--- title: "About Us | Give My Books Network" description: "Learn about Give My Books Network - a family-owned social enterprise founded in 2008, providing free book pickup services across the nation." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com/#organization", "name": "Give My Books Network", "legalName": "Book Sourcing Mastery, LLC", "url": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com", "logo": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com/social-card.jpg", "image": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com/social-card.jpg", "description": "Give My Books Network is a nationwide United States network of local Pick-Up Partners who collect used books, textbooks, CDs and DVDs for free directly from the donor's door, resell what is sellable and rehome the rest to schools, libraries, shelters and nonprofits.", "foundingDate": "2022", "telephone": "+1-855-506-8633", "email": "support@givemybooksnetwork.com", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "2091 Stratton Ct.", "addressLocality": "Ann Arbor", "addressRegion": "MI", "postalCode": "48108", "addressCountry": "US" }, "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-855-506-8633", "contactType": "customer service", "email": "support@givemybooksnetwork.com", "availableLanguage": "English" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/givemybooksnetwork", "https://www.instagram.com/givemybooksnetwork", "https://twitter.com/givemybooks" ], "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "Give My Books Network", "legalName": "Book Sourcing Mastery, LLC", "url": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com", "logo": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com/social-card.jpg", "image": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com/social-card.jpg", "description": "Give My Books Network provides free door-to-door book donation pickup services across the United States. We collect books, textbooks, CDs, DVDs, and more – giving your items a second life while supporting literacy programs.", "foundingDate": "2022", "telephone": "+1-855-506-8633", "email": "support@givemybooksnetwork.com", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "2091 Stratton Ct.", "addressLocality": "Ann Arbor", "addressRegion": "MI", "postalCode": "48108", "addressCountry": "US" }, "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-855-506-8633", "contactType": "customer service", "email": "support@givemybooksnetwork.com", "availableLanguage": "English" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/givemybooksnetwork", "https://www.instagram.com/givemybooksnetwork", "https://twitter.com/givemybooks" ], "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "AboutPage", "name": "About Give My Books Network", "description": "Learn about Give My Books Network - a family-owned social enterprise founded in 2008, providing free book pickup services across the nation.", "mainEntity": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Give My Books Network", "foundingDate": "2022", "url": "https://givemybooksnetwork.com" } } ] --- Feedback ![Give My Books Network Logo](/assets/gmbn-logo-BsMIhLrP.png) - Learn More Schedule Pick-UpGive ME BooksBecome a Pick-Up Partner Sign In Since 2008 # Our Story From a single family business in Ann Arbor to a nationwide network giving books a second life 1,000,000+ Books Given Away 17+ Years Serving Nationwide Coverage ## Who We Are A family business that chose to give back to the community ### "It All Started With a Rock and a Bag" In mid-2007, I suddenly found myself a single father of an almost four-year-old daughter. In 2008, I was working evenings at Weber's Restaurant to be home more during the day, but I knew I needed a home-based business so I could spend even more time with her. One of my favorite questions to ask people is "what do you do for fun?" I asked that to a fellow server at Weber's Restaurant and he told me, "I sell books online." I was like, "that's fun?" He said, "absolutely, come on over, I'll show you." So I went to his house probably the next day and was blown away. His house was FULL of books. Every room, every wall, every floor space. He showed me everything: listing, shipping, pricing. I was in. That led me to the golden question: "How do you get the books?" He told me thrift stores, estate sales, library sales. But I was a single father trying to spend MORE time with my daughter, not less. So I asked myself a question that changed my life: "How do thrift stores get their books?" The answer was simple. People give them to them. So I asked, "How do I get people to give ME their books?" I figured people just needed to know I wanted them. So I took a piece of paper, put four ads on it, cut it into quarters, and put one each into a Ziplock bag with a couple of white garden stones. I made hundreds of them sitting in my living room. Then I'd drive through neighborhoods at night, tossing one into each driveway. The rocks helped them fly and stay put till they were found. Guess what? It worked. The next day, I got phone call after phone call after phone call. ![The original pink flyer from 2009 used in the Rock and a Bag campaign](/assets/pink-flyer-original-Dk7ofmHv.jpg) The original pink flyer from 2009 — one of hundreds tossed into driveways in a Ziplock bag with a couple of white garden stones. ### "What I Didn't Expect" As the days and months passed, I kept hearing from the people I picked up books from how grateful they were. That surprised me. I thought I was the one receiving the benefit. What I realized was that the service I was providing was actually helping the community. Some people were older and couldn't lift the books. Others had just experienced a death in the family and needed to find a home for their loved one's collection. Still others were moving and couldn't take the books with them. One thing I learned is that people LOVE their books. They want to know their books will be used in a good way. Books are memories. Everyone remembers where they were when they read a particular book, what grade they were in, what vacation they were on. No one really wants to throw away their books. I was helping everyone free up space in their home AND giving their books another chance to be loved by someone else. ### "Give My Books Was Born" In 2009, I was remarried and acquired a step-son, and our youngest son was on the way. Now more than ever, the book business was supporting my growing family. As more and more people were giving me their books, I decided to name our service Give My Books and start the website GiveMyBooks.com. I called it that because people were giving me their books, and I felt the responsibility to give (now my) books back to the community. We rented a warehouse in 2010 off Platt Rd and started The Quarter Bookstore, where softcover books were just 25 cents and hardcovers were 50 cents. The community loved it. We became a go-to resource for homeschoolers and teachers. We also started holding a community book sale at my parents' house on Jay Lee Court. Books were just $1 each. We ran a "Buy 10 Get Up To 10 Free" sale to benefit the community. That sale became JLC Book Sale. The long and short of our story is: this is a business that has benefited my family so much throughout the years that we just HAVE to give back to the community. I feel obligated to do so. ![The Whalen family running JLC Book Sale, circa 2019](/assets/family-book-sale-2019-fzmA0Srr.jpg) The Whalen family running JLC Book Sale, circa 2019. Today, we give back by building Give My Books Network, connecting communities across the country with local Pick-Up Partners who keep good books flowing through the Give ME Books program. [Learn about Give ME Books](/give-me-books) Thanks for reading my story, and thanks for being a part of this journey. Every book picked up, every community connected — it all keeps this movement going. Whether you're giving books, receiving them, or spreading the word, you're helping us build something bigger than we ever imagined. Let's keep it moving forward. — Todd Whalen, Founder Our Journey ## From One Driveway to a Nationwide Network What started with a Ziplock bag and a pink flyer has grown into America's Nationwide Community Book-Sharing Network. 2008 ### The First Phone Calls Founded in Ann Arbor. Rock-and-bag flyers led to phone call after phone call. A one-man book pickup service was born. 2009 ### GiveMyBooks.com Created the website and officially named the pickup service Give My Books. Family grew with a remarriage and a new baby on the way. 2010 ### The Quarter Bookstore Rented a warehouse on Platt Rd in Pittsfield Twp and opened a community bookstore. Softcovers 25¢, hardcovers 50¢ — a go-to for homeschoolers and teachers. 2011 ### Jay Lee Court Book Sale Started a community book sale in my parents' driveway and front yard on Jay Lee Court. Books were $1 each with a "Buy 10 Get Up To 10 Free" deal. 2019 ### JLC Book Sale Goes Big Outgrew the driveway, moved the sale to new locations, and renamed it JLC Book Sale. The community kept showing up. 2020 ### 30,000+ Books to Schools During the pandemic, gave books directly to Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ypsilanti Community Schools, and schools in Milan, Dearborn, Flint and more. 2022 ### Nationwide Demand Calls started coming from Texas, Florida, New York. Close to 500,000 books picked up in one year from one location alone. 2024 ### The Network Is Born Sold the original Give My Books business and reinvested everything into building Give My Books Network for Partners nationwide. 2026 ### 31 States and Growing Now covering 2,400+ cities across 31 states with Pick-Up Partners serving communities nationwide. Help us get the word out! We hope to be a well-known and well-trusted resource for families all across the country. Help us grow by using our service, reviewing our Pick-Up Partners, and telling your friends, family, and co-workers about us. We REALLY appreciate you! Press ## In the Media Our journey through the media — from local book sales to a nationwide mission [ Ann Arbor Observer ### Ann Arbor Observer Feature An in-depth look at Give My Books and our mission to give books a second life in the community. ](https://annarborobserver.com/give-my-books/)[ WXYZ News ### 50,000 Books Goal Founder Todd Whalen sets an ambitious goal to donate 50,000 books to the community. ](https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-organization-working-to-distribute-50k-free-books-in-the-community)[ Oakland County Megacast ### Oakland County Megacast Interview Founder Todd Whalen joins the Oakland County Megacast to discuss the mission to donate 50,000 books to the community. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2GqYukaYKo)[ ClickOnDetroit ### JLC Book Sale Returns Family-run JLC Book Sale returns to Ann Arbor at a new location, offering low-cost books to the community. ](https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/2019/03/27/family-run-jlc-book-sale-returns-to-ann-arbor-this-weekend-at-new-location/) Thank You Letters ## Letters of Appreciation Heartfelt thank you notes from students who received books through our program ![Student thank you letter 1](/assets/student-letter-1-C0O96Eu9.jpg) Click to enlarge ![Student thank you letter 2](/assets/student-letter-2-BY91RY1I.jpg) Click to enlarge ![Student thank you letter 3](/assets/student-letter-3-CFFAE0jU.jpg) Click to enlarge ![Student thank you letter 4](/assets/student-letter-4-Cs_mX8Pd.jpg) Click to enlarge Global Impact ## The Liberia Children's Community Library Helping Mr. Flomo Jutee start the Liberia Children's Community Library Foundation — extending our mission of giving books new life to children across the world. [Visit the Foundation's website →](https://liberiaschildrencommunitylibraryfoundation.org/) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 1](/assets/liberia-1-Cr-Fs4g2.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 2](/assets/liberia-2-B-6tYwu7.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 3](/assets/liberia-3-B1SvQBdX.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 4](/assets/liberia-4-DjEeEJyI.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 5](/assets/liberia-5-p0Ktq4i4.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 6](/assets/liberia-6-D-iDTga6.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 7](/assets/liberia-7-DaFvEh7g.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 8](/assets/liberia-8-BDxjsjWO.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 9](/assets/liberia-9-Bk6Br58Y.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 10](/assets/liberia-10-DxupHBTt.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 11](/assets/liberia-11-moapBmWe.jpg) ![Liberia Children's Library Project 12](/assets/liberia-12-CmntoI1Q.jpg) Previous slide Next slide ![Liberia Children's Library Project 1](/assets/liberia-1-Cr-Fs4g2.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 2](/assets/liberia-2-B-6tYwu7.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 3](/assets/liberia-3-B1SvQBdX.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 4](/assets/liberia-4-DjEeEJyI.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 5](/assets/liberia-5-p0Ktq4i4.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 6](/assets/liberia-6-D-iDTga6.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 7](/assets/liberia-7-DaFvEh7g.jpg)![Liberia Children's Library Project 8](/assets/liberia-8-BDxjsjWO.jpg) View all 12 photos → ## Ready to Give Your Books a Second Life? Join thousands of families who have decluttered their homes while making a positive impact in their communities. Schedule Pick-UpBecome a Pick-Up Partner ![Give My Books Network Logo](/assets/gmbn-logo-BsMIhLrP.png) **America's Nationwide Community Book-Sharing Network.** Free book and media pickup service! Local Pick-Up Partners collect your donated books, CDs, DVDs, and media right from your doorstep. They resell to support their families and can donate through our Give ME Books program. #### Quick Links About UsWhere to Donate BooksGive Me BooksPick-Up RequestBecome Pick-Up PartnerBecome an AffiliateFAQsContact Us #### Follow [](https://facebook.com/givemybooksnetwork)[](https://x.com/givemybooksnet)[](https://instagram.com/givemybooksnetwork) Privacy| Acceptable Use Policy| Disclaimer| Terms of Use| SMS Policy| [EntityMap](/entitymap.html "Structured entity index of this site for AI systems") © 2026 Give My Books Network, All rights reserved