Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread - Page 228

Apache · 03-13-2015, 07:45 PM

Thank you, I missed it. I just picked them up.
Apache

Rev. Bob · 03-17-2015, 05:53 AM

Bad Bob: I just picked up two new books that weren't on sale, coupon-eligible, or otherwise discounted.

Good Bob: I got them with reward points, and even after that purchase, my point-purchase formula has gone from "stay between 400K and 500K" to "stay between 500K and 600K." In that sense, I'm still in the black.

Bad Bob: I should be editing; the author is getting close to the end of the manuscript. (Then again, I've been hearing "2-4 more chapters" for a while now.)

Good Bob: I got the cover for the last short in this sequence prepped and found some edits in an early chapter, so I'm not a total slacker. The author has a workshop soon, and will be able to get feedback on the whole set.

Tarana · 03-19-2015, 12:06 AM

Quote:

a "read soon" list (around 430 books)

That made me laugh. 430 books is about 3-4 years for me.

Those little freebee $s from Amazon usually get used up on the rare music mp3 I buy, so I've never actually thought of applying them to ebooks. But, I do have that $100 in gift certificates calling. Resisted using them so far.

I've read/listened to a few more purchases I made this year and avoided spending $ on a couple that I'm able to get from the library.

Rev. Bob · 03-19-2015, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarana

That made me laugh. 430 books is about 3-4 years for me.

Sadly, it is for me, too. That list is really more of a way for me to keep track of which books I could just "pick up" and read, because they're either one-offs or the first unread book in a series.

DrNefario · 03-19-2015, 07:51 AM

One teeny tiny bundle and I go from 3 books ahead to 4 books behind on my TBR. I'm not even too sure I can consider it great value at the price I paid per new book. There were no absolute must-haves, three kind-of-wants, one yeah-why-not and three I'm indifferent to, in the seven that were new to me.

It's definitely these kinds of things that ruin me, but I've been remarkably good this year, up until now.

pdurrant · 03-19-2015, 07:57 AM

I recommend counting ones you're not really interested in as freebies, and splitting to cost only among those books in the bundle that you actually intend to read.

issybird · 03-19-2015, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

One teeny tiny bundle and I go from 3 books ahead to 4 books behind on my TBR. I'm not even too sure I can consider it great value at the price I paid per new book. There were no absolute must-haves, three kind-of-wants, one yeah-why-not and three I'm indifferent to, in the seven that were new to me.

It's definitely these kinds of things that ruin me, but I've been remarkably good this year, up until now.

Oy. Oh, well, back on the wagon. If it weren't an issue you wouldn't be here and you didn't do nearly enough damage to throw up your hands and give up. This can be remedied. As you said, you've been good so far.

I had my first serious temptation last night, a book that zoomed to the top of my wishlist as soon as I found out about it. But it's quite pricey, give or take twenty bucks depending on which overseas option I employ (not available in the US), and I'm getting much better about acknowledging that I'll never be able to read all the books I want to read. So for now I'll wait. Maybe it will get cheaper and there's no point at all in buying it until I'm ready to crack its virtual binding.

The best thing is that I've got my purchases under such good control that if/when I do want to read it now, I'd be fully entitled to buy it, price be damned. The outlay would still be less than the cumulative total of all the bargains that will most likely languish forever on my TBR.

DrNefario · 03-20-2015, 07:37 AM

I think I might have just glitched a book from my Kindle wishlist for £0.01. I don't know if I feel that's really any better than pirating it. It seems to be back up to its current ludicrous price of £9.66 now, and I haven't had the order confirmation through, yet, so I'll have to make sure I was actually charged that price.

issybird · 03-20-2015, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I think I might have just glitched a book from my Kindle wishlist for £0.01. I don't know if I feel that's really any better than pirating it. It seems to be back up to its current ludicrous price of £9.66 now, and I haven't had the order confirmation through, yet, so I'll have to make sure I was actually charged that price.

If you did get it for 1p, I think you could chalk it up to a lucky happenstance. You weren't trying to rip off Amazon. If the situation were reversed and you were overcharged, you'd have to pursue it to get your refund. Similarly, I think it's up to Amazon to find this and void the purchase. The company can weather the loss and no cashier's job will be on the line when the till is short at the end of the day.

pdurrant · 03-20-2015, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I bought four Bloom County volumes for £0.70. I just couldn't resist.

Sigh. Having now read half of the first one, I should have resisted. Not really of interest to me.

Tarana · 03-20-2015, 11:04 PM

Quote:

So for now I'll wait. Maybe it will get cheaper and there's no point at all in buying it until I'm ready to crack its virtual binding.

Waiting can be both good and bad. If you wait, you might be able to get it at substantially lower cost. On the other hand, if you wait the ebook could be withdrawn from the market, for unknown reasons. That's happened to me several times. I know it's going to happen with the Morland Dynasty (Cynthia Harrod-Eagles), but I just can't justify buying another book in the series until I get further in that series to see if I WANT to read more of it. It's not typically coupon eligible either. In this case, though, I don't feel pressured because I bought it originally for Mom and she doesn't want to continue reading this series. For now, she's moved on from historical fiction to scifi. Saves me money.

Katsunami · 03-21-2015, 06:52 PM

DiapDealer mentioned "Sacajawea" in the same sentence as Shogun.

Sacajawea is over 1400 pages, and it's historical fiction. I live this sort of books, and this one has me intrigued. I feel that I'm going to get it and move it to the top of my list, after my current series.

Katsunami · 03-22-2015, 05:48 PM

I've bought Sacajewea at Kobo, using a 35% coupon, for €5.49.
While I could have bought it at Amazon.com for €4.59, I saw more than one comment which made remarks about very bad markup of the Kindle version, so I didn't dare it. Also, the Kobo version is an EPUB source, which I prefer.

It's indeed a huge book. Counting at 2400 characters per page, which is about as big as a normal paperback *without the whitepace*, it comes in at 1216 pages.

Comparing with some other, probably more well-known books, using the same count, to give you an idea:

Gai-Jin: 1246
Whirlwind: 1224
Sacajawea: 1216
Musashi: 1196
Taiko: 1166
It: 1129
Shogun: 1124

Books of that size, in hardcover (my hardcover version of Musashi is 920 pages) would cost around €29, so I think €5.49 is a fair price

This book has moved to near the top of my to read list.

I'm now filling in the blanks in my Terry Brooks reading (I never read the newer books, such as Running with the Demon, and the newer Word-Void-Shannara connection books), and as soon as I finish or tire of these, I'll be reading this book.

Tarana · 03-22-2015, 10:10 PM

I remember reading Shogun. Possibly the only book that passed from my Dad to my Mom then to me. My Dad had bought it at the airport (it had just come out in paperback) and read that over a couple of weeks of going back and forth between home and his new job until the actual move across country occurred. Pleasant memories. Loved the series.

Unless they are Baen books, none of the books on my wishlist are couponable, and I can wait on the Baen books yet. Alas, I did get a couple of audiobooks on special in one of the series that I'm reading. Gnash. I was going to stop that.

issybird · 03-25-2015, 08:10 PM

As Tom Paine put it, "These are the times that try [wo]men's souls." I'm referring, of course, to the Kobo Refer-a-Friend promotion. Luckily, we're twelve weeks into the year and since I've only bought three ebooks so far, I can legitimately purchase up to nine and stay within the letter if not quite the spirit of my resolution.

This will take some planning, especially with the one book per account stricture. In truth, I expect to stay on the right side of my limit. I can't let such a good opportunity go, but I don't buy for inventory any more. I hope.

03-22-2015, 05:48 PM	#3418
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	I've bought Sacajewea at Kobo, using a 35% coupon, for €5.49. While I could have bought it at Amazon.com for €4.59, I saw more than one comment which made remarks about very bad markup of the Kindle version, so I didn't dare it. Also, the Kobo version is an EPUB source, which I prefer. It's indeed a huge book. Counting at 2400 characters per page, which is about as big as a normal paperback without the whitepace, it comes in at 1216 pages. Comparing with some other, probably more well-known books, using the same count, to give you an idea: Gai-Jin: 1246 Whirlwind: 1224 Sacajawea: 1216 Musashi: 1196 Taiko: 1166 It: 1129 Shogun: 1124 Books of that size, in hardcover (my hardcover version of Musashi is 920 pages) would cost around €29, so I think €5.49 is a fair price This book has moved to near the top of my to read list. I'm now filling in the blanks in my Terry Brooks reading (I never read the newer books, such as Running with the Demon, and the newer Word-Void-Shannara connection books), and as soon as I finish or tire of these, I'll be reading this book. Last edited by Katsunami; 03-22-2015 at 05:52 PM.

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03-13-2015, 07:45 PM	#3406
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,282 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Thank you, I missed it. I just picked them up. Apache

03-17-2015, 05:53 AM	#3407
Rev. Bob Wizard Posts: 1,760 Karma: 9918418 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Here on the perimeter, there are no stars Device: Kobo H2O, iPad mini 3, Kindle Touch	Bad Bob: I just picked up two new books that weren't on sale, coupon-eligible, or otherwise discounted. Good Bob: I got them with reward points, and even after that purchase, my point-purchase formula has gone from "stay between 400K and 500K" to "stay between 500K and 600K." In that sense, I'm still in the black. Bad Bob: I should be editing; the author is getting close to the end of the manuscript. (Then again, I've been hearing "2-4 more chapters" for a while now.) Good Bob: I got the cover for the last short in this sequence prepped and found some edits in an early chapter, so I'm not a total slacker. The author has a workshop soon, and will be able to get feedback on the whole set.

03-19-2015, 07:51 AM	#3410
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,207 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	One teeny tiny bundle and I go from 3 books ahead to 4 books behind on my TBR. I'm not even too sure I can consider it great value at the price I paid per new book. There were no absolute must-haves, three kind-of-wants, one yeah-why-not and three I'm indifferent to, in the seven that were new to me. It's definitely these kinds of things that ruin me, but I've been remarkably good this year, up until now.

03-19-2015, 07:57 AM	#3411
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,082 Karma: 315558332 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	I recommend counting ones you're not really interested in as freebies, and splitting to cost only among those books in the bundle that you actually intend to read.

03-20-2015, 07:37 AM	#3413
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,207 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I think I might have just glitched a book from my Kindle wishlist for £0.01. I don't know if I feel that's really any better than pirating it. It seems to be back up to its current ludicrous price of £9.66 now, and I haven't had the order confirmation through, yet, so I'll have to make sure I was actually charged that price.

03-21-2015, 06:52 PM	#3417
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	DiapDealer mentioned "Sacajawea" in the same sentence as Shogun. Sacajawea is over 1400 pages, and it's historical fiction. I live this sort of books, and this one has me intrigued. I feel that I'm going to get it and move it to the top of my list, after my current series.

03-22-2015, 10:10 PM	#3419
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,041 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I remember reading Shogun. Possibly the only book that passed from my Dad to my Mom then to me. My Dad had bought it at the airport (it had just come out in paperback) and read that over a couple of weeks of going back and forth between home and his new job until the actual move across country occurred. Pleasant memories. Loved the series. Unless they are Baen books, none of the books on my wishlist are couponable, and I can wait on the Baen books yet. Alas, I did get a couple of audiobooks on special in one of the series that I'm reading. Gnash. I was going to stop that.

03-25-2015, 08:10 PM	#3420
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,349 Karma: 234636059 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	As Tom Paine put it, "These are the times that try [wo]men's souls." I'm referring, of course, to the Kobo Refer-a-Friend promotion. Luckily, we're twelve weeks into the year and since I've only bought three ebooks so far, I can legitimately purchase up to nine and stay within the letter if not quite the spirit of my resolution. This will take some planning, especially with the one book per account stricture. In truth, I expect to stay on the right side of my limit. I can't let such a good opportunity go, but I don't buy for inventory any more. I hope.