Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

And if something's been on offer once, it probably will be again.

That is a very good point. I shall try to bear it in mind.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

And if something's been on offer once, it probably will be again.

Yes, but unfortunately, that has not been the case for me. Many of my good deals have never been offered again. On the other hand, fewer books are offering fabulous Whispersync deals and audio books cost me so much more than an ebook.

That said, I haven't bought anything so far this month. Yay! I need to use up those credits on Audible though so that I can stop my subscription for a couple of years and catch up. Also, now that I am not taking family members to so many appointments, I switched books in the take-a-long kindle to short story magazines. I've barely made a dent in my Lightspeed collection and here I have a Nightmare one too!

It's good to start thinking of next year's goals. I should spend some time paring the wishlist as well. Decisions, decisions.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Two months to go. I don't want to jinx it, but I am getting close to surviving the year without spending a single penny on books for me.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Two months to go. I don't want to jinx it, but I am getting close to surviving the year without spending a single penny on books for me.

I see what you did there! "for me"!

But seriously, well done! I'm incredible impressed.

I shall just squeak in under budget, unless some amazing offer comes along in the next couple of months.

[Rev. Bob]

Alas, I have tumbled from the wagon.

I had several books flagged as "wait for a good sale or coupon," and I hit the button on them thanks to the reusable Kobo 50% coupon. Two of them, I will say, were $6 books that were part of a bundle I declined to buy at $15 because there were only three books in it that interested me. (I'm looking at the third.) $9 beats $15 every time...

Honestly, this is why I have wish lists. Instead of buying things right away, I stash the links and wait for solid sales. I have so far picked up nine titles, that third bundle book may make it ten, and the average is about $2 each.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Alas, I have tumbled from the wagon.

I had several books flagged as "wait for a good sale or coupon," and I hit the button on them thanks to the reusable Kobo 50% coupon. Two of them, I will say, were $6 books that were part of a bundle I declined to buy at $15 because there were only three books in it that interested me. (I'm looking at the third.) $9 beats $15 every time...

Honestly, this is why I have wish lists. Instead of buying things right away, I stash the links and wait for solid sales. I have so far picked up nine titles, that third bundle book may make it ten, and the average is about $2 each.

I don't think that's falling off the wagon, that's a sensible use of a really good offer.

I've been surprised to find that I'm not getting the Baen Monthly bundles very often any more. If there's only two or three books that I really want, it's cheaper to get them from Kobo with a discount coupon.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I see what you did there! "for me"!

But seriously, well done! I'm incredible impressed.

I shall just squeak in under budget, unless some amazing offer comes along in the next couple of months.

Lol. It is partly true, but books for my five year old are a good investment in my opinion. Books for me, not so much.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Two months to go. I don't want to jinx it, but I am getting close to surviving the year without spending a single penny on books for me.

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Lol. It is partly true, but books for my five year old are a good investment in my opinion. Books for me, not so much.

Congrats on your restraint. And reading with a five-year old is a joy, so you're getting your fun out of those purchases, too. (Why yes, I miss getting to read picture books! And the gems among the regular kids' books that haven't been dumbed down in vocabulary or concept. A five-year is a good audience for those, too. Especially fun when you get to do voices.)

As for me, I bought a couple of wishlist books at Kobo with the current discount. I was going to buy the J.I.M. Stewart Staircase in Surrey quintet, but I forgot that House of Stratus is uncouponable. I'd like the series for $20, but not for $40.

I find that one thing that makes it easy for me is that I'm not buying at either end of the pricing spectrum. My biggest mistake in the past was all those "bargains" for $4 and less where the price made the sale. They languish on my Calibre B-list and there they will remain, an object lesson that adds up to quite the tidy sum, I'm afraid. I don't regret pricey purchases, just the cheapies.

At the other end, most of my wishlist books are close to $20 or more and either not available at Kobo or not discountable or both. If ever I felt I must read one of the non-BPH books, I could use my Prime no-rush shipping credit to allay the cost a bit at Amazon, but I doubt that'll happen. So now that I'm over bargains and most of the books I really want are cost-prohibitive, it's not much of a problem. Frankly, and I shouldn't admit it here, I'm struggling to find anything I want at Kobo to use the 50% discount on.

So there you have it. Pricing strategies are keeping me on the strait and narrow.

[CRussel]

I'm with you, issybird. I've got a nice shiny 50% coupon, and nothing to use it on. Ennui.

[CRussel]

Arrgghhh. I spoke too soon. I should never have looked. New Bill Slider mysteries I didn't have, at a ridiculous price, but with the 50%, almost tolerable. Sigh. Bad, bad, bad.

[pdurrant]

[About Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books.]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Thank you all for your support. But I succumbed.

I'm sure I shall enjoy them all. Over the next four to five years!

I just thought I mention that, two years on, I'm very glad I succumbed and bought the entire Richard Sharpe series. I'm five books in, and each one has been excellent.

But I really should have read the first one when I bought it - then I wouldn't have had any hesitation in getting the rest.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

[About Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books.]



I just thought I mention that, two years on, I'm very glad I succumbed and bought the entire Richard Sharpe series. I'm five books in, and each one has been excellent.

But I really should have read the first one when I bought it - then I wouldn't have had any hesitation in getting the rest.

It is one of my favorite series. I have the complete collection in paper. I read the series in paper at least three times. And I bought the complete series as eBooks and have read all of them twice. An incredibly well written historical fiction series. If all series were as wonderfully consistent I would be in the poor house.
Apache

[murg]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I've been surprised to find that I'm not getting the Baen Monthly bundles very often any more. If there's only two or three books that I really want, it's cheaper to get them from Kobo with a discount coupon.

I've found that the Baen Monthly Bundles just aren't as good as they used to be. Too many repeat books.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by murg

I've found that the Baen Monthly Bundles just aren't as good as they used to be. Too many repeat books.

Well, they've alway had repeats, and especially repeats when the paperback comes out after a hardback. I suppose sometimes one of the four 'new' books has been an omnibus, which is irritating.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

[About Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books.]

I just thought I mention that, two years on, I'm very glad I succumbed and bought the entire Richard Sharpe series. I'm five books in, and each one has been excellent.

Originally Posted by Apache

It is one of my favorite series. I have the complete collection in paper. I read the series in paper at least three times. And I bought the complete series as eBooks and have read all of them twice. An incredibly well written historical fiction series. If all series were as wonderfully consistent I would be in the poor house.
Apache

A question for the Sharpe denizens, which also includes CRussel: in regard to chronology, do you recommend reading them by publishing date or by Sharpe's chronology? My own inclination is to read by publication, but I thought I'd solicit opinions.

And it's a suitable question for this thread, since OverDrive has the books and I'm not going to buy them! In fact, given that Frederick Davidson narrates them and OverDrive also had the audiobooks, I plan to listen.