Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[Apache]

My New Years Resolution is to buy and read lots of books.
Apache

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Apache

My New Years Resolution is to buy and read lots of books.
Apache

If there is one resolution with regard to reading that I really have to make, then it would be:

"Don't get sidetracked."

Sometimes I start a book, but get sidetracked by other hobbies, and then I don't read for several days; when starting again, I sometimes feel that I'm not interested in the book anymore. If I keep reading, this doesn't happen. It would be better to set aside a specific time for reading each day, even if it's only one hour.

Normally I read in public transport, but at the moment I'd rather listen to music during that time.

[PurpleStar]

My only new year's resolution for books will be to re-read the entire Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I never did get to the last 3 books written by Brandon Sanderson and I want to finally know how it ends! I have already bought the first 6 books on e-book, so I can get to it soon. I have books 1-11 on paper but they're so big and some of them are falling apart, so e-books it is. Yes, that means buying more ebooks. *sigh*

[DrNefario]

I'm going to aim for fewer than 120 new books in 2014, I think. That's 10 a month, which you'd think would be plenty, but it's less than half what I ended up with this year (254 total, 191 paid).

As long as I don't develop any sudden new collecting enthusiasms, I might be okay.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I'm going to aim for fewer than 120 new books in 2014, I think. That's 10 a month, which you'd think would be plenty, but it's less than half what I ended up with this year (254 total, 191 paid).

I aimed at 120 last year. I ended up with 283. I hope you do better than I did!

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Good luck. I think the "Not buy any books just because they are on special offer" is going to be the hardest one for me to keep.

Of course, keeping the number of unread books bought to a readable level is a good thing, but I'm not sure that turning down must-read options at great prices is a good thing. It's a much harder resolution to define, but maybe cutting back to guaranteed readable in the near-term is the wiser choice.

Not that I've figured out this stuff myself. I still have more paper books than I'll get to for many years.

[hardcastle]

I used to have this problem until I embraced the reality that it's okay if I miss a "great deal," and frankly saving money on books I won't read anytime soon isn't really worth the hassle. I'd rather spend full price on a book I want to read now than a dollar on a book I'll never touch.

I do enjoy a moderate backlog, but I like to keep it under 30 books at a time if possible.

[Yapyap]

I'm going to give "no more than 120 new ebook purchases" a good try this year, after a miserable failure at the same goal in 2013.

I've already listed fifteen must-buy books on my spreadsheet, about ten of them pre-ordered already - these are the "new books in series I love; books I know for a fact that I will not only buy but also read on the day they're released" (and I do pre-order on Amazon at earliest opportunity, unless it's a really expensive book, as experience shows that even for ebooks, prices fluctuate during the pre-order period and there's a good chance I'll get it cheaper that way). There are a few others like that which should also be out in 2014 but don't have a specific release date yet.

So that's basically 20 slots taken. I might "cheat" with one of them and get it in hardback instead, as I did buy the first one in hardback only this year (a few others I'll be getting both in hardback and ebook), so it doesn't get counted against my goal... Hmm. Depends on if the cover looks good enough!

That leaves me with 100 books to buy. Should be doable, right? I've been buying so many of the various daily deals etc this year that I hope there won't be too many left for impulse buys of the "hmm, I've heard about this, it sounds pretty good" kind.

I also have so many first books in various series in my TBR list that I have to leave some slots for any potential new favourite series discoveries - if I end up reading and adoring some of those first books, I'll likely want to buy and read at least a few more in the same series.

And there will probably be brand new books published this year I don't know about yet but will want once I do. Hmm.

I do think I'll try very hard to stick to no impulse buys for anything I don't plan to read immediately unless it's under $2. I saw it way too often in 2013 that I bought something that sounded good (but I didn't plan to read it immediately) when I could get it for $4-5, and a few months later it was on sale for $1.99 instead. A small difference, but for dozens of books a year, it does add up.

If I can stick to that last rule, not buying more than, say, six books a month outside the above-mentioned must-haves should be doable.

[pdurrant]

It looks like I'm going to be helped a little by the March Baen Bundle, which isn't worth getting (for me), as I already own four of the books, another I already own in a different omnibus edition, and one I'm not interested in reading. That only leaves three that are mildly interesting, reprints of a 1990s trilogy. I'm not interested in them enough to pay $6 each for them!

So I'm going to 'save' (that is, not spend) $18 in February that I though I'd be spending.

But I won't let it go to my head. I'm going to try to build up a cushion so that I can take advantage of any really great offers later in the year.

[CRussel]

Yeah, the March bundle isn't a winner here, either. There isn't an "anchor" book for me. One that I would buy, regardless, at new book price ($8.99). Still trying to decide about February. I'd certainly buy Carousel Sun regardless. But I already have three of the other books, and then there's the Empire of Man omnibus, but I already have the single copies for that. And I really don't do zombies, full stop. So that means I probably wont' buy the bundle. But we'll see. I've still got 2 weeks to decide.

[DrNefario]

My total includes freebies and paper books.

My major problem seems to developing a new interest and buying m way into it without worrying much about my old interests. Typically this will n love some kind of list I have found or created, or maybe someone's complete works.

Prior to 2013 I was collecting Hugo winners. I finished them las year, and moved on to BSFA winners, and later Locus SF award winners. I've bought more-or-less everything I can for those now, too. A few days ago I filled up a wishlist with Campbell Memorial winners. This is really bad, when I've still got about 30 books to read from the other two awards.

Likewise with my recent crime fixation. Initially I was mainly buying the complete works of Agatha Christie. I probably have around fifty of them, now, if not more. The first one I don't have is Towards Zero, her 34th novel. I've read 8 novels. I think I'm far enough behind to ease off for a bit.

Springing from that I also had my ABC Murders alphabetic challenge, which I've now bought everything for, and a list of recommended Golden Age writers I found on the Internet which I tried to buy my way through for a month or two.

So the key for me is not to develop any major new veins of fiction to mine in 2014.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Still trying to decide about February. I'd certainly buy Carousel Sun regardless. But I already have three of the other books, and then there's the Empire of Man omnibus, but I already have the single copies for that. And I really don't do zombies, full stop. So that means I probably wont' buy the bundle. But we'll see. I've still got 2 weeks to decide.

In the February bundle I definitely want To Sail a Darkling Sea, Carousel Sun and The Eagle & the Nightingale. Dragon's Eye looks like I'll like it too, so that's four books I want, so I've already bought it. (I did already own versions of all the other books in the February bundle.)

If there were only three books in a bundle that I didn't have and wanted, I might pass - it depends on the books. As in the March case, where I care nothing for them.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

In the February bundle I definitely want To Sail a Darkling Sea, Carousel Sun and The Eagle & the Nightingale. Dragon's Eye looks like I'll like it too, so that's four books I want, so I've already bought it. (I did already own versions of all the other books in the February bundle.)

If there were only three books in a bundle that I didn't have and wanted, I might pass - it depends on the books. As in the March case, where I care nothing for them.

Well, To Sail a Darkling Sea is zombies, so NOT interested. And The Eagle & the Nightingale I have in paper, still, though I certainly wouldn't object to having it in eBook format. Dragon's Eye does look interesting, but not enough to cover the other half of the cost. Carousel Sun will just get bought at new price. Probably direct from Amazon, since we're told that the authors get the same $$ regardless of where bought, and by buying it from Amazon, I'll be able to do WhisperSync for Voice with it.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

If there were only three books in a bundle that I didn't have and wanted, I might pass - it depends on the books.

GOG.com has a very nice system for that.

If they have a bundle of games at a discount, and you already have some of the games, the site will notice that. They are greyed out in the bundle, so you don't have to pay for them again, but you still get the discount for the rest of the bundle

Maybe Baen should start doing something like this.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

GOG.com has a very nice system for that.

If they have a bundle of games at a discount, and you already have some of the games, the site will notice that. They are greyed out in the bundle, so you don't have to pay for them again, but you still get the discount for the rest of the bundle

Maybe Baen should start doing something like this.

That would be awesome. I can't see it happening, but I will suggest it.