Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread - Page 52

BookCat · 08-18-2011, 09:18 PM

My name's Cat and I'm an ebook addict. I don't buy them, just download classics and freebies; does this count? The books are taking up lots of space on my hard drive, which I've changed from an 40gb to a 320gb drive. Mind you, the original drive was making suspicious clicking noises.

I make no attempt to control my addiction as it's far less of a problem than my previous habit of scouring car-boot (garage) sales for pbooks which began to overtake my house! At least the ebooks don't take up space in the real world, and I love them.

Which reminds me, must visit the memorial library for some books I've been thinking of reading....soon.

issybird · 08-18-2011, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

You never mentioned anything about the temptation over the last week. How can we as a group help you if you don't ask for help? Admitting the problem is only the first step, seeking support and guidance is also important.

Heh. Point taken. Mea culpa. My only explanation is that in my arrogance I thought I had the problem licked.

pdurrant · 08-19-2011, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

My name's Cat and I'm an ebook addict. I don't buy them, just download classics and freebies; does this count?

In this thread, freebies don't count.

Sweetpea · 08-19-2011, 09:04 AM

*goes to find the nearest pirate*

then these don't count either!

pdurrant · 08-19-2011, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

*goes to find the nearest pirate*

then these don't count either!

Well, no, but I'm not trying to encourage people to pirate ebooks instead of buying them!

I just sort of assumed that no-one in this thread would do anything as naughty as downloading unauthorised copies of ebooks.

CRussel · 08-19-2011, 04:57 PM

No pirating, but maybe we should only count books over $1.99 USD? That way, all those Heyer's I just bought wouldn't count...

pdurrant · 08-19-2011, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

No pirating, but maybe we should only count books over $1.99 USD? That way, all those Heyer's I just bought wouldn't count...

No, even a $0.01 ebook counts. If money has changed hands, that's an ebook bought, no matter how little.

issybird · 08-19-2011, 06:17 PM

I'm going to take an unpopular position here: I think freebies should count against you more than books for a buck or two. Freebies take no discrimination. You can download everything that comes down the pike and have hundreds of books on your devices, and not a one of them worth reading. Because, IMO, virtually all free books have been fairly priced. (The exception is when the first book in a series is free as a hook. But it still depends on the series.)

But at least you think about a book before you plunk down a buck or two. The odds are those will be read at some point and yet the hit to the wallet is insignificant. I know that after my first flush of enthusiasm as an ereader, I spent some time deleting/archiving the free stuff, and at that I hadn't gotten most of the titles I saw. I'll except freebies that are classics. Worth reading and if they're free, so much the better.

My rule of thumb is: If I wouldn't pay a buck for it, I don't need it as a freebie. Saves on a lot of eclutter and mental clutter. I don't want to have to be searching for the gems among the dross on my devices.

Disclaimer: I know this is contrary to the ethic of this group. Don't mind me. To me freebies are like nicotine patches and booze-free beer. They help to keep the taste alive. But! If that's what works for you, then go for it.

HomeInMyShoes · 08-19-2011, 07:06 PM

^It's an interesting point. Clutter is clutter. I've been thinking of removing some stuff from the reader that I'll probably never get around to.

I keep track of my e-reader clutter through an allowance and how long it will take to read what I've purchased. I put in freebies from places you buy books, but not freebies from places like Gutenberg. Maybe I should do the Gutenberg ones as well.

My rule is if I'm pushing myself past a leisurely (20 pages a day) year of reading then I'm in trouble. Other trouble signs are little money in my book allowance fund and a large dollar value of unread stuff (similar to pace of reading, but freebies aren't damaging there).

CRussel · 08-19-2011, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm going to take an unpopular position here: I think freebies should count against you more than bucks for a buck or two. Freebies take no discrimination. You can download everything that comes down the pike and have hundreds of books on your devices, and not a one of them worth reading. Because, IMO, virtually all free books have been fairly priced. (The exception is when the first book in a series is free as a hook. But it still depends on the series.)

But at least you think about a book before you plunk down a buck or two. The odds are those will be read at some point and yet the hit to the wallet is insignificant. I know that after my first flush of enthusiasm as an ereader, I spent some time deleting/archiving the free stuff, and at that I hadn't gotten most of the titles I saw. I'll except freebies that are classics. Worth reading and if they're free, so much the better.

My rule of thumb is: If I wouldn't pay a buck for it, I don't need it as a freebie. Saves on a lot of eclutter and mental clutter. I don't want to have to be searching for the gems among the dross on my devices.

Disclaimer: I know this is contrary to the ethic of this group. Don't mind me. To me freebies are like nicotine patches and booze-free beer. They help to keep the taste alive. But! If that's what works for you, then go for it.

Conceptually, I actually like this a lot. My wallet doesn't always agree, and I have to keep reminding myself that eBooks are discretionary spending. I also see pdurrant's point that any spending qualifies. But I think a closer answer is that all eBooks acquisition qualifies. Even freebies.

elcreative · 08-19-2011, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Conceptually, I actually like this a lot. My wallet doesn't always agree, and I have to keep reminding myself that eBooks are discretionary spending. I also see pdurrant's point that any spending qualifies. But I think a closer answer is that all eBooks acquisition qualifies. Even freebies.

If you regard ebooks or pbooks as discretionary spending then you are not an ebook addict... discretionary spending indeed...

issybird · 08-19-2011, 07:52 PM

One (important) difference between the Gutenberg freebies and the ebookstore freebies is that there's no rush to download from Gutenberg. The books will be there when you want them. So there's no need to clutter up your device with them.

On the other hand, you know you need to grab the copyrighted freebies NOW. The price can only go up. But donwloading a slew of books because you might want to read them, someday, is silly. There's always a deal.

Sweetpea · 08-20-2011, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, no, but I'm not trying to encourage people to pirate ebooks instead of buying them!

I just sort of assumed that no-one in this thread would do anything as naughty as downloading unauthorised copies of ebooks.

well, poo.... You said free didn't count and those are free (sort of...)

But, I did finish another book today, so that book I bought this week already has a read counterpart...

pdurrant · 08-20-2011, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

On the other hand, you know you need to grab the copyrighted freebies NOW. The price can only go up. But donwloading a slew of books because you might want to read them, someday, is silly. There's always a deal.

I order any freebies that look even vaguely interesting. But I don't add them to my TBR pile, they just sit on my Amazon/B&N account. I most likely will never read them, but they're there just in case.

It is, of course, a personal choice. Mine is not to count them, and as OP in this thread, I'm sometimes asked to make a ruling, and so that's the way I've ruled.

If you choose to not download freebies, or to count any you download, that's fine by me.

CRussel · 08-20-2011, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcreative

If you regard ebooks or pbooks as discretionary spending then you are not an ebook addict... discretionary spending indeed...

I didn't say that I think eBooks are discretionary spending. But my dearly beloved spouse most assuredly DOES. Sigh. Other than that, she's really quite intelligent.

08-18-2011, 09:18 PM	#766
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	My name's Cat and I'm an ebook addict. I don't buy them, just download classics and freebies; does this count? The books are taking up lots of space on my hard drive, which I've changed from an 40gb to a 320gb drive. Mind you, the original drive was making suspicious clicking noises. I make no attempt to control my addiction as it's far less of a problem than my previous habit of scouring car-boot (garage) sales for pbooks which began to overtake my house! At least the ebooks don't take up space in the real world, and I love them. Which reminds me, must visit the memorial library for some books I've been thinking of reading....soon. Last edited by BookCat; 08-18-2011 at 09:20 PM. Reason: the original drive was only 40gb, an external drive is 80gb.

08-19-2011, 06:17 PM	#773
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,351 Karma: 234636059 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	I'm going to take an unpopular position here: I think freebies should count against you more than books for a buck or two. Freebies take no discrimination. You can download everything that comes down the pike and have hundreds of books on your devices, and not a one of them worth reading. Because, IMO, virtually all free books have been fairly priced. (The exception is when the first book in a series is free as a hook. But it still depends on the series.) But at least you think about a book before you plunk down a buck or two. The odds are those will be read at some point and yet the hit to the wallet is insignificant. I know that after my first flush of enthusiasm as an ereader, I spent some time deleting/archiving the free stuff, and at that I hadn't gotten most of the titles I saw. I'll except freebies that are classics. Worth reading and if they're free, so much the better. My rule of thumb is: If I wouldn't pay a buck for it, I don't need it as a freebie. Saves on a lot of eclutter and mental clutter. I don't want to have to be searching for the gems among the dross on my devices. Disclaimer: I know this is contrary to the ethic of this group. Don't mind me. To me freebies are like nicotine patches and booze-free beer. They help to keep the taste alive. But! If that's what works for you, then go for it. Last edited by issybird; 08-19-2011 at 07:42 PM.

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08-19-2011, 09:04 AM	#769
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	goes to find the nearest pirate then these don't count either!

08-19-2011, 04:57 PM	#771
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,297 Karma: 80074820 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), iPad Air M3	No pirating, but maybe we should only count books over $1.99 USD? That way, all those Heyer's I just bought wouldn't count...

08-19-2011, 07:06 PM	#774
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^It's an interesting point. Clutter is clutter. I've been thinking of removing some stuff from the reader that I'll probably never get around to. I keep track of my e-reader clutter through an allowance and how long it will take to read what I've purchased. I put in freebies from places you buy books, but not freebies from places like Gutenberg. Maybe I should do the Gutenberg ones as well. My rule is if I'm pushing myself past a leisurely (20 pages a day) year of reading then I'm in trouble. Other trouble signs are little money in my book allowance fund and a large dollar value of unread stuff (similar to pace of reading, but freebies aren't damaging there).

08-19-2011, 07:52 PM	#777
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,351 Karma: 234636059 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	One (important) difference between the Gutenberg freebies and the ebookstore freebies is that there's no rush to download from Gutenberg. The books will be there when you want them. So there's no need to clutter up your device with them. On the other hand, you know you need to grab the copyrighted freebies NOW. The price can only go up. But donwloading a slew of books because you might want to read them, someday, is silly. There's always a deal.