Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[CAFlanny]

The first post of this thread seems to have disappeared. Is there another list of tips for resisting buying ebooks?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by CAFlanny

The first post of this thread seems to have disappeared. Is there another list of tips for resisting buying ebooks?

That was weird. It should be back now.

[spacepope]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Welcome to the thread. A TBR of 17 books if you read four+ books a month seems about right to me. Perhaps even a little low. But I suppose that depends on whether you are happy buying books full price.

I agree, it's really low! But last month I sat down and tallied my purchases since I got my Kobo half a year ago and saw I was going to be that person who buys 100 books and read none at the rate I was going. So going forward, I'm going to be mindful.

I can see why ebook buying can creep up on you. Without a pile of physical books as a reminder...

Thanks so much for all the tips you tallied in the first post! I am sure I'll get myself out of this jam before the end of the year and I won't be worthy of this thread. Best of luck to everyone and happy reading!

[DrNefario]

I'm pretty happy with my purchases this year - 26 bought vs 58 read, and I've started 19 of the 26 purchases - but my overall library (I'm not sure I'm going to call it a TBR any more) is up slightly due to freebies.

The main problem for me is unevenness in genre distribution. 6 of the 7 unread purchases are fantasy, and the other is SF by a writer mainly known for fantasy. I bought a non-fiction book from the daily deals a few days ago, and I was able to start it fairly quickly, but there's a serious logjam of my favoured genres. I've turned down some decent deals on sequels recently just because they'd be too far off.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by spacepope

Thanks so much for all the tips you tallied in the first post! I am sure I'll get myself out of this jam before the end of the year and I won't be worthy of this thread. Best of luck to everyone and happy reading!

I went back to read the first post again. Yes, I'm happy with the post. I'm astonished to find it's over ten years since I started this thread!

[ReadingManiac]

Too many of my tbr books have been on sale the past couple of months.

[spacepope]

Originally Posted by spacepope

My goal is by the end of November to get it down to 13 books, or make a good dent. Some of the books I have are trilogies, and are pretty long...

I did it, a day late but I did it!

I failed no buy November, but I got down to 13 books. Despite purchasing eight books this month 😳

The things I've learned/done:

• If possible, start reading a book within a few days of purchase, so it doesn't stay on your list for long
• Remove older books you have purchased and have zero interest in anymore, due to changing reading taste, from your unread TBR. This doesn't mean the book goes away forever or anything, but I'm not going to hold myself accountable for books that younger me got.
• I mark omnibus editions as read once I've finished the first book in the omnibus - for the purpose of determining how many unread paid books I have. Otherwise I feel like these omnibuses hang over my head like a cloud, and I never start them due to the length. And often, I got the omnibus edition for a super low price, so I would have gotten my money's worth reading just one book. (Of course, I will continue the series at my leisure if interested)

Anyways, much thanks and I have definitely graduated from the thread now I think! Best of luck to all of you ❤️

[CAFlanny]

Originally Posted by spacepope

I mark omnibus editions as read once I've finished the first book in the omnibus - for the purpose of determining how many unread paid books I have. Otherwise I feel like these omnibuses hang over my head like a cloud, and I never start them due to the length. And often, I got the omnibus edition for a super low price, so I would have gotten my money's worth reading just one book. (Of course, I will continue the series at my leisure if interested)

That's a great idea! I'm going to borrow that. I didn't have as much time for reading in November as I would have liked, with only 6 books total read. One was borrowed, the rest from the TBR pile. No books bought, though! TBR is now at 239.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by spacepope

I mark omnibus editions as read once I've finished the first book in the omnibus - for the purpose of determining how many unread paid books I have.

I split up omnibus books into the separate volumes in calibre, and mark them off individually. (The ePub Split plugin is really good.)

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Ten months gone, and I'm averaging just under 6 books bought each month. My TBR has reduced by 116 books so far this year!

Only four bought in November. And three of them read in November, with one being a later volume in a series I'm reading.

TBR now down by 121 on the start of the year!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by spacepope

The things I've learned/done:

• If possible, start reading a book within a few days of purchase, so it doesn't stay on your list for long
• Remove older books you have purchased and have zero interest in anymore, due to changing reading taste, from your unread TBR. This doesn't mean the book goes away forever or anything, but I'm not going to hold myself accountable for books that younger me got.
  

I agree with these; I think they’re corollaries of each other. Books go stale and the more often you move on to read something else, the less likely you are to read it ever. And as you note, tastes change.

I didn’t quote your leavetaking, but if you backslide, we’ll still be here.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Only four bought in November. And three of them read in November, with one being a later volume in a series I'm reading.

TBR now down by 121 on the start of the year!

Wow! Good on you, Paul.

This is embarrassing but I’ll say it: My tbr is up four.

This has been a disastrous year for me in terms of book buying, book reading and reading satisfaction. In fact, I’ve already read far more books than I have in any year since I’ve started keeping records again, and I still have a month to go. And therein lies most of the problem.

It’s going to take some serious planning and resolutions for next year in order to achieve a total reset, but I think/hope I’m sick enough of my current state that I’m ready.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

Wow! Good on you, Paul.

Thanks! Dropping magazine subscriptions (Analog, Asimov's, F&SF and Grantville Gazette) has certainly helped - that's 24 books a year I'm not buying.)

And I think it's helped by more than just that number. With no 'automatic' purchases, I think more before buying another book, as going from zero to one or one to two is a bigger step than going from three to four, or four to five.

While the number I read has changed with changing circumstances, the big difference has been in the number I'm buying. I'm buying about half as many as I did in 2020 and 2019. And far fewer than I bought before that.

It's taken me ten years, but perhaps I finally have a handle on it...

[DNSB]

Hmmmm... For November, my purchases were 65 books along with 2 freebies and 7 library books.

OTOH, I ended the month with no unread books so total read for the month was 76.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

as going from zero to one or one to two is a bigger step than going from three to four, or four to five.

Absolutely! I do far better and it’s much easier when my goal is buying none at all. “Slippery slope” doesn’t describe it; it’s a dropoff into the abyss.