I thought I would be transparent about where my books come from, and ask you to reveal yours too!
As most people know, I am receiving a large amount of publisher review copies these days, but I would estimate them at only 40% of the books that come into the house.
30% of my books are brought in Waterstones - the books that I see on the 3 for 2 tables and buy on impulse; or when I'm desperate for a particular book and can't wait the few days to receive it from Amazon.
15% of my books come from charity bookstores. I love the excitement of browsing these and never knowing what gems you're going to find. Of course, the downside is that the author is not receiving any royalties. I guess this is my version of piracy :-/
10% of my books come from Amazon, a very small proportion! I should buy more from online stores but I simply am not great at waiting *grins*
If my calculations are correct, that should leave 3% which is library books (this year I can see that figure rising, as I continue to try and stop the rampant book buying) and 2% from supermarkets.
Fancy revealing yours?
When I buy books (which doesn't happen often anymore because I have more ARC's than I know what to do with already) it's usually at Amazon. It's just too convenient and easy.
ReplyDeleteI also make it a point to buy something at the local SFF store (Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego) once in a while, just to support them.
I have to make myself stay away from second hand stores and library sales because, really, it's getting out of hand. Putting me in front of a bin of 50c books = probably need a new bookshelf again. Not Good.
I also don't buy a ton of books because of review copies, but I'd say of the 50 books I did buy this year, half were from amazon and half from independent book stores.
ReplyDeleteAmazon for me entirely (.co.uk and .com), with very rare exceptions such as ebooks from Angry Robot direct, and a few specialty collectors' items from places like Cemetery Dance and Subterranean Press. And yes, you can argue that secondhand books (of in-print titles anyway) is technically theft, but I'm not going there. However, I never buy secondhand unless the book is absolutely 100% out of print.
ReplyDeleteAmazon, mainly. Durham has appalling book-shopping provisions, sadly. And as a student who's addicted to reading, Amazon's better (for the reader) prices is certainly helpful. I've also got a Kindle, so this also sends me their way.
ReplyDeleteHa ha I'm a total tart when it comes to buying books... anytime, anyplace, anywhere! I'm not fussy about where I obtain my books, so long as it is legal. I will not download pirated copies under any circumstances but I will buy secondhand books especially from charity shops. But Amazon tends to be my first port of call, especially since I acquired a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI actually get the majority of my books from the library (since a)I'm a librarian, and b) because I'm kinda broke). However, I do treat myself once in a while, so I try to buy from either my local indie bookstore, or online from bookdepository.co.uk (free shipping worldwide). :)
ReplyDeleteAmazon mainly for me or The Book People site. Occassionally Tesco's but they are mainly gift ones when I am running short on time and need them NOW. I also buy from charity shops - surely if it was theft it would be illegal for them to sell them? I look on it as my way of giving a little bit back to charity and getting a few new books at the same time - I can't afford to buy all my books from brand new... I also enter a lot of book comps and won about 5 last year which was lovely.
ReplyDeleteI don't go to the library so much now mainly because I am so slow at reading these days what with everything else going on and I have an atrocious memory and was getting embarrassed about ALWAYS returning them late. (Even more embarrassing because it's literally across the road from me!)
I get books wherever I can, which for me means most come online. My local stores, even the indie, have terrible selection :(
ReplyDeleteMostly, I get mine at Chapters/Indigo, and have started getting a few from Publishers for reviewing, but since we are new that is only starting. I am also one of those "I'd order it from Amazon, but I can't wait" folks, and only do that if I have to....like the newest Malazan books, I have to have, so I pre-order from Amazon.co.uk and pay the little extra for shipping to Casnada...cause you know...it's Erikson. LOL
ReplyDeleteI also LOVE local used bookstores...and for the same reason...I have found so many great books there, hardback versions of paperbacks that I have run ragged with re-reads, ect.
I have yet to buy a book in a grocery store, but that's not for any other reason than the ones that are there, if I want em, I've got them already (usually trashy thrillers like James Rollins Sigma stuff or Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books)
I couldn't give exact percentages, but I'd be willing to bet that more than half of the books I get, either e-books or hard copies, are received from the publishers or authors. Granted, that isn't exactly a heck of a lot of books (certainly not as many as some bloggers get), but since I spent most of the past year unemployed, I didn't have much money to spend on anything but essentials, so new books fell by the wayside. Most of the books I review this past year were all books that had been on my shelves already, with a few exceptions that were given to me as gifts.
ReplyDeleteI bought a lot of books second-hand, partly because I enjoy supporting local businesses, and partly because I've found some nice books at second-hand bookstores that I can't find anywhere else, at least not without paying and arm and a leg to get it.
This year, though, now that I have a job and steady income, I expect that I'll end up buying more new books from chain bookstores, or making more Amazon.ca orders. That way I can get some newer books, with a wider selection than what most of the small chain bookstores in my area tend to carry.
Most of the new releases I buy come from Tesco. Occasionally I'll use Waterstones or Amazon. I used to get a lot from The Works but they have been rubbish for paperbacks recently (I much prefer reading paperbacks, I find hardbacks too bulky and awkward!). I also get quite a lot from second hand bookshops. I'll buy from anywhere really, if they have what I want at a good price. I rarely pay full cover price for a book, I get the feeling I should feel guilty about this looking at some of the other comments, but I don't. Occasionally I'll use the library but my local one does not have very convenient opening times.
ReplyDeleteMost of the new books I get are at Chapters. The closest Chapters store to where I live and a convienent 5 min drive is huge and well stocked.
ReplyDeleteSince I have a policy of not reading incomplete series, libraries and used book stores have become valuable resources. Libraries are a great way to check out new authors cheaply (wish I did this with Goodkind!).
I have found fantastic books at Calgary's largest used book sale. (ie mint condition Soldier's Son and Forest Mage by Robin Hobb hardcover for $5.00 total!)
I do order on-line from Chapters occasionally or rarely Amazon and/or Book Depository for books that Chapters does not carry in the store.
I do get some new books as gifts and have had some luck winning books online.
Jennifer
i don;t use the library at all apart to buy their ex stock. Almost all my books come from amazon or review books from publishers. I buy the odd book from an independant bookshop near me and pick up several in second hand book shops or charity shops. I almost get several from a swapping site.
ReplyDeleteI would love to buy from shops more often but I have a better selection than my local bookshop
I buy most of the books I review but I use a variety of sources - Waterstones 3 for 2 is great as are my local charity stores. I'm addicted to amazon though - especially for some of those imported books that aren't out over in the UK just yet!
ReplyDeleteBookstores with a decent selection in English language fiction are rare and even if there is one at hand, they sell for almost double what they would cost in the US. I buy most of my at bookdepository.co.uk. Amazon (US) is cheaper when it comes to the books themselves but they charge quite a lot in shipping so bookdepository usually wins out. Most of the Dutch language titles I buy come from the local bookstore which is part of the Selexyz chain. At the moment I read about 80% of my books in English.
ReplyDeleteI don't currently buy books for budgetary reasons, but when I did I got most new titles from McNally Robinson (my local indie), Chapters (a large Canadian bookseller) or the Book Depository. I purchased most of my used books from Value Village (a large thrift shop) or traded for them at a small used bookstore.
ReplyDeleteThese days, I get 95% of my books from the library. The few I've purchased in recent months came from a charity book sale. I also bought myself a couple from the Book Depository around my birthday, and I used a whopping $4.50 of my Christmas money to get some vintage books from a used bookstore that's having a moving sale.
Amazon all the way. Reading a lot of pretty obscure WW2 books as background for campaign weekends, wouldn't really know where to start otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAmazon, used bookstores, and the library are my main book resources. I will occasionally get a book at a mainstream store, but it's a rare occurrence, unless it's a small, independent store and I want to support the business!
ReplyDeleteWe had to drive 20 minutes at our last home to get to the only decent library in the area. This home, the library is five minutes away. Much, much better, considering how often I go!
I tend to get my books from wherever they're cheapest. This used to mean the library, but since moving towns the local library is really lacklustre in its fantasy selection. For a few months I relied on review copies since I had so little time to read. Now a lot of my books will be bought on the Kindle. Thrifty till the end, hehe
ReplyDeleteI live in Australia and buy 95%+ of my books online from www.bookdepository.com. The shipping is free worldwide (Obviously it's included in the price of the books to a certain extent). Also unless you buy books from really well-known authors that are mass-produced then books here in OZ are ridiculously expensive. By buying them from book depository I find myself saving a minimum of 30% and up to 70 or even 80%. I like the idea of supporting independent bookstores but they just cannot compete...
ReplyDeleteSince I'm still sort of new to the whole blogging thing I don't receive that many review copies (1 to date lol) and except for a few giveaway wins, I buy my books. Of those I think 97% come from The Book Depository and the rest from brick and mortar stores.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm buying for me, I go to the local Selexyz (same as Val), but if I'm buying gifts (i.e. when I know what I'm buying) I ask a friend of ours who has his own book store to order it for me, that's my way of supporting indie bookstores. Unfortunately, his shop is in a different town or I'd shop there for myself as well when buying Dutch books. That being said I read mainly in English. Of the 61 books read last year only 2 were in Dutch.
I'm not sure I'd describe buying books in a supermarket as "evil" though it's deeply anti-author and so I would never do it myself. I entirely fail to understand why, even from a purely commercial viewpoint, any publisher would ever want to supply them. It seems about the closest to legalised theft that it's possible to get. It cannot be right that people should expect to buy a book for the price of a pint of milk.
ReplyDeleteMany of the books I want to read seem to be out of print, so I buy a lot second hand, mostly on the internet, though I also browse the second hand book shops of anywhere I visit.
I buy very few books new, as I read about 250 books a year and have in recent times started using my local public libary (Swiss Cottage) much more. Sadly, though, their fiction section is strangely limited.
I used to support my local bookshop (Daunt's) and bought most of my new books from there (about 50-75 a year, I suppose), but stopped when they refused to support me, a local author, by stocking my book.
Anywhere I can find them. In my small, rural town, the only places that sell books are Wal-Mart and Hastings. So, that's where I buy mine. I love collecting books, so I don't frequent the library that often, unless I just want to write in that atmosphere. The book selection seems low when you've lived in the same town for 23 years. When I make it out of town, though, I'm always on the prowl for used book stores like "The Dusty Bookshelf."
ReplyDeleteAs a freelance writer and avid reader, I would love to start getting review copies, but I'm not sure about how to get started in it. Any suggestions?
I'd say I buy 75% of my books online through Amazon and 25% through the local used bookstore. I don't have a local indie store anymore (they closed), but I've considered switching to Borders.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's 50% library, 30% ARC, 10% Amazon, 10% local book store.
ReplyDelete