I operate a small to medium sized textbook business. The cash figures which follow are based on the size of my individual business model. Textbook sales tend to peak during the summer months. On average my profits from book sales are about $2,600 per week between the months of May and September. During this period textbook sales can rollercoaster wildly. One day $300 dollars in textbook sales may come in. The next day $800 dollars in overall sales may come in. Each day can be radically different than the preceding day. Much will depend on the titles in your inventory and the demand for those titles.
Sales drop off after September. Sales dip after September because students have settled into the new school year following their summer break. By the end of September students have acquired all of the textbooks they will need to complete their semester or school year. They have purchased their books either from their school or from me or from some other textbook seller. Between the months of September through December my profits from sales average about $850 per week. In January sales slowly begin to pick up and typically start to level off near the $1,200 per week mark. Profits continue to hover near the $1,200 per week mark until the month of May comes around again. Then profits climb back up in or above the $2,600 per week range.
In May the seasonal profit cycle begins again.
A word of caution: Developing a personal budget when your income swings so radically can be tricky. I would advise that you avoid taking on too many regularly occurring financial commitments based on one or two exceptional sales days, weeks, or months. In the textbook business your income will fluctuate.
