Correct me if I’m wrong, but one of your New Year’s Resolutions is either to spend less on books or a book buying ban (it’s okay, I set myself a monthly budget as well). I figured a lot of us did one or the other so what better time to include my tips on saving money on books than January!

Whenever I’m feelin’ the itch to spend money on books I check out these sites before I buy (I obviously do some impulse buys without checking these sites, but ya know, for the sake of being helpful, let’s pretend I’m a responsible shopper). Anywho, I hope these sites help you find YOUR method of online book shopping. If you have any helpful tips & tricks that I missed, please let me know in the comments!

*Titles link to website

Shops

1. Book Outlet – Most of you already know what Book Outlet is, but if you don’t, it is an online book retailer that “houses over 500,000 square feet of books”. (They also have a store in St. Catharines, Ontario if you live there). Their inventory is super cheap, but also somewhat limited. This is because they get their books from publishers who sell them returns or excess inventory with a small line or dot on the edge of the pages (to make sure they aren’t returned for another credit). They are NOT used. However, they do have Scratch & Dent copies that may have slight imperfections to the dust jacket or cover, but not to the pages. These books are clearly stated as Scratch & Dent before purchasing. 

I filled up my cart with some books that you guys might be interested in to show how cheap everything is. 6 books (all but 1 are hardcover) came out to $21.94, shipping is about $5.00.

Personally, I’ve never seen a book (I wanted) that was more than $8.00 USD. You can easily get a huge haul from this shop for under $30.00. It is a lot like shopping a used bookstore, though – you may not always find what you want, or you may find a hidden gem and you better grab it before someone else does. 

2. Book Depository – Another online shop most of you know about. I don’t want to vouch for this one too much because I haven’t had a lot of good experiences with it. Most of the time the books I find on here are the same price as other places and the shipping takes longer – but that’s what you get when it’s free shipping. That’s the only perk to me. It ships almost worldwide for free! So, if that’s a big deal to you, this is the site to check out. However, I do think there are better options that are worth a small price in shipping. 

3. Barnes & Noble Membership – Barnes & Noble may not be everywhere, so this is only relevant to the people who have one nearby. I love my membership here. I know many people think it’s ridiculous to pay to get discounts at a store, but this one is definitely worth it. At $25.00 a year, you get free 1-3 day shipping, 40% off Hardcover Bestsellers, 10% *almost everything else and an insane amount of coupons throughout the year that range from $10.00 off, an extra 30% off and more! Also, sometimes the online price of their books are super cheap.

So if you have one in your area, or they ship to you, I would definitely look into this membership! The $25.00 basically pays itself off in one trip. 

4. Amazon eBook Deals – I think we all get sucked into their free ebooks and end up downloading way too many, but they also have a lot of great e-book deals that you have to look out for. Sometimes it can be hard to track them down but I mention a few good websites to use below. Also, if there are certain authors you like, follow them on Twitter – they will always post when their books go on sale on Amazon!

Find Deals

1. BookPerk – This is an email subscription service that sends a daily email with a selection of eBooks, most of them under $2.00. Sometimes the emails also include other promotional opportunities such as bundles and giveaways. There isn’t always a book you’ll want in the emails, but I’ve definitely found a few through this service. You can even download the app to check out even more discounts.

Email Screenshots: Book Gorilla (left) and Book Perk (right)

2. Book Gorilla – Another email subscription service that sends out daily emails. This one you can customize so it will send you deals based on your interests. This service includes more books in each email than Book Perk does, but you definitely have to dig to find a good one. It also includes other promotional items, giveaways, and freebies. 

ARCs/Free Books

Please, only request ARCs if you plan on actually reading them. Even digital ARCs are limited in quantity, so if you don’t think you’ll have time to read it or aren’t that interested, leave it to someone who will have the time. 

1. NetGalley – Probably the most popular source for free books/ARCs because of how easy it is to use and you don’t need to be approved for all of the books offered on it. Just keep that profile up-to-date and keep a good ratio (of requests v reviews).

2. Edelweiss – This is similar to NetGalley, but I feel it takes a little more to request an ARC since you have to sell why you are a great candidate for a specific title. Don’t freak out, though. If you need help figuring out how it works, here is a great tutorial for you.

3. First To Read – First To Read is brought to you by Penguin Random House. They feature a handful of books at the beginning of each month. You can either request a copy (for no points) or guarantee a copy by using points (that are earned by signing on, answering surveys and posting reviews) but it’s easier to just bet on luck when you are first starting out.

4. Library Thing – This is sort of like Goodreads, but I mainly use it to look at what books are up for “giveaway”. They have 2 sections: one for member giveaway (people giving away their own copy of a book) and one for early reviewers (where you have to request a copy and get approved). I haven’t found a lot on this and have only won one book. However, it is still another source for free books/arcs so I thought I would include it. 

5. GoodReads – I absolutely don’t need to explain what this is, but I will say I use the giveaway section frequently. I like to go through and look at not only the popular books up for a giveaway but some of the more obscure ones. I’ve won 3 books after about 6 months of actively entering – which isn’t bad considering how many users enter. The books I won were: Destined for Doon, Red Rising and City of Words. We all use this site, so might as well enter giveaways!

---