Better World Books
An American online bookseller of used and new books built around book reuse, literacy donations, and social-enterprise principles.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Better World Books is an American online bookseller specializing in used and new books, including college textbooks and other educational titles. The company was created by University of Notre Dame graduates Christopher Fuchs, Xavier Helgesen, and Jeff Kurtzman after they began selling used college textbooks online in 2001. Their early experience led them to develop a business model that combined e-commerce with book recovery and literacy support. The company’s formative project took place in 2002, when Fuchs and Helgesen organized a book drive benefiting the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend, Indiana. The drive collected approximately 2,000 books and generated $10,000 in proceeds, half of which supported literacy work at the community center. This experience shaped Better World Books’ central proposition: books could be diverted from disposal, resold or redistributed, and used to help finance literacy initiatives. Better World Books entered the University of Notre Dame’s Social Venture Business Plan Competition in 2003 and won the competition’s grand prize and associated mentorship. David Murphy subsequently became president and chief executive officer, serving in that role from 2004 through 2011. The business obtained a credit line backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2004 and later raised $4.5 million in venture capital in 2008 from Good Capital and private investors. Its inventory has been sourced through recurring book drives at more than 1,800 colleges and universities, donations from more than 3,000 library systems, and collection boxes placed on or near campuses and in communities. This supply network supports a large-scale circular model: books are assessed for resale, donation, or recycling. The company has operated distribution facilities in Mishawaka, Indiana; Reno, Nevada; York, Pennsylvania; and Dunfermline, Scotland. It opened a Scottish operation in 2008, launched a United Kingdom website in 2010, and added a Reno distribution center in 2016, a project associated with 150 new jobs. Better World Books has presented itself as a social enterprise and has held B Corporation certification. Its charitable model has included donating one book to organizations such as Feed the Children, Books for Africa, or other literacy recipients for each book sold through BetterWorldBooks.com. Its nonprofit partners have included Books for Africa, the Internet Archive, the National Adult Literacy Agency, the National Center for Families Learning, the National Literacy Trust, the Prison Book Project, READ International, the Robinson Community Learning Center, Room to Read, and Worldfund. The company reported that its literacy-related giving had reached an estimated $14 million by 2013. The company closed its final retail location, in Goshen, Indiana, in March 2019, emphasizing the expansion and improvement of its e-commerce operations. Around that period, it reported handling roughly 30 million incoming books annually, with approximately one-third sold and another third donated to partners; the remaining books could be directed to other forms of reuse or recycling. Better World Books also publicized impact metrics concerning books reused, recycled, donated, and funds raised. On November 6, 2019, Better World Books was acquired by Better World Libraries, a mission-aligned nonprofit affiliated with the Internet Archive. The acquisition was intended to support broader preservation and digitization efforts. Between July 2019 and March 2020, the company donated more than 700,000 books, measured by distinct ISBNs, to the Internet Archive. It subsequently reported donating more than 1.4 million books in 2020 and nearly one million during the first half of 2021. The brand therefore operates at the intersection of online retail, used-book logistics, educational access, environmental reuse, and nonprofit book preservation.
History
Better World Books emerged from an online used-textbook venture founded by three University of Notre Dame graduates: Christopher Fuchs, Xavier Helgesen, and Jeff Kurtzman. In 2001, shortly after graduating, the founders began selling used college textbooks online. Their practical experience with online book commerce became the basis for a broader business plan that treated unwanted books as both commercial inventory and a potential resource for literacy programs. In 2002, Fuchs and Helgesen organized a book drive for the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend, Indiana. The drive collected about 2,000 books and raised $10,000, with half of the proceeds supporting literacy initiatives. The project provided an early demonstration of the model that later defined the Better World Books brand: collect surplus books, sell or redistribute them, and direct part of the resulting value toward educational access. The founders formalized the business in 2003 by entering the Notre Dame Social Venture Business Plan Competition, sponsored by the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Mendoza College of Business. They won the competition, receiving a $7,000 prize and mentorship from entrepreneur David Murphy. Murphy later served as the company’s president and chief executive officer from 2004 to 2011. In 2004, Better World Books secured a credit line backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It raised a further $4.5 million in venture capital in April 2008 from Good Capital and 18 private investors. The business expanded from its original college-textbook roots into a large online catalog of used and new books. Its supply system came to include book drives at more than 1,800 colleges and universities, donations from more than 3,000 library systems, and collection boxes located in communities and on college campuses. Distribution facilities were established in Mishawaka, Indiana; Reno, Nevada; York, Pennsylvania; and Dunfermline, Scotland. The company opened its Scottish operation in 2008 and introduced a United Kingdom website in 2010. In 2016, it opened a distribution center in Reno, Nevada, creating 150 jobs. Social impact remained central to the company’s public identity. Better World Books obtained B Corporation certification, reflecting stated standards relating to social and environmental performance. Its principal retail promise was that each book sold through BetterWorldBooks.com would result in a book donation to organizations such as Feed the Children, Books for Africa, or other nonprofit recipients. The company also supported a wide range of literacy and educational partners, including the National Literacy Trust, the National Center for Families Learning, Room to Read, Worldfund, READ International, the National Adult Literacy Agency, the Prison Book Project, and the Robinson Community Learning Center. By 2013, the company reported estimated donations of $14 million under its literacy program. The operating model also emphasized reuse and recycling. In 2019, Better World Books stated that it processed approximately 30 million incoming books annually. Roughly one-third were sold and another third donated to partners, while other books could be directed to recycling or related recovery channels. The company used an impact ticker to disclose information about donations, reuse, recycling, and funds raised. In March 2019, Better World Books closed its final retail store, located in Goshen, Indiana. The decision marked a stronger focus on e-commerce and nationwide or international reach rather than maintaining company-operated retail locations. On November 6, 2019, Better World Books was acquired by Better World Libraries, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Internet Archive. The transaction aligned the retailer with a broader preservation and digitization objective. Between July 2019 and March 2020, Better World Books donated more than 700,000 books, counted by distinct ISBNs, to the Internet Archive. It later reported donations exceeding 1.4 million books in 2020 and nearly one million in the first half of 2021. The brand’s history consequently combines online bookselling with a mission-oriented approach to literacy, book redistribution, environmental reuse, and digital preservation.
- 2019
Closes final retail location
[1]The Goshen, Indiana, store closes as the organization concentrates on e-commerce.
- 2019
Acquired by Better World Libraries
[1]The mission-aligned nonprofit acquires Better World Books and links the business more closely with Internet Archive preservation and digitization work.
- 2016
Opens Reno distribution center
[1]A new Nevada distribution center adds logistics capacity and is associated with 150 new jobs.
- 2010
Launches United Kingdom website
[1]The company extends its online retail presence to the United Kingdom.
- 2008
Raises venture capital and expands to Scotland
[1]Better World Books raises $4.5 million from Good Capital and private investors and opens an operation in Dunfermline, Scotland.
- 2004
Obtains SBA-backed credit line
[1]The company secures financing through a credit line backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
- 2003
Wins Notre Dame social-venture business-plan competition
[1]The founders win the university competition and receive a $7,000 prize and mentorship from David Murphy.
- 2002
First documented literacy-focused book drive
[1]A drive benefiting the Robinson Community Learning Center collects about 2,000 books and raises $10,000, half of which supports literacy initiatives.
- 2001
Founders begin selling used college textbooks online
[1]Christopher Fuchs, Xavier Helgesen, and Jeff Kurtzman begin an online used-textbook venture after graduating from the University of Notre Dame.
Products and positioning
A socially oriented online bookseller that links book purchases with reuse, literacy funding, charitable distribution, and preservation. Its differentiation is based less on a single publishing category than on combining broad used-book selection with a one-for-one donation promise and a visible social and environmental impact narrative.
Books · 2002
Used books
Used books are the core of Better World Books’ assortment. Inventory is gathered through college and university book drives, library-system donations, and collection boxes. Titles are assessed for resale, donation, or recycling, allowing the company to connect an online retail catalog with a large-scale book-recovery network.
Books
New books
Alongside its used inventory, Better World Books sells new books through its online channel. New titles broaden the catalog beyond donated and recovered stock while remaining within the brand’s wider model of linking book commerce with literacy support and charitable distribution.
Educational books · 2001
College textbooks
College textbooks were the founders’ original online product focus. The category remains associated with the company’s university book-drive network, which supplies used educational titles for resale and helps keep books in circulation after students and institutions no longer need them.
Social-impact service · 2002
Book donation and reuse program
The company’s donation program distributes books through literacy and education partners. Its retail promise has included donating one book for each book sold through BetterWorldBooks.com, with recipients including Feed the Children, Books for Africa, and other nonprofit organizations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2002Robinson Community Learning Center book drive
United States
The founders organized a book drive benefiting the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend, Indiana. Approximately 2,000 books were collected and sold, generating $10,000, with half of the proceeds directed to literacy initiatives.
Outcome. The project became an early operational and social-impact prototype for Better World Books.
- One book donated for every book sold
United States · United Kingdom · Global
Better World Books has promoted a one-for-one donation model in which a book sold through its website supports the donation of a book to Feed the Children, Books for Africa, or another participating literacy recipient.
Outcome. The initiative became the central public expression of the brand’s social-enterprise positioning.
Brand decisions
2019
Exit from company-operated retailStrategyBackground
Better World Books operated its final retail location in Goshen, Indiana, while seeking to improve its online operations and reach a larger customer base.
Action taken
The company closed the Goshen store and concentrated its commercial activity on e-commerce.
Aftermath
The move reinforced the brand’s identity as an online bookseller and preceded its acquisition by Better World Libraries later in 2019.
2019
Acquisition by Better World LibrariesM&ABackground
Better World Books sought to continue its mission-oriented book circulation model while developing closer connections to preservation and digitization work.
Action taken
Better World Libraries, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Internet Archive, acquired Better World Books on November 6, 2019.
Aftermath
The organization increased book donations to the Internet Archive, including more than 700,000 books between July 2019 and March 2020 and more than 1.4 million books during 2020.
Sources1 sources
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