BookMooch is a web site I run which helps people swap their used books with others.
It's been wildly successful: over 800,000 books are exchanged (mooched) each year (almost 4 million total), across 91 countries. The site is fully localized in 8 languages.
I just realized this week that except for the day of its launch (back in 2006), I have neglected to mention this other major site I run, to those of you who know Magnatune. These are the two facets to my life: music and books, and I really should cross-fertilize a bit more!
How BookMooch works
On BookMooch, once you finish reading a book, and you don't see any reason to store it perpetually on your bookshelf, you list it for giving. When someone wants it, you postal mail it to them. That earns you one book point, which you can use to get a book from anybody else on BookMooch. There is no money exchanged and no cost associated with the transaction (other than the postal costs).
There are no fees to use BookMooch: it is supported by voluntary donations and the occasional book-related ad (which you can choose to disable if they annoy you). I do all the technology work, and a network of volunteers do all the support.
The are other dimensions to it as well, such as:
You can read more about BookMooch at its Wikipedia Page or visit BookMooch yourself.
If you're a Magnatune fan and discover BookMooch through this blog entry, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!
-john