How many free or deeply discounted vs. $10 or higher ebooks have you bought?

NickyWithNook · 01-11-2012, 06:55 PM

I was reading the thread about B&N investors and someone said most Nook buyers only get free/deeply discounted books or borrow from the library, and I had to actually do an inventory of my Nook to find out where I fit there. I got my Nook in Sept/Oct and I have 69 items listed, and 13 of them I paid $10 or more for. So I have gotten a lot of free/cheap books, but I don't honestly know for sure if I'll read all of those. I doubt it. And I've bought more higher-priced books than I bought before I had a Nook. Before that, I usually read whatever books my mom or mother-in-law gave me that they'd finished, so I didn't spend much at all on books. I occasionally bought one I wanted but didn't get from them, but maybe only one every 4 months or so.

I got my daughter a Nook Tablet for Christmas. She has some free and 99 cent books, but we have bought three at full price just since then, two of those that she wanted to spend Christmas money on, and the third because I was in a good mood and like to see her read I guess. She is reading one now that was free that she loves, and it is the first of a series, so I suppose we'll end up getting the rest of the series. I used to mainly get her books from Scholastic through school, but I also have gotten her books from a local independant store. They've just started selling ebooks so I plan to start buying the full price ebooks when I get them from that store and sideloading them to support them. I guess that won't help Barnes and Noble. However family members tell me that she will get B&N gift cards for gifts pretty regularly now that she has a Nook, and that will help B&N.

So I absolutely spend more on books now than I used to, and I obviously don't just get free or 99 cent books. I have no idea what is typical, for Nook users or anyone else. I'm curious though! What are your experiences?

mncowboy · 01-11-2012, 07:04 PM

I have around 100 books on my Kindle. Of those maybe 6 or 7 cost more than $10.00
20 to 30 are between 1.00 and 10.00
Rest are free

xg4bx · 01-11-2012, 07:30 PM

i think i've paid $8 each for 2 books. the rest have been under $5, the vast majority of those were $3 or under.

ApK · 01-11-2012, 07:43 PM

I've amassed so many free books on my Kindle, mostly thanks to the deals forum here, that it's a little embarrassing. Between that and the library, I'm certain I've only paid cash money for a small fraction of the stuff on my TBR list, and the majority of those were .99, and the rest were under $5. I can't recall ever spending $9.99 or over on an ebook, though I'd have to check my Amazon order history to say for sure.

Having access to so much stuff for so little money, I've discovered authors and genres that I never would given a shot at normal book prices. When these halcyon days are over, and I have to pay normal prices, I'll be comforted by the though of how much I'd saved.

BeccaPrice · 01-11-2012, 07:56 PM

I get most of my books cheap or free, which makes me (somewhat) more willing to pay the big bucks for the occasional (rare) best seller that I want to get at hardback prices. There are only one or two authors for whom I'll shell out over $10 for a new book, but for them I'll do it even though I'll grouse a the high price. I figure it all averages out to well below $5/book.

RainingLemur · 01-11-2012, 08:01 PM

I haven't paid more than $6 for a book on the Kindle or Nook Color. So... All vs 0.

spindlegirl · 01-11-2012, 08:08 PM

My first exposure to ePub books was Project Gutenberg, and before I got a device, I had so much fun downloading them onto Calibre, choosing covers for Jane Eyre and Silas Marner, etc. Then, I got my first e-Reader (Kobo wifi), and started piling all my cute copies onto it, because they had FAR superior and prettier covers on them.

I thought this would be the same with how ALL bought books worked, until I discovered that some books (with a disease known as DRM) were not meant for me personally, to play with, no matter how much money I was supposed to bribe them with.

That was after having spent about $30 on various e-books of titles I knew I liked. I got frustrated with books that were not really made for ME to be the owner of, so I stopped buying them. I turned to Smashwords and amassed a boatload of free books and also bought a few. I have never spent as much as $10.

2 E-readers later (Daughter has the original Kobo and husband has the Kobo Touch) and a Sony-T1.

For me, a large part of the e-book experience IS about the ability to make my books personally mine. I used to with paper books, scribble my name inside the cover, stick a "NO BOYS ALLOWED" sticker on the outside to entice my brothers to peek inside, I'd have FUN with books.

I suppose my first experience with the PG books kind of set my expectations way high for what the experience is supposed to be. So, I've decided to make it so by only getting books that can be really mine.

The T1 was so I could be a Linux user AND borrow e-books from the library. I will allow DRM material on my device for that purpose ONLY. I mean, I don't mind having a book that is not mine as long as it goes back to the library. I don't scribble on library books

Oh my I got off on a tangent. My ratio: Books over $10 - 0 vs freebies or cheap reads, over 1000

CWatkinsNash · 01-11-2012, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I get most of my books cheap or free, which makes me (somewhat) more willing to pay the big bucks for the occasional (rare) best seller that I want to get at hardback prices. There are only one or two authors for whom I'll shell out over $10 for a new book, but for them I'll do it even though I'll grouse a the high price. I figure it all averages out to well below $5/book.

My situation is similar. I'm amassed a ton of free or super-cheap books. I don't track individual purchases, but I'd guess those over $10 make up about 1% of my total collection.

DiapDealer · 01-11-2012, 08:33 PM

I've yet to purchase a single free ebook.

But in all honesty regarding the OP's question... the vast majority of ebooks in my collection were probably purchased for $7.99 and higher. My collection is not huge, though. I rarely buy (or download for free) ebooks that I'm not prepared to immediately read.

banjobama · 01-11-2012, 08:38 PM

99% of all my almost 400 ebooks were under $7. I can only think of maybe 4 I've bought in the past two years that were regular price from Sony or Amazon, and the only one I've bought full price ever from B&N was just recently. Most of my books are free classics or free Kindle/Smashwords special offer books, and I read library books too.

So, yeah, I and many others on here are B&N's/Sony's/Amazon's nightmare.

NickyWithNook · 01-11-2012, 08:53 PM

So are any of you getting B&N or Amazon or whatever gift cards ever at least?

DiapDealer · 01-11-2012, 09:37 PM

I rarely get or buy gift cards.

pidgeon92 · 01-11-2012, 09:55 PM

If I purchase an ebook, it's almost always from Amazon now (I used to purchase ebooks from Fictionwise and Kobo, but haven't bothered after they could no longer discount). The vast majority are $6 and under. I've paid more than $10 for less than a dozen books, and those are mainly books my husband wanted.

dkb · 01-11-2012, 10:02 PM

I have only purchased 2 books over $9.99 in 4 years. I am a sucker for free and $2.99 or less--if they have at least 4 stars and lots of reviews.

MMHaven · 01-11-2012, 10:27 PM

My upper limit is 3.99, and that's for some previously out-of-print stuff that I haven't read in forever. I think I have bought two books at full price: Christopher Paolini's Inheritance, which was a gift for my husband, and Mortality Bridge by Stephen Boyett, which was really hard to find. I think the hardback was $40? At $9.99 I felt like I was getting a good deal on a book I really wanted.

I know a lot of books I like are $7.99 for both the ebook and the paperback, but Amazon lets me buy paperbacks at four-for-three. Then I can turn around and re-sell them when I'm finished. So I don't see a reason to buy the ebooks at that price.

I almost never outright buy books unless they are at a reduced price that will expire before I get another gift card. I splurge on my birthday and Christmas, and the rest of the year I use the gift cards I get from Swagbucks, taking surveys, etc.

01-11-2012, 06:55 PM	#1
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	How many free or deeply discounted vs. $10 or higher ebooks have you bought? I was reading the thread about B&N investors and someone said most Nook buyers only get free/deeply discounted books or borrow from the library, and I had to actually do an inventory of my Nook to find out where I fit there. I got my Nook in Sept/Oct and I have 69 items listed, and 13 of them I paid $10 or more for. So I have gotten a lot of free/cheap books, but I don't honestly know for sure if I'll read all of those. I doubt it. And I've bought more higher-priced books than I bought before I had a Nook. Before that, I usually read whatever books my mom or mother-in-law gave me that they'd finished, so I didn't spend much at all on books. I occasionally bought one I wanted but didn't get from them, but maybe only one every 4 months or so. I got my daughter a Nook Tablet for Christmas. She has some free and 99 cent books, but we have bought three at full price just since then, two of those that she wanted to spend Christmas money on, and the third because I was in a good mood and like to see her read I guess. She is reading one now that was free that she loves, and it is the first of a series, so I suppose we'll end up getting the rest of the series. I used to mainly get her books from Scholastic through school, but I also have gotten her books from a local independant store. They've just started selling ebooks so I plan to start buying the full price ebooks when I get them from that store and sideloading them to support them. I guess that won't help Barnes and Noble. However family members tell me that she will get B&N gift cards for gifts pretty regularly now that she has a Nook, and that will help B&N. So I absolutely spend more on books now than I used to, and I obviously don't just get free or 99 cent books. I have no idea what is typical, for Nook users or anyone else. I'm curious though! What are your experiences?

01-11-2012, 08:33 PM	#9
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I've yet to purchase a single free ebook. But in all honesty regarding the OP's question... the vast majority of ebooks in my collection were probably purchased for $7.99 and higher. My collection is not huge, though. I rarely buy (or download for free) ebooks that I'm not prepared to immediately read. Last edited by DiapDealer; 01-11-2012 at 08:41 PM.

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01-11-2012, 07:04 PM	#2
mncowboy Wanderer Posts: 106 Karma: 472218 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3, PaperWhite 2	I have around 100 books on my Kindle. Of those maybe 6 or 7 cost more than $10.00 20 to 30 are between 1.00 and 10.00 Rest are free

01-11-2012, 07:30 PM	#3
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i think i've paid $8 each for 2 books. the rest have been under $5, the vast majority of those were $3 or under.

01-11-2012, 07:43 PM	#4
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,316 Karma: 67862884 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	I've amassed so many free books on my Kindle, mostly thanks to the deals forum here, that it's a little embarrassing. Between that and the library, I'm certain I've only paid cash money for a small fraction of the stuff on my TBR list, and the majority of those were .99, and the rest were under $5. I can't recall ever spending $9.99 or over on an ebook, though I'd have to check my Amazon order history to say for sure. Having access to so much stuff for so little money, I've discovered authors and genres that I never would given a shot at normal book prices. When these halcyon days are over, and I have to pay normal prices, I'll be comforted by the though of how much I'd saved.

01-11-2012, 07:56 PM	#5
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,145 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	I get most of my books cheap or free, which makes me (somewhat) more willing to pay the big bucks for the occasional (rare) best seller that I want to get at hardback prices. There are only one or two authors for whom I'll shell out over $10 for a new book, but for them I'll do it even though I'll grouse a the high price. I figure it all averages out to well below $5/book.

01-11-2012, 08:01 PM	#6
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	I haven't paid more than $6 for a book on the Kindle or Nook Color. So... All vs 0.

01-11-2012, 08:08 PM	#7
spindlegirl Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	My first exposure to ePub books was Project Gutenberg, and before I got a device, I had so much fun downloading them onto Calibre, choosing covers for Jane Eyre and Silas Marner, etc. Then, I got my first e-Reader (Kobo wifi), and started piling all my cute copies onto it, because they had FAR superior and prettier covers on them. I thought this would be the same with how ALL bought books worked, until I discovered that some books (with a disease known as DRM) were not meant for me personally, to play with, no matter how much money I was supposed to bribe them with. That was after having spent about $30 on various e-books of titles I knew I liked. I got frustrated with books that were not really made for ME to be the owner of, so I stopped buying them. I turned to Smashwords and amassed a boatload of free books and also bought a few. I have never spent as much as $10. 2 E-readers later (Daughter has the original Kobo and husband has the Kobo Touch) and a Sony-T1. For me, a large part of the e-book experience IS about the ability to make my books personally mine. I used to with paper books, scribble my name inside the cover, stick a "NO BOYS ALLOWED" sticker on the outside to entice my brothers to peek inside, I'd have FUN with books. I suppose my first experience with the PG books kind of set my expectations way high for what the experience is supposed to be. So, I've decided to make it so by only getting books that can be really mine. The T1 was so I could be a Linux user AND borrow e-books from the library. I will allow DRM material on my device for that purpose ONLY. I mean, I don't mind having a book that is not mine as long as it goes back to the library. I don't scribble on library books Oh my I got off on a tangent. My ratio: Books over $10 - 0 vs freebies or cheap reads, over 1000

01-11-2012, 08:38 PM	#10
banjobama Busy Read'n Posts: 980 Karma: 5039283 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Auburn, WA Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5	99% of all my almost 400 ebooks were under $7. I can only think of maybe 4 I've bought in the past two years that were regular price from Sony or Amazon, and the only one I've bought full price ever from B&N was just recently. Most of my books are free classics or free Kindle/Smashwords special offer books, and I read library books too. So, yeah, I and many others on here are B&N's/Sony's/Amazon's nightmare.

01-11-2012, 08:53 PM	#11
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	So are any of you getting B&N or Amazon or whatever gift cards ever at least?

01-11-2012, 09:37 PM	#12
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I rarely get or buy gift cards.

01-11-2012, 09:55 PM	#13
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	If I purchase an ebook, it's almost always from Amazon now (I used to purchase ebooks from Fictionwise and Kobo, but haven't bothered after they could no longer discount). The vast majority are $6 and under. I've paid more than $10 for less than a dozen books, and those are mainly books my husband wanted.

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01-11-2012, 10:02 PM	#14
dkb ebook enthusiast Posts: 85 Karma: 40466 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Midlothian, VA Device: Kindle 2, iPhone, Sony PRS-350, Kindle Fire, Kindle Touch	I have only purchased 2 books over $9.99 in 4 years. I am a sucker for free and $2.99 or less--if they have at least 4 stars and lots of reviews.

01-11-2012, 10:27 PM	#15
MMHaven Member Posts: 20 Karma: 143468 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kindle Touch	My upper limit is 3.99, and that's for some previously out-of-print stuff that I haven't read in forever. I think I have bought two books at full price: Christopher Paolini's Inheritance, which was a gift for my husband, and Mortality Bridge by Stephen Boyett, which was really hard to find. I think the hardback was $40? At $9.99 I felt like I was getting a good deal on a book I really wanted. I know a lot of books I like are $7.99 for both the ebook and the paperback, but Amazon lets me buy paperbacks at four-for-three. Then I can turn around and re-sell them when I'm finished. So I don't see a reason to buy the ebooks at that price. I almost never outright buy books unless they are at a reduced price that will expire before I get another gift card. I splurge on my birthday and Christmas, and the rest of the year I use the gift cards I get from Swagbucks, taking surveys, etc.