A member must be an independent book business, not part of a franchise or syndicate. Nor may a member publicly issue its stock or other securities. To become a member, a bookseller must purchase one share of member stock. Membership is vested in the book business. A book business may purchase only one share of member stock.
Voting rights come only with members stock.
Each book business is allowed one and only one vote. The value of the cooperative membership lies in the association of the members in furtherance of their mutual interests. Members must also pay their fair share for database hosting and maintenance. Similar to listing fees, payments are due on a monthly basis. Because a cooperative operates on a 'least possible cost basis' rather than profit, these fees may decrease as the number of members increases.