Is Book Profits Legit? What to Check Before Joining Any Book-Selling Program

Book Profits is an established, named business: Book Profits, Inc., co-founded by Jon Shugart and Luke Sample, offering a free video training and an optional paid coaching program about selling used books and textbooks on Amazon. It openly states that the results it shares aren't typical and that it makes no income promises. Whether its paid program is right for you is a separate question, and the answer comes from doing the same due diligence you'd apply to any business-training purchase.

What Does "Legit" Actually Mean for a Training Program?

When people search "is Book Profits legit," they're usually asking two different questions at once:

1. Is it a real company doing what it says? That's about identity, transparency, and whether the product described is the product delivered.
2. Is it worth my money? That's about price, fit, terms, and whether you'll actually use what you buy.

A company can be entirely genuine and still be the wrong purchase for a particular person. Separating the two questions keeps you from either dismissing a useful resource or buying something that doesn't suit you. This page is part of our independent book flipping training section; for a full rundown of the company and its free session, read our Book Profits review.

We're an independent publication. We report what the company states publicly and give you a framework for checking the rest yourself. We don't make claims beyond what can be verified, and this site may earn a commission from registrations through our links.

What You Can Verify About Book Profits

Here's what the company presents publicly:

A named company with named founders, a defined free product, and an explicit results disclaimer are signs of transparency. They aren't a guarantee of fit or value, which is why the rest of this page focuses on what to check yourself.

Is the Underlying Business Model Real?

Yes. Buying used books below market and reselling them on Amazon is a long-established model that many independent sellers run. Amazon has hosted third-party used-book sellers for decades, and textbooks remain one of the most active categories, largely through third-party sellers since Amazon ended its textbook trade-in program around 2020 and its print textbook rentals in 2023.

The model has real economics and real costs. As of 2026, Amazon.com charges a 15% referral fee and a $1.80 closing fee on each book sold, plus either $0.99 per item or $39.99 a month for the selling plan. Check Amazon's current figures. Fulfillment, storage, and shipping add more. Our guide to whether selling textbooks on Amazon is worth it gives an honest look at the pros and drawbacks, and how to sell textbooks on Amazon walks through the full process.

Any training program teaching this model is teaching something that genuinely exists. The questions are about how well it teaches, what it costs, and whether it suits you.

How to Read the Results Disclaimer

Book Profits' disclaimer states that the results it shares are not typical and that it makes no income promises. Some readers see a disclaimer and become suspicious; others ignore it. Neither is right. A clear disclaimer is what you should expect from a responsible business offer, and it tells you how to interpret the success stories you'll see.

• "Not typical" means featured results are above what most participants achieve. That's normal in any field. Top performers usually bring more time, capital, or experience.
• "No income promises" means the company isn't guaranteeing you anything. That's honest, because no business training can control your effort, Amazon's rules, or market prices.
• Ask for typical outcomes. On the optional call, it's fair to ask what a typical participant's experience looks like.

For a grounded sense of unit economics, see how much money you need to start selling books, which lays out startup budgets in tiers.

What the FTC Says About Business Opportunities and Earnings Claims

The Federal Trade Commission publishes consumer guidance on evaluating business opportunities, coaching programs, and other money-making offers. You can find it at ftc.gov. It's general guidance that applies to any program, and it's a useful due-diligence checklist. Key themes include:

• Be skeptical of earnings claims. Ask what the claims are based on and how typical they are.
• Get everything in writing. Including what you'll receive, total cost, and refund terms.
• Research the company. Search its name with words like "complaint" and "review," and check with consumer protection agencies.
• Don't be rushed. High-pressure tactics and "today only" deadlines are reasons to slow down.
• Talk to someone you trust before making a significant purchase.

The FTC also enforces a Business Opportunity Rule that requires certain sellers of business opportunities to provide a disclosure document. Whether a particular training or coaching program falls under that rule depends on how it's structured, so don't assume either way. The general principles above apply regardless.

Due-Diligence Checklist for Book Profits or Any Book-Selling Program

Work through this list before paying for any training. It's deliberately generic; it's the same checklist you'd use for any program.

Our guide to choosing a book-selling training program expands this into a scoring framework with specific red flags.

How to Read Online Reviews Critically

When you research any training company, you'll find a mix of glowing testimonials, neutral reviews, and complaints. Reading them well takes some care:

1. Check who's writing. Affiliate sites (including this one) may earn commissions. Look for disclosures and weigh accordingly.
2. Look for specifics. A useful review describes what was included, what the person did, and what happened. Vague praise or anger tells you little.
3. Separate the model from the program. Some complaints are really about Amazon's fees, restrictions, or the difficulty of reselling, which apply to everyone.
4. Consider effort. Outcomes in reselling depend heavily on time and consistency. Reviews rarely say how much effort was invested.
5. Weigh volume and recency. A pattern of similar recent experiences matters more than a single old post.

The Low-Risk Way to Evaluate Book Profits

The simplest way to judge the company is to watch the free training. It costs nothing and shows you the methods, the automation approach, and the software. You'll come away knowing whether its style and focus make sense to you. Our guide to what the Book Profits free training covers explains how to prepare and what to note.

If you take the optional call, bring questions about total cost, inclusions, time commitment, and refund terms, and decide your budget ceiling first. If the paid program isn't right for you, you can still apply what you learned on your own; our comparison of a book flipping course vs teaching yourself helps you decide which path suits you. To understand the type of tool demonstrated, read book arbitrage software explained.

Red Flags to Watch For in Any Program

These warning signs apply to any business training, and none is specific to Book Profits:

• Guaranteed income or "risk-free" profit promises.
• Pressure to decide immediately or lose a special price.
• Encouragement to use credit you can't afford to repay.
• Refusal to put terms or refund policies in writing.
• Claims that a system removes all work or all marketplace risk.
• Vague answers about what's actually included.

If you encounter any of these with any company, slow down or walk away.

Bottom Line

On the publicly verifiable facts, Book Profits is a real company: Book Profits, Inc., co-founded by Jon Shugart and Luke Sample, teaching a long-established used-book and textbook model on Amazon, with a free training and a clear statement that shared results aren't typical. Whether its paid coaching is worth it for you depends on terms you'll only get on the call. Watch the free training, use the FTC's guidance and the checklist above, get everything in writing, and decide on your own schedule.