50,000 books. Three days. Macon gears up for massive annual library sale

The Macon Friends of the Library Book Sale is returning next week in full force with tens of thousands of books ready for its annual fundraiser. 

For the past few years, locals have flocked to the Round Building at Carolyn Crayton Park, formerly known as Central City Park, to peruse the book sale’s budget offerings. Those who eagerly await the sale often bring large bags, boxes or carts knowing full well that they’ll be packed to the brim by the time they leave. 

“I think they’re excited by the scale of it,” long-time volunteer Joan Deegan said of the sale’s patrons. “There are people who come back all three days. There are people who spend hours there.”

Deegan recalled one year where someone spotted a book on a local TV newscast previewing the sale. He called and said he was going to be the first one in the door to be sure he could get it. 

The nonprofit, which donates nearly all of its earnings to Macon libraries, receives books all year long. While they don’t have an exact inventory of books, Deegan estimates there are between 40,000 and 50,000, so there is something for everyone.  

Paperback books are priced at $1, hardbacks at $2 and children and teen books are $1. If those deals aren’t quite low enough, Sunday’s books are half-price. 

All of the books are carefully organized into clearly-marked sections. It’s easy to imagine a warehouse full of dusty, tattered books, but the Friends of the Library are particular about the books that end up at the annual book sale.

“We’ve been told that our organization is a real plus, and that’s because when a book comes into our work room, we sort it immediately,” Deegan said. “We’re looking mostly at the condition, and we’re looking for things that are going to be of interest to our audience.”

Some books located in the “old, quaint, choice and collection” category are individually priced. That section includes rare books, “coffee table books” and, this year, vintage children books published between 1900 and 1980. 

The Friends of the Library also receive donations of books from estates, granting the organization access to donors’ lifetime collections. The upcoming sale will have an ecology section thanks to a donation of over 400 books from the estate of a Pennsylvania naturalist.

“You know, there are some categories where there’s absolutely nothing left (after the sale),” Deegan said. “One year, there weren’t any cookbooks left. Last year, we ran short on religion. There are so many different categories.”

When all is said and done, the sale has brought in anywhere between $40,000 and $80,000 each year, according to the nonprofit’s public tax filings. The majority of those earnings go to Bibb County libraries, and the organization is entirely volunteer-led.

Last year, around 150 people checked in at the sale as volunteers, Deegan said. Local college and high school students often pitch in, and Friends of the Library members often sign up to help on multiple days. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office also lends a hand during setup by toting heavy boxes of books.

All of that community organizing leads to a beloved local book sale that runs like clockwork each year. 

“A used book is special because someone chose it,” Deegan said. “You have kind of an anonymous recommendation, which ought to make you curious enough to buy it.”

The Friends of the Library Book Sale will take place at the Round Building located at 130 Willie Smokie Glover Drive. The first day is Thursday, April 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. and is for Friends of the Library members only, although interested shoppers can purchase a membership at the door, starting at $35 for an individual. 

The sale officially begins Friday, April 11 and runs until Sunday, April 13. On Friday and Saturday, the sale runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, during which all books are half-price, it lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.