Discover Books, LLC

What Discover Books, LLC does

Discover Books, LLC operates as Dream Books Co., a used media retailer founded in 2003 and headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado. The company resells used books, movies/DVDs, and music CDs through a multi-channel model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a physical retail location, and a wholesale program. With 251–500 employees, Discover Books serves individual consumers alongside a network of more than 240 schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations that both supply inventory and act as repeat buyers.

The company's e-commerce platform is built on Shopify, supporting a high-volume catalog of pre-owned media priced between $4 and $8 per book, with bundle deals and free shipping on orders over $10. Beyond the consumer storefront, Discover Books operates a wholesale channel and has extended into adjacent formats through third-party partnerships with Bookshop.org (new titles) and Libro.fm (audiobooks). Additional revenue lines include branded merchandise and gift cards. Institutional supply partnerships function as a structurally important input, providing bulk used media that anchors the unit economics of the resale business.

Discover Books is privately held and has been funded by private equity, with QuestMark Partners providing $8.5 million in capital (dated 2011-01-04 in the input). The leadership team is led by co-founder Clive Midgen and founder Lynette Boggs Perez, with David Reymann as CFO and Kirby Knapp as CTO. The company's positioning around reuse and sustainability provides a brand differentiator in a fragmented category, while the institutional partnership base supplies a recurring source of low-cost inventory that would be costly for new entrants to replicate.

Name

Discover Books, LLC

Legal name

Dream Books Co.

Website

https://discoverbooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Discover Books (DBA Dream Books Co.) is a Lakewood, Colorado-based used media retailer, founded in 2003, selling used books, movies, and music CDs via Shopify e-commerce, a physical store, wholesale, and 240+ school, library, and nonprofit partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Used Bookstore / Used Media Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (45951), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Used, Rare & Antiquarian Bookstores (CRALAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)

Keywords

• Used book resale
• Recycled media retail
• Used movie DVDs
• Used music CDs
• Wholesale book distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Direct sales of new and used books to consumers through their e-commerce platform and physical bookstore. Offers various condition grades with competitive pricing.
2. Movies and DVDs Sales: Sales of new and used movies, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs including classic and contemporary titles.
3. Music CDs Sales: Sales of music CDs across multiple genres including rock, pop, classical, jazz, and more.
4. Wholesale: Bulk sales to other businesses through their wholesale channel at www.dreambooksco.com/wholesale.
5. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards for use on their platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Discover Books, LLC (Dream Books Co.) acquires used books, movies, DVDs, and music CDs and resells them through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, a physical retail bookstore in Colorado, and a wholesale channel for bulk buyers. The company also distributes gift cards, branded merchandise, and audiobooks via a Libro.fm partnership, while routing new releases through Bookshop.org. Its operations are anchored by partnerships with 240+ schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations that supply inventory and redistribute affordable used media.

Product overview

Discover Books, LLC operates as an e-commerce bookstore and community-driven marketplace selling gently used books, music CDs, movies, DVDs, and merchandise. The core offering consists of physical media across multiple categories: used books (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Teen & YA, Children's), music CDs, and movies/DVDs. The business model centers on sustainability—keeping books and media in circulation and out of landfills—partnering with over 240 schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations. The company offers promotional bundle deals (Buy 3 Get 1 Free Books, Buy 2 Get 1 Free Movies/Music), gift cards, wholesale programs, and integrates with external platforms for audiobooks (Libro.fm) and new releases (Bookshop.org). The online store is powered by Shopify with physical retail presence offering in-store pickup. Services include free shipping on orders above $10, 30-day returns, and tens of thousands of new titles added weekly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used Books

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bookshop.orgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDream Books Co. is listed on Bookshop.org's platform, directing customers to their shop for new title purchases. Bookshop.org drives traffic and sales to their storefront.
• Libro.fmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Libro.fm for audiobook sales. Customers can purchase audiobooks through Libro.fm's platform with Dream Books Co. as their selected bookstore.
• 240+ Schools, Libraries, and Nonprofit OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership program with over 240 schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations. These partnerships keep books, music, and movies in circulation and out of landfills. Partners receive access to affordable materials and Dream Books gains a stable customer base.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 2nd & Charles: Retail chain buying and selling used books, music, movies, video games, and electronics; directly comparable on multi-category used-media physical retail and online channel.
• Half Price Books: US retail chain that buys and sells used books, music, and movies through physical storefronts; directly comparable on multi-category used media and physical retail footprint.
• Strand Bookstore: NYC-based used/new bookstore with a strong brand and a sizeable online store; comparable on used-inventory curation, collector and gift positioning, and direct retail.
• ThriftBooks: One of the largest online used-book resellers in the US, operating a marketplace of gently used titles with similar pricing tiers and condition grades. Directly comparable on product mix, customer base, and e-commerce-led GTM.
• Powell's City of Books: Iconic independent used/new bookstore with both a flagship physical superstore and a robust online storefront; comparable on product breadth, genre navigation, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.
• Better World Books: Used-book reseller with an explicit social/environmental mission that funds literacy programs; comparable to Discover Books on sustainability positioning, library partnerships, and donated-book sourcing.

Emerging players

• Bookshop.org: Online bookstore platform that supports independent bookstores, including Dream Books as a listed shop; partially comparable as a channel partner but also a competitor for new-title consumer spend.

Broad incumbents

• AbeBooks: Owned by Amazon; large online marketplace aggregating independent sellers of used, rare, and out-of-print books. Overlaps heavily on used-book e-commerce but operates as a broad marketplace rather than a single-brand curator.
• Alibris: Online marketplace connecting buyers to independent sellers of new and used books, movies, and music; overlaps with Dream Books' used-media product mix and institutional buyer base.
• Amazon (Used Books Marketplace): Dominant e-commerce platform that aggregates third-party used-book sellers; competes on selection, Prime shipping, and pricing across the same online used-book category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/discoverabook
• Facebookfacebook.com/244260608993479
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/discover-books

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Discover Books, LLC