them for an online library was an arduous task. This, along with the work on the website, ensured that it was almost three years before the project was launched," she says.
"Instead of setting up a completely new facility in Bangalore, I thought it would be easier to launch the online version of the shop that my mother-in-law owned at Shankar Market, Connaught Place, in Delhi. This way, I could save a lot on the infrastructure cost as well," says Verma. Finally, in October 2007, Book me a Book was launched from Bangalore for readers in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.
Verma shovelled up Rs 1.5 lakh from her savings for seed capital, of which almost 90% was spent on the website. For the first two years, Verma handled the company from Bangalore, and then returned to Delhi in 2010. She broke even by the end of 2010 and, since then, has had a steady flow of members.
How does the library work? Readers need to register at the website, bookmeabook.com. They can then select from nearly 20,000 booksand three plans-regular, casual reader and super reader-with the charges varying from Rs 300-500 per month. Finally, they can select the books of their choice, which are dropped and picked up by the company at the reader's address. The payment can be made via credit or debit card, cheque or cash on delivery, and previously issued books need to be returned in order to place a fresh order. The number of books vary, from two books at a time per month for the casual reader to unlimited number of books per month for the super reader plan.
Verma employs nearly 10 people and makes Rs 20,000-25,000 per month from the venture. Since last year, she has also started teaching at a college in DU, but her passion continues to be her books.
For Nidhi Verma, a lecturer at Delhi University, the idea took root as early as 2004. After teaching English for three years at DU, Verma got married and shifted to Bangalore. Here, again, she took up a teaching assignment at the Bangalore University for a year. "As a student of English, I had always been interested in reading. Then, in 2004, I took a sabbatical after the birth of my baby. It was around this time that I decided on starting an online lending library, which would be the best way to continue my love for books and keep myself occupied," says the 35-year-old.
However, it wasn't till the end of 2007 that the website was launched. This delay was primarily due to the time and effort it took to select and categorise the books. "I had the basic infrastructure in terms of books, but categorising them for an online library was an arduous task. This, along with the work on the website, ensured that it was almost three years before the project was launched," she says.
"Instead of setting up a completely new facility in Bangalore, I thought it would be easier to launch the online version of the shop that my mother-in-law owned at Shankar Market, Connaught Place, in Delhi. This way, I could save a lot on the infrastructure cost as well," says Verma. Finally, in October 2007, Book me a Book was launched from Bangalore for readers in Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.
Verma shovelled up Rs 1.5 lakh from her savings for seed capital, of which almost 90% was spent on the website. For the first two years, Verma handled the company from Bangalore, and then returned to Delhi in 2010. She broke even by the end of 2010 and, since then, has had a steady flow of members.
How does the library work? Readers need to register at the website, bookmeabook.com. They can then select from nearly 20,000 booksand three plans-regular, casual reader and super reader-with the charges varying from Rs 300-500 per month. Finally, they can select the books of their choice, which are dropped and picked up by the company at the reader's address. The payment can be made via credit or debit card, cheque or cash on delivery, and previously issued books need to be returned in order to place a fresh order. The number of books vary, from two books at a time per month for the casual reader to unlimited number of books per month for the super reader plan.
Verma employs nearly 10 people and makes Rs 20,000-25,000 per month from the venture. Since last year, she has also started teaching at a college in DU, but her passion continues to be her books.
