My fellow readers, our hobby can be an expensive one, can’t it? Or perhaps, I should say “my fellow book buyers,” because everyone knows that buying books and reading them are two separate and sometimes unrelated hobbies. Whether it’s digital copies or physical ones, if you’re buying them outright, it can add up. Of course, some folks go down the path of searching out pirated copies (something I definitely don't recommend!), but we are not going to talk about that today. In this blog, I’m going to share my favorite tips for saving money on your book-buying hobby while still supporting your favorite authors.
Check out *all* the options at your library
Most likely, if you love books you’re already a fan of the library. I’ve been using the Libby app to borrow e-books from my library for years. Only recently when I renewed my library card and got a little brochure from the library along with it did I learn that my library also is set up with Hoopla! That’s a whole different set of books and media available to me, and while Libby lets you place holds on books and wait for your turn, Hoopla doesn’t but rather just has 10 loans per month. Don’t be like me: find out what all your options are and use them!
Follow your favorite authors on BookBub for sales
Your favorite authors will probably have deals on various books over the course of the year. Sometimes we discount them, and sometimes we even give them away for free! This, right here, is one of the best reasons I know to make sure you’re following along with your favorite authors everywhere you can. You might miss their sale announcement if you only follow them on Instagram, but if you get their newsletter you’ll see it there, too. And BookBub is great for this, too…whenever an author I follow on BookBub has a deal on an e-book or audiobook, I get an email about it and that makes me a very happy camper.
Check out different subscriptions (KU, Scribd, Kobo Plus),
Subscriptions can be a more affordable way to get your reading in, especially if you read a lot during the course of a month. Most people are probably familiar with this model from Kindle Unlimited, but they aren’t they only game in town. For indie authors, they can only have their books in Kindle Unlimited if they are exclusive to Amazon. If an author you love doesn’t have their books in KU, you just might find them on Scribd or Kobo Plus!
Stay tuned for ARC opportunities
Indie authors are often looking for ARC readers to read an early copy of their new releases in exchange for a review. A caveat here: this isn’t something to approach an author asking for, but rather something to stay tuned for. Social media and newsletters are prime places for authors to announce this, and it can really be a very valuable exchange for both parties. NetGalley is a great place to find and request ARCs, too!
Book Outlet
BookOutlet is my favorite place to buy new books if I’m looking for a bargain. The books at BookOutlet are imperfect, apparently, though I’ve never received one that didn’t look just as good as new. However, because of whatever imperfection they have, these books aren’t able to be sold at full price. I’ve got a “refer a friend” link for you, so if you haven’t had the delightful experience of shopping at BookOutlet yet, you can use this link to take $5 off an order of $25 or more.
Shop for used books and find hidden gold
Shopping for used books is always fun because you never know what you’re going to find. If you don’t have a favorite local used bookstore, BetterWorldBooks and ThriftBooks are two great sites to search through. I’ve got a couple of “refer a friend” links for you: use this one for $5 off an order of $30 at BetterWorld Books and use this one for a free book with an order of $30 at ThriftBooks!
