How Price-Conscious Are You When Buying Books?

[oldhousejunkie]

I'm very price-conscious. One of these days I will make enough money and it won't matter, but right now, I check out all of my books from the library. If I can't find them there, I wait, or check Amazon for used copies.

I've *finally* decided to ask for a Kindle for Christmas because it would be cheaper to buy e-books when I can't find them at the library. And I'll admit that it is much easier to travel with a Kindle than 2 or 3 books.

[Sean Cunningham]

A lot more price-conscious than I realised until I saw this thread and thought about it.

Like mp3s, my gut tells me ebooks should cost less than paper books. If I see a Kindle edition and paperback edition for £8 on Amazon, I'll assume I'm being overcharged for the ebook.

I waited for Surface Detail to come down to £5 before I bought it. Even that's a bit high based on my spending habits so far, but I'm a big fan of Banks' Culture novels and I've enjoyed them for many years. I haven't bought a Terry Pratchett novel on my iPad yet, but again I've been a fan since my teens so I expect I'll do the same next time I buy a Discworld novel.

I'll give a £3 book from a new author a look, but it's got to make it past the Kindle sample gauntlet before I buy it. I read through the sample of a fantasy novel by a new author that's received pretty decent reviews, but the sample itself didn't capture me and I didn't feel like risking £3 to find out if it gets better later on.

The Black Library sells their ebooks direct. They price them at 50p less than the paperback editions. My instant reaction is that that's too high.

There is some price difference between slimmer novels and doorstops, but that isn't apparent when you're looking at the cover art on Amazon. I suspect that not being able to see the book's heft makes me a little less likely to buy a higher-priced ebook with a big page count than back when I bought paperbacks.

[JustAnotherJen]

I almost never pay more than $5 for a book, which tells you I pretty much never buy new. I'm addicted to half.com because I can get four or five books for the price of one. I'm less concerned about the appearance of the book and more interested in the content. This is because, well... I'm not exactly rolling in the dough. But if I had money to spare I think I'd always pay full price for books, and I'd never care what the cost was as long as the book was good. I believe in supporting authors, and paying them a fair price for their work. I just have to settle for less right now or I'd never get to buy any books and then I'd go through horrible withdrawals.

[Claudie]

I was never that price conscious about books. When I wanted something, I'd get it unless it was way out of range.

I realised the other day how little price stopped me when I paid about 45$ to get my copy of GRRM's Dance with Dragons. That's way out of range, but I'd entered my PIN before it even occured to me that I should reconsider. Then I shrugged, went home and cracked it open.

[Beethovenfan]

If I think I'm going to like it, then I'm buying it - whether from the brick and mortar world or the digital world, doesn't matter.

[Writecastlesinthesky]

Price isn't a deciding factor in whether or not I'll buy. Availability is. That being said, I rarely buy a new book unless it has...200 hold requests at the library. A good majority of the books I read are used and from library book sales. This has been the case since the public library in Steinbeck's Salinas county was threatened with closure several years ago. There at least the fight is against government spending and not market capitalism. I have yet to purchase my first ebook so we'll see how that changes things.

[ladymarella]

Well I mainly buy second hand, because of cost, and also I read mainly older books. but reading this thread, where most of you are American I am shocked that you can get paperbacks in the $10-15 range and consider $20 pricey. Here in Australia your average paperback can be $25-35 easily, more if it's hard back $40+

[bcomet]

I used to never think about that. I love books. It seemed I could not go into a bookstore and not come out with at least three–and often seven–or more books, and as many were experimental or nonfiction choices as fiction.

Since the economic depression, all that changed. I almost never buy nonfiction, unless it is very important to me, anymore. And I am more selective about price. I bypass the hardcover new fiction section and aim for the paperbacks.

But there is another consideration. I've also run out of space in my library.

I seriously am considering downsizing.

When it comes to certain books, art books especially, nothing will ever make me want to consolidate. But I have a strong interest in an e-reader. Haven't bought one yet, but it seems the way to go from here.

[MattLarkin]

I buy all my books on Kindle nowadays. If it doesn't come to Kindle, I'm usually disappointed, but don't buy it.

For a favorite author like George R.R. Martin, price is less of a consideration for me. I buy his new book, and am just happier if the price is lower.

In the case of trying out a new author I'm taking a chance on, it's a big factor. I'm much more likely to take a chance on two $5 dollar books than one $10 book.

[Ishta]

Interesting discussion happening here!

I sort-of have an e-reader - I can pay to download stuff to my laptop or my netbook if I want, and I can access Google Books for free with them - but I never use them that way. I prefer to read on paper, regardless of price. It's just me.

However, I do think about price when I'm thinking about buying a book and deciding whether to go for the paper or hardcover versions. If I think I might get it signed at some stage, I go for hardcover. If I think I might get the whole series, I try to make it match - either all paperback, or all hardcover, and in that case, the price of the two versions comes into play. But it's never the only factor. And only when I'm saving for something specific do I go cheap and either get the paperback or borrow from the library.

I invest in books.

Clothes, on the other hand, ALWAYS come to me second-hand.