Plastic newspaper delivery sleeves are also the right size for many books. Put the book in the bag, fold over the top of the bag, and seal it with packing tape. Otherwise, wrap the book in a grocery store produce bag or other plastic bag and tape the edges closed.
Use plain cardboard rectangles, as cardboard with print or stickers may stick to the book or transfer print onto the cover.
Damage usually happens to the corners of hardcover books, which can get bent (or “bumped” as they say in the book trade). Pay special attention to padding the corners. If you have the space, separate all books with their own layer of padding. One way to do this is to sort the books by size, in stacks, and wrap each stack in bubble wrap.
For extra protection, tape along each edge seam of the box as well, but don’t use tape more than necessary. It’s a nuisance if the recipient has to cut off yards of tape to get to the book.
