Name of your website?Kestrel Books
Your name?
Ron Fryer
Your Location (city, etc)
3642 W. Fourth Ave., Vancouver, B.C.
Please give us a short summary of your website?
A virtual bookstore with search and browse capabilities and an online stock of about 900 volumes and access to about 40,000 other volumes through the bricks and mortar store. Each online book illustrated with at least one photo and some with photos of interior pages as well. The stock consists of both general subjects and esoteric titles.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
A need to connect with a wider customer base.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
The first website was connected to ABEBooks.com and launched in December of 1999. It was a bookselling website.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
The name is the name of my business
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
The virtual bookstore aspect, meaning the ability to shop online and actually see high quality photos of each book.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To keep it for income.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It's early yet to realize the maximum return on investment, although I think I am getting adequate return on my investment so far.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would put the budget into advertising the site for a greater online audience.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Coming up with the time to develop the site and research the promotional aspects of online business.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Learning to do business online.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Connection with ABEBooks.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It hasn't
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
I've had the site now since 1999 and will continue to keep it up as long as I can make a profit.
What is your website address?
Kestrel Books
