Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I don't agree it was the right thing. I haven't bought anything at all in that particular sale*. It's just a matter of willpower. I really don't need any more books right now.

*It hasn't quite finished yet, and I'm making no promises.

Slightly less than half of me agrees with you. (Obviously, otherwise I would have resisted.)

The Jonathan Gash (Lovejoy) books were definitely a good buy - I've read the first two, and had the next two, but getting the next three for £0.84 was brilliant, and would have taken me only $0.31 over budget.

I hadn't read the Elizabeth Peters books before, nor the ones by Pam McIntosh, which would rule against the purchases. However, I have now read the first from both authors, and I'm very pleased with my purchases after all.

In fact, the ones I regret from January are the short story Escape to Other Worlds with Science Fiction which I suspect I have in a free collection somewhere, and Life After Life, which was a disappointment, and not by an author I know.

If such a good offer came up every month, I would have been definitely wrong to succumb to the temptation. But such good offers tend to be more like once a year.

Another two days and my horrendous $84.41/$40 overspend will be a less ridiculous $90.41/$80 overspend.

Will I make to March to be very nearly back on track with $121.91:$120? We shall see. If I do manage that, on April 1st I'll be back to $139.91:$160, comfortably back inside my limit. It's only 60 days…. Perhaps I can make it.

[pdurrant]

That does all sound horribly like post-facto justification.

If I'm tempted to buy something over the next couple of months, I'll ask here first.

[Tarana]

I mentioned Author Alerts the other day. I have since found out that once you sign up, when you log in, there is an option under ACCOUNT. You can select Amazon (US), Amazon.uk or Amazon.ca. You can also deselect hardcover and paperback if you just want ebooks. They do not have any option for other booksellers or eformats. Anyway, thought you all might want to be informed.

*It hasn't quite finished yet, and I'm making no promises.

So, in other words, you laugh in the face of a sale...

I'm trying to get used to the new Amazon cloud format, but it's just making my teeth gnash. All the more reason to download, remove DRM and use Calibre as soon as you make a purchase.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

That does all sound horribly like post-facto justification.

If I'm tempted to buy something over the next couple of months, I'll ask here first.

You do read a lot faster than me, I guess that's some mitigation. Had I bought any of those complete series, I very much doubt that I'd get around to reading the first books this year. Even if I ended up loving the series, I think it would be years before I was actually saving money over buying just the first ones at full price.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

You do read a lot faster than me, I guess that's some mitigation. Had I bought any of those complete series, I very much doubt that I'd get around to reading the first books this year. Even if I ended up loving the series, I think it would be years before I was actually saving money over buying just the first ones at full price.

I expect to get through two to four of each series each year. So it won't be very long before I finish them.

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I expect to get through two to four of each series each year. So it won't be very long before I finish them.

I am 'lucky' enough that form me only the first book of the Gil Cunningham series was priced at 1 Euro (well, and number 4 and number 7) -- so I didn't purchase the rest of the series yet.

It's on my 'keep an eye out for it' list. That list is, horror of horrors, even longer than the TBR list

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

That does all sound horribly like post-facto justification.

If I'm tempted to buy something over the next couple of months, I'll ask here first.

Why should you ask? Hereby I tell you not to buy any ebooks until May 1st. There you go, I don't even know you personally, and I'm already helping you to get rid of your addiction. Imagine what a wonderful friend I'd be in real life

At your reading speed, you'll run through your TBR in a matter of ... years, even so

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Why should you ask? Hereby I tell you not to buy any ebooks until May 1st.

Thank you. I shall take your vote as read. And really, I'll be asking as a way of giving myself time to reflect on whether it really is an offer I shouldn't refuse or not.

I certainly can't promise to abide by the majority vote.

I have managed to resist the next book bale bundle all on my own.

[Katsunami]

Well, in your case, reading a book every other day, you'll HAVE to get yourself a large number of books. I for one wouldn't be able to even FIND books I would like to read at that pace.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Well, in your case, reading a book every other day, you'll HAVE to get yourself a large number of books. I for one wouldn't be able to even FIND books I would like to read at that pace.

Oh, I wish I had that problem...

[PurpleStar]

I wish I had that problem too. I want to read all kinds of books, but I don't read fast enough!!! I max out at about 50 per year, and that's pushing it most years.

[VictoriaP]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Oh, I wish I had that problem...

Heck yes, I'll take that problem any day. Finding enough to read has never been at issue, even as quickly as I read. I can't possibly afford to buy everything I want to read as it stands, let alone all the new releases each year that I want...and here I've set a goal to add 12 new authors to my favorites this year.

Well, seen in that light, that was a rather silly goal to set, wasn't it?

I've already read about 2/3 of what I bought this month as soon as I bought them, plus read a few from the TBR pile, so that pile didn't really increase. Which is always a good thing for a hoarder!

[pdurrant]

We're into February, and I'm now only $10.41 over budget. I hope I'm still only $10.41 over budget at the end of February.

[issybird]

Oy.

I was doing very well, I thought, until six days ago. I had only bought two books, the lit club selection and a book that fits one of my goals for the year, for a total of $8.58. But then Kindle Daily Deal was a gold box special on 75 books, and I bought two, for $1.99 each. Well, one was on my want-to-read list and the other fits in with my general interests, but the bottom line is that I won't be getting to either in the forseeable future and I should have passed. And then I wrapped up the month with only a potential book club selection, as I thought I might as well use the January 50% off coupon while I could.

Now, I know the damage to my wallet is inconsequential, at a total of $14.05. But it means a net reduction in my TBR for the month of only two (I read a pbook.) While I don't have a specific goal (as I was overgoaled last year), I have a thought in my mind of a net reduction this year of 60 to 70 books.

Then I woke up this morning to the Kindle Big Deal and I couldn't resist The Rising: Easter 1916 and The Ends of Life: Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England for $2.99 each and they both look terrific. Again, the expense is inconsequential but I'm still buying them at least as fast as I'm reading.

The positive news is that I think after my bobble last month I held it to books that have a realistic chance of being read. But it's only the first day of the month!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

Oy.

I was doing very well, I thought, until six days ago.

OTOH, the reason for being very good most of the time is to be able to take advantage of the special offers when they come up.

OK, so I bought 50 books in January and only read 25. I don't expect a similar offer to come up until December, so I think I'll be OK.

Also, my read-book average cost is $3.42. My bought-book average cost is only $1.74. This shows that I really have mainly been taking advantage of a terrific offer. (Which seems to still be on at Amazon UK. I could have waited until February after all! Although I would have been very sorry to have missed it if their cut-off date of January 31st has been kept precisely.)

At least February is a short month. Only another 27.5 days until March!