Book Profits Review: An Independent Look at the Free Book-Selling Training

Book Profits is a training and software company, co-founded by Jon Shugart and Luke Sample, that teaches people to build online businesses selling used books, especially textbooks, on Amazon. Its entry point is a free video training where you reserve a time slot, learn about three book-based income methods, and see a demo of the company's book-arbitrage software. It's a reasonable, low-risk way to see a structured approach to the business, as long as you treat it as a free education session and evaluate the optional paid coaching offer at the end on its own merits.

What Is Book Profits?

Book Profits, Inc. is a company that combines training and software for people who want to sell used books on Amazon. It was co-founded by Jon Shugart and Luke Sample, and its focus is on textbooks and other used books rather than general Amazon products like private-label goods or wholesale brands.

That focus matters. Selling used books has its own economics: you buy individual copies, often for very little, and resell them against an existing Amazon listing by ISBN. There's no product development, no branding, and no minimum order from a supplier. Textbooks add predictable seasonal demand around semester starts. If you're new to the model, our beginner's guide to selling textbooks on Amazon explains how it works from first scan to first sale.

This review is the centerpiece of our book flipping training section. Textbook Turnaround is an independent publication. We describe what Book Profits presents publicly and what you should evaluate; we don't speak for the company. This site may earn a commission if you register through our links, which is explained in our disclosure.

Quick facts

What Does the Book Profits Free Training Cover?

The free training is a video presentation. You register and reserve a time slot to watch. Based on how the company describes it, the session covers three areas.

1. Three online income methods built around books

The training presents three ways to earn online by buying and selling books on Amazon. The company doesn't publish the full detail on its registration page, so you'll learn the specifics by watching. Broadly, book reselling businesses tend to differ in where books come from (local sourcing versus buying online), how they're fulfilled (shipping yourself versus Amazon's FBA), and how much is systematized. Our explainer on textbook arbitrage outlines the general approaches used across the industry, which is useful context going in.

2. How much of the process can be automated

A major theme is automation: which parts of a book business can be handled by software and systems rather than by hand. In any Amazon book business, realistic candidates include finding underpriced books, calculating profit after fees, repricing, and fulfillment through FBA. Some tasks, like handling account issues, making buying decisions on edge cases, and managing cash flow, still need a person. Pay attention to how the training draws that line.

3. A demo of the company's book-arbitrage software

The training includes a demonstration of Book Profits' own book-arbitrage software. Book-arbitrage tools generally scan for books that can be bought for less than they're likely to sell for on Amazon, after fees. Our guide to how book arbitrage software works explains the category, so you can judge the demo against what tools of this type typically do.

For a more detailed walkthrough of what to expect, how registration works, and how to prepare, see what the Book Profits free training covers.

How the Training Works, Start to Finish

1. Register. You sign up on the company's registration page and pick a time slot.
2. Watch the video training. The masterclass presents the three methods, the automation angle, and the software demo.
3. Optional call. At the end, you're invited to book a call about Book Profits' paid coaching program. You don't have to.
4. Decide. You can leave with what you learned for free, apply it on your own, or consider the paid program after doing your due diligence.

The structure is common in online education: a free presentation that teaches something useful and introduces a paid program. It's not a reason for suspicion on its own, but it does mean you should go in knowing the call is a sales conversation.

How to Read Income Claims and the Results Disclaimer

Like most business training, Book Profits' marketing features success stories and income figures. The company's own disclaimer states that the results it shares are not typical and that it makes no promises about income. That's an important sentence, and it should shape how you watch.

• Treat featured results as examples, not forecasts. They show what's possible for some people, not what's likely for you.
• Ask what drove a result. Starting capital, time invested, prior experience, and timing all affect outcomes in any reselling business.
• Do your own math. On Amazon.com, as of 2026, a book carries a 15% referral fee and a $1.80 closing fee before fulfillment or plan costs. A $10 book pays $3.30 in those two fees alone. Check Amazon's current fee page and see our guide to Amazon book fees.

Our page on how much you can realistically make selling textbooks walks through unit economics using clearly labeled hypothetical examples. Results in this business depend on effort, capital, market conditions, and skill.

Book Profits: Pros and Considerations

Here's a balanced look at what the free training offers and what to think carefully about.

Pros

• It's free to watch. You can see the company's approach before spending anything.
• It's niche-specific. Training focused on used books and textbooks speaks to the realities of that model, such as ISBN matching, sales rank, and seasonality, instead of generic Amazon advice.
• It addresses automation directly. If time is your constraint, seeing which parts can be systematized is useful even if you never buy anything.
• You see the software working. A demo tells you more than a feature list.
• Low technical barrier. The company says no advanced tech skills are needed.
• Clear disclaimer. The company states up front that shared results aren't typical and it makes no income promises.

Considerations

• The paid program's price isn't public. You'll only learn it on the call, so you can't compare costs in advance.
• The call is a sales conversation. Go in with your questions and budget limits decided beforehand.
• You need an Amazon seller account. That means passing verification and, for most serious sellers, paying the Professional plan ($39.99 a month as of 2026; check Amazon's current price).
• Inventory takes capital. Training and software don't replace the money needed to buy books, ship them, and cover fees.
• Amazon's rules apply to everyone. Restricted titles, condition standards, and a zero-tolerance counterfeit policy affect any book business, whatever system you use.
• Automation has limits. Software can speed up finding and pricing books; it can't guarantee sales or remove marketplace risk.

Who Is Book Profits a Good Fit For?

Likely a good fit

• People who want a home-based or side business and like the idea of selling a physical product without creating one.
• Beginners who'd rather learn a structured system than piece one together from forums and videos.
• People who value automation and software because their time is limited.
• Existing book sellers who want to see a different sourcing approach or tool.
• Anyone curious about textbook flipping who wants a free overview before deciding whether it's worth pursuing.

Possibly not a fit

• People looking for guaranteed or immediate income. No legitimate business training can promise that, and Book Profits says it doesn't.
• People without any budget for inventory, Amazon fees, or tools.
• Those who strongly prefer learning entirely on their own; see our comparison of a book flipping course vs teaching yourself.
• Anyone uncomfortable with a sales conversation and unwilling to simply decline.

If you're still deciding whether book selling makes sense at all, read is selling textbooks on Amazon worth it first.

What to Evaluate on the Post-Training Call

The optional call is where you learn about the paid coaching program. Treat it like any significant purchase decision. These are the questions worth asking, and the answers worth writing down:

1. What exactly is included? Coaching format, how often, with whom, for how long, and what software access comes with it.
2. What's the total cost? Upfront price, payment plans, and any ongoing software or subscription fees.
3. What other costs should I expect? Amazon plan fees, inventory budget, shipping supplies, FBA fees, and any third-party tools.
4. What's the refund or cancellation policy? Get it in writing and read it before paying.
5. How much time does the program expect each week? Compare that with your real availability.
6. What does a typical participant's experience look like? The disclaimer says shared results aren't typical, so ask what is.
7. What happens if Amazon changes fees or rules? Ask how the program adapts.
8. How does the software handle restricted titles and condition risk? These are real issues in textbook selling.
9. What support exists if I get stuck? Response times, community access, and who answers questions.
10. Can I take time to decide? A good decision rarely needs to be made on the spot.

Why a Textbook-Focused Model Makes Sense to Study

Whatever you decide about any paid program, the business model the training is built on has sound fundamentals worth understanding. Textbooks carry high list prices, so a used copy can sell for many times what a reseller paid for it. Demand is predictable: it peaks around the fall semester start (roughly late July through September) and the spring start (roughly late December through January), while prices and buyback offers are often lowest when students sell at semester end in May and December.

That cycle creates a buy-low, sell-high window that doesn't depend on trends or advertising. It also creates risks: new editions can make old ones hard to sell, some titles are restricted for third-party sellers, and slow books cost money in storage. Our explainer on textbook price seasonality shows how the swings work. Knowing this before you watch helps you judge whether the methods presented account for both the opportunity and the risks.

How to Get the Most From the Free Training

A free session is worth more if you prepare. A few steps help:

• Learn the basics first. Understanding sales rank, Amazon fees, and FBA versus FBM lets you follow the training at a deeper level.
• Know your constraints. Write down how many hours a week you have and what you could invest in inventory.
• Take notes on specifics. Which sourcing channels, which criteria for buying a book, and which tasks the software handles.
• Prepare your questions. Use the list above.
• Watch without pressure. Decide in advance that the session is for learning; any purchase decision comes later.

Book Profits vs Learning on Your Own

You can learn to sell textbooks without any paid training. Free resources, including this site, cover sourcing, pricing, fees, and fulfillment in depth. The trade-off is time: self-teaching means assembling a system from many sources and learning from your own mistakes, which can cost money in unsold inventory.

Structured training offers a single path, tools, and someone to ask. It costs money, and its value depends on what's included and how well you apply it. The free Book Profits training sits in between: you can watch it at no cost and still choose to go it alone afterward.

Our Verdict on Book Profits

As an independent publication, we can't report firsthand results, and we don't speculate about outcomes. Based on what the company presents publicly, Book Profits offers a focused free training on a real, well-established business model: buying used books and textbooks below market and selling them on Amazon. The company is transparent that featured results aren't typical, which is the right way to present a business opportunity.

The free training is a sensible, low-risk first step if you're curious about textbook flipping, want to see how automation and software fit in, or are comparing approaches. The paid coaching program deserves the same scrutiny as any significant investment: get the full cost and terms, compare alternatives, and only proceed if it fits your budget and goals.

Bottom Line

Book Profits, Inc., co-founded by Jon Shugart and Luke Sample, offers a free video training on building an Amazon business around used books and textbooks, covering three income methods, automation, and a software demo. It requires an Amazon seller account to apply, and it ends with an optional call about paid coaching whose price isn't published. Watch the free training as an education session, use its disclaimer as your guide to income claims, bring your questions to the call, and make any purchase decision on your own timeline.