How to Prepare Books for Donation: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brooklyn Readers
Start by Sorting Your Books into Clear Categories
Here's something most people don't realize. You don't actually need to sort your books before scheduling a free pickup with Give My Books Network. Local Pick-Up Partners handle all the sorting after they collect your items. But going through your shelves at home still helps you. It helps you figure out what to keep, what to let go, and how many boxes you'll actually need.
Start with three piles. Books you're keeping. Books you're ready to give away. Books you're not sure about. That's it. Don't overthink the "not sure" pile right now. Just get everything visible and off the shelves.
Work room by room. If you've got books scattered across a Park Slope living room, a bedroom nightstand, and a hallway shelf, finish one spot completely before moving to the next. Someone pulls books off one shelf, gets overwhelmed, and stops. Small wins keep you going.
Once you've got your "give away" pile, you might want to loosely group things. Hardcovers together. Paperbacks together. Children's books in their own stack. Media like CDs, DVDs, or audiobooks off to the side. This isn't required for pickup. But it makes packing easier and gives you a sense of how much you're actually clearing out.
What about books in rough shape? Dog-eared pages, a cracked spine, some highlighting inside. Those are usually fine. A book that's been read and loved still has life in it. Many items collected through the network are redistributed to readers, schools, libraries, nonprofits, and organizations requesting books. Some may be resold by the Pick-Up Partner to support their business and help keep the free pickup service running. Items that truly can't be reused may eventually be recycled as a last resort.
So don't stress about perfection. The goal is to keep books in circulation whenever possible.
A family in Flatbush reached out last spring. Three kids who'd outgrown an entire bookshelf of picture books, early readers, and young adult novels, plus a box of college textbooks from years back. They weren't sure if all of it was "good enough." It was. They packed everything into bags and boxes, left it outside on their scheduled pickup day, and a local Pick-Up Partner collected it all. Nobody needed to be home. No sorting required on their end.
That's really the beauty of it. You don't need to become a librarian to prepare your books.
Cookbooks tend to pile up fast. Same with self-help titles and travel guides. Old magazines and catalogs aren't books, so set those aside separately. Textbooks from a few years ago are still worth including. Someone out there might need them.
And here's something worth knowing. Organizations can request books through the Give ME Books program. So the children's books you're clearing out of a Bay Ridge apartment could end up with a community group that's been looking for exactly that kind of material. You never really know where your books will land, and that's part of what makes this worth doing. If you want to explore how libraries and nonprofits connect with book donation programs and collection resources, the American Library Association maintains a helpful guide for organizations and individuals alike.
How many boxes should you expect? A standard moving box holds roughly 20 to 25 paperbacks. Hardcovers take up more space and weigh more, so plan for fewer per box. Pack things so they're well packed but not too heavy. A box you can't lift isn't helping anyone. If it feels like too much for one container, split it into two. And don't go out and buy special supplies. Grocery bags, tote bags, old Amazon boxes. All of it works.
So what does a sorted collection actually look like? A few sturdy bags of paperbacks near your front door. A box of hardcovers beside them. Maybe a separate small bag of kids' books. Everything packed, nothing spilling out, ready to be left in a safe, dry spot starting at 8 AM on your scheduled pickup day. The pickup window runs from 8 AM to 8 PM, so you've got flexibility.
Pull your books together, make a quick decision on what stays and what goes, and pack the giveaways into containers you can manage. If you're ready to schedule a free pickup in Brooklyn, head over to our book donation pickup page and enter your ZIP code. If a partner serves your area, you can book immediately. If not, your request can still be submitted through the out-of-area pickup system.
Cleaning and Organizing Books Before Drop-Off Speeds Up the Process
You don't need to sort or separate your books before pickup. That's the partner's job. But a little basic cleaning and smart packing can make a real difference in how smoothly everything goes on pickup day.
Start with dust. Books that have been sitting on shelves in a Brooklyn apartment for years collect a lot of it. A quick wipe with a dry cloth across the top edges and covers takes seconds per book. It's not required, but it helps keep your boxes cleaner and makes the books more ready for whoever picks them up next.
Got books with sticky residue from old price tags? A gentle rub with your thumb usually does the trick. Don't chase perfection here. You're just trying to remove anything that might transfer to other books in the same box.
Water damage is worth checking for. Brooklyn buildings, especially older brownstones in neighborhoods like Park Slope and Bedford-Stuyvesant, can have humidity issues. If a book's pages are warped, spotted with mold, or smell musty, set it aside. Items that can't be reused may eventually be recycled, so it's okay to include them. But separating visibly damaged books into their own bag helps the Local Pick-Up Partner during sorting later.
People stack books loosely in a giant box until it weighs forty pounds. Then the bottom gives out on the stoop. Not ideal.
Use small to medium boxes instead. Grocery bags work too. Pack items so they're well packed and not too heavy. A good test: can you comfortably carry the box or bag with one hand? If not, split it into two. You don't need to separate paperbacks from hardcovers, but if you're filling a box, hardcovers on the bottom and paperbacks on top keeps things from getting crushed. Think of it like packing groceries. Heavy stuff down low.
Flip through your books quickly before packing. Loose papers, bookmarks, personal photos, old receipts. You'd be surprised what falls out. Forgotten checks, family photos, documents tucked between pages. A thirty-second flip-through saves you from losing something you actually wanted to keep.
Books with writing in them? Highlighted textbooks, notes in the margins, kids' coloring books that are half filled in. Go ahead and include them. The partner will sort out what can be redistributed and what can't. Your job is just to pack everything up.
So what does "organized" actually mean here? Books in bags or boxes. Bags and boxes sealed or folded shut so nothing falls out. No labels. No categories. No alphabetical order.
One thing that genuinely helps is keeping media separate from your books if you're also donating DVDs, CDs, or similar items. Not because it's required. Media cases are slippery and tend to slide around, which can damage book covers in transit. A separate bag for media is a small thing that makes a real difference.
And if you live in a walk-up apartment, which, let's be honest, a lot of Brooklyn is, think about your packing strategy before you start hauling boxes down four flights of stairs. Reusable shopping bags with handles are your best friend. Lighter than boxes, easier to grip, and you can make multiple trips without wrecking your back.
For pickup day itself, you don't need to be home. Place your packed books in a safe, dry location starting at 8 AM. Outside your front door works. A covered porch is better. If you have a garage or a sheltered entryway, that's ideal, especially during Brooklyn's rainy spring months or the unpredictable weather that rolls through in fall. The pickup window runs from 8 AM to 8 PM, so your books might sit outside for a few hours. Keeping them dry matters. If rain is in the forecast, put plastic bags inside a cardboard box, or just use plastic bags on their own. Simple fix.
Cleaning and packing your books thoughtfully isn't about following strict rules. It's about giving them the best shot at reaching someone who'll actually read them. Many items collected through Give My Books Network are redistributed to readers, schools, libraries, and nonprofits. Some may be resold to help keep the free pickup service running. The better shape your books are in when they leave your hands, the more likely they land with a new reader.
Ready to schedule your free pickup in Brooklyn? Visit our book donation pickup page to get started. It takes just a couple of minutes.
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