Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[CRussel]

Good deal, Paul. I haven't read the earlier ones yet, so I feel no compelling need to jump on this one. But I feel a strong urge to BUY coming on, so I need to find something reasonably priced to buy before the new Wen Spencer eARC comes out. Cause I'll be a sucker for that if I still have this buying jones eating at me.

[Katsunami]

There are 75% coupons again? In that case I may take a look at the latest Shannara book to keep my series complete.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

There are 75% coupons again? In that case I may take a look at the latest Shannara book to keep my series complete.

There have been competitions nearly every month that give out coupons up to 75%. Some MobileRead members enter hundreds of times, and are willing to post the coupons that they don't use for others to use.

[Katsunami]

I know, but I only check that thread occasionally, lest I become exceedingly greedy.

[Tizzalicious]

Aaargh, I bought waaaaay too much with the contest coupons!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Tizzalicious

Aaargh, I bought waaaaay too much with the contest coupons!

Just so long as they were books from your wish list, or favourite authors.

It's the 'oh, that sounds interesting at that price' books that are the danger.

[Tizzalicious]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Just so long as they were books from your wish list, or favourite authors.

It's the 'oh, that sounds interesting at that price' books that are the danger.

They were mainly books that are on Boxall's 1001 books list, that the library doesn't have. And cheap too, with good codes. So I guess that's okay?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Tizzalicious

They were mainly books that are on Boxall's 1001 books list, that the library doesn't have. And cheap too, with good codes. So I guess that's okay?

I'd say it depends on how big your TBR is already. If you already had 100 items from that list in your TBR still unread, then it probably wasn't a good buy.

But if you're down to a couple of month's stuff in your TBR and you intend reading the entire 1001 books list, it was clearly a good deal.

[pdurrant]

Just bought another Baen book from kobo using my 65% code from the recent contest, so just $2.73. It's the first in a new series by an author I like, and I already have the second in the series from a bundle purchase.

Even so, I've only spent $5.54 on Baen books instead of the $18 I was anticipating. That's good.

Of course, now I've checked on Baen books I missed in 2010 to 2012, I find there's at least four more that I really want, and another 30 that I'd rather like to have. But I shall not get them unless it's with a 65% or better coupon. And no more this month unless it's a 75% or better coupon.

[pdurrant]

And by switching from bundles to discounts at Kobo, I might be back under budget in July!

[issybird]

I'm struggling; things could be worse but I'd like to do significantly better. I've bought five books at a total of roughly $13 so far this month. Four of them were Kindle Deals and two were mistakes, books I've read and enjoyed but with very slim odds of being reread. The other two were justifiable even if the price created the want, while the fifth book was on my wishlist and purchased with a 65% coupon.

My major success is that I refrained from buying four other books on my wishlist. They're pricier and I would have caved with a 75% coupon, but in the absence of one I decided I could wait and hope for one next contest. None needs to be read now, although they're all of the sooner rather than later variety (but so are a lot of other books).

Not too bad overall; the biggest issue is that while I've read seven books this month and abandoned two others, most of them were paper, library or public domain. I'm still +2 in my library and if it weren't for the two abandoned books, I'd be at +4. The killer, of course, is the two Kindle books I didn't really want; in their absence I'd be treading water, which would be a big improvement over the first three months of the year and I've have spent only $7.50 on three books.

Time to stiffen my resolve and get back on the wagon.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

The killer, of course, is the two Kindle books I didn't really want.

Yes, I agree. I've managed with only one foolish purchase this month, the Pheonix Pick offer of Reboot: Diabolical Streak. I should have just taken the freebie and left the sequel.

But by buying from Kobo instead of the Baen bundle I've bought four books I really wanted (No Going Back, Hard Magic, The Sea Without a Shore and Grand Central Arena) for $11.86 instead of one book I really wanted and three books that sounded OK for $18.

Let's all try to resist the merely average or mildly interesting, and buy the books we really want.


[EDIT - added:] I suppose the fact the books I've read this year cost me more (just) than the books I've bought this year is some comfort. But I am a distressing $42.80 over budget so far, and I don't look likely to be back in budget until July at the earliest.

[CRussel]

I've really done better than I'd hoped so far this year. In one way worse -- that 90% coupon had me buying books it will be ages until I manage to read, but overall much better. Yes, I did buy a "gee, that looks good" book this month, but mostly I've avoided those. But yesterday, I noticed that the one Peter Robinson DCI Banks book I didn't have was at $4.99 on Amazon, and I bought it. Now, OK, that's a decent price, but I'm at over ten books away from it in the series. Did I really need to buy it now? Obviously NOT. Sigh. But still, that's really the only impulse purchase this month. So, if I can stay with that, it isn't too bad.

[benham]

Any BookBub subscribers?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by benham

Any BookBub subscribers?

I haven't found an ebook subscription service I like yet. I doubt that I will. Although I don't often re-read, I do like to retain copies of books I've read. The subscription services that let you download and keep are too expensive per book. The all-you-can-read subscriptions services don't let you keep copies.

Also, since I doubt any ebook subscription service would handle all the books I wanted, I don't think I'd want to spend more than (say) $20/month on such a service, about half my book budget for the year.

Hmm.. I've just looked at my TBR by year, along with number bought.
2014: 116/151
2013: 155/285
2012: 45 (38 Georgette Heyers)/134
2011: 44/195
2010: 59 (33 Agatha Christies)/114
2009: 70/247
2008: 162/395
2007: 44/174
2006: 23/170
2005: 33/222
2004: 20/135
2003 and earlier: 309, all read!

Wow. I was really restrained in 2010 and 2012!

2008 was when the DRM removal for Mobipocket became available - clearly I went a little over the top.