I bought the most gorgeous biography of Genghis Khan the other day. Paperback. So, so thick. Amazing cover art. And brand spanking new, ’cause I was browsing Barnes and Noble – which I never let myself do because I will buy something and that is a threat.
It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to read it.
It was also twenty six dollars.
*Strangled squeak*
Now. Is it worth twenty six dollars?
Absolutely.
But this girl’s got a budget, y’all, and if I paid twenty six dollars for every single one of my 672 books, I would be heckin’ broke.
So, in the interest of my wallet and also recycling and sustainability because that is also important… here are three ways that I keep my book buying endeavors largely reasonable.
THRIFT STORES
Yup. That’s gotta be the first one, because it’s the one I use the most. Thrift store shopping is one of my favorite pastimes, and lemme tell you, I am not there for the used underwear.
Ha.
I have multiple thrift stores in my town, and I can tell you exactly which one has the best collection of books, which day to go to get the best sales, and which sections are the most likely to yield treasures.
Now. Can I go to the thrift store and find exactly the book I’m looking for at any given time?
Absolutely not. Collecting books on a budget requires treasure hunting. It requires patience and enjoyment of the hobby, and a willingness to have two books in a three book series for five years before you find the third.
Speaking from experience, actually. I just found that particular volume, and lemme tell you, it was a dopamine rush. I was real excited.
Thrift stores are great for well-loved copies at discount prices, but they’re definitely not the cheapest way you can go. (I’m gonna save that for last.) The particular thrift store I love generally has books between three to five dollars, depending on the size of the book, the edition (which can raise the price to ten dollars or more), and whether they’re 50% off because it’s Saturday and it has the right colored tag.
I love 50% off days.
THRIFTBOOKS.COM
This is my Amazon alternative. If I have a specific book that I really, really, really want and I’m not willing to hunt for months until I find it, I go here. The prices are decent, the book conditions are consistently as described, and you can generally find pretty much anything you want, whenever you want.
It’s a beautiful thing.
But, besides being a massive temptation that I could accidentally spend five hundred dollars on without blinking an eye, it’s also all online.
And I like to hold my books in my hand, flip through them, and get a feel for the heft before I buy.
I also like to control which editions I’m buying, which isn’t always an option with this particular outlet. Nevertheless, it’s a great option for searching out that one obscure volume that will probably never show up anywhere else. However, it’s probably the most expensive of the three options. You’re generally going to be paying between five and seven dollars per book, with a minimum twenty dollar order to get free shipping.
That’ll break the budget real fast if you’re not paying attention.
Ahem.
The last and cheapest is…
LIBRARY BOOK SALES
Guys. I love the library. I love everything about the library. I love taking my child to the library, I love the Libby app and borrowing 98% of my Kindle books from the library. I love audiobooks from the library, and the cozy little nooks for reading in the library. I love that they have puzzles and toys and printers and reference books. I love everything about it.
Especially when the library has a little bookstore in one corner of all the used books they no longer need in their inventory.
Bliss.
Lately, I’ve been getting most of my books from the library bookstore. Again, this is not the place to go if you’re looking for one specific book, but if you are open to the possibilities? It’s amazing. The prices, at least at my library, are set, with paperbacks selling for two dollars and hardbacks for three dollars.
You can’t get a better deal than that.
Plus, the money goes right back into supporting the library. Win!
Obviously, I don’t want you to think from this list that I am not a fan of supporting authors. I’m an author myself and I love support! But I also know that 90% of the money you spend on a brand new book does NOT go back to the author. It goes to publishers and corporate bookstores and Amazon.
Sigh.
So, as an author myself, please! Use the library! Use the thrift stores! Spread your book buying money as far as it will go and enjoy!
And if you still want to support the author? Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or wherever. Praise the book online. Request copies of it to be added to your local library. Brag about it to your friends. Find the author’s website and leave a thank you. There are so many ways of blessing authors, and spending enormous amounts of money on Amazon is just not the way to go.
Do you have any cheap book buying tips for me? Share in the comments, and give this post a like to help share it with other readers!
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