Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

pdurrant · 06-08-2011, 12:59 PM

I'm addicted to buying ebooks. My TBR list currently contains about 440* ebooks. It has been two days since I last bought an ebook.

I'm hoping to get to the end of June (baby steps!) without buying any more ebooks.

If anyone else would like to join in in this attempt, please add your own target in a comment.

EDIT, June 2012, April 2014, June 2019, April 2020, April 2021:

In this thread we've come up with some simple guidelines to help us resist the purchase of too many new ebooks.

Add to wish list rather than buying
Only buy if on special offer and on your wish list
Only exception is most recent in series by favourite authors.
Compare the prospective purchase with the rest of your TBR. Do you want to read it more than 50% of your TBR? If not, don't buy.
Reading a series? Don't buy the next release until you've finished all the rest, unless it's 90% off or more.
If it's not going to be the very next book you read after your current book, don't buy it. It will almost certainly go on special offer again before you find time to read it.
If you have a choice of discounted books (e.g. you have a one-time discount code), buy the book that you most want to read from your wish-list. Do not choose which book to buy based on how much you'll 'save' using the discount code.
Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

there’s always another deal.

* This was a significant underestimate. In 2024 I calculated that my TBR at the time of this post was 971

poohbear_nc · 06-08-2011, 01:02 PM

Hi! My name is Pooh. I am an ebook addict. I can't stop adding ebooks to my TBR list. I plan to be buried with my Kindle and a work light drop cord in my coffin - so I can have light and power to finish reading all the books I have bought/downloaded/acquired.

[memo: if I convert to Buddhism, will my ebook library follow me through my reincarnations?]

Tome Keeper · 06-08-2011, 01:32 PM

My name is Tome and I'm an e-book addict. I worked out that it would take me about 12 years to read my current collection, and I keep adding to it.

sunnysmiles · 06-08-2011, 01:40 PM

Im an addict of both the books and the machines . Im adding to it almost everyday .

crich70 · 06-08-2011, 04:14 PM

I have to say that I'm hooked too. Though I stick mostly to the free books here, at SmashWords and at Amazon as otherwise it could become a very expensive addiction quickly. Though I don't buy everything that I find I have enough to tide me over for a long time though I still find myself downloading yet another book from time to time. I don't think there is a cure for addiction to the written word, though I'm not spending much effort in searching for one either.

Pomtroll · 06-08-2011, 04:19 PM

My name is Ginny aka pomtroll & I am an e-book & e-reader addict. I goal is to get no more than 10 books a month & I reached my limit yesterday.....What am I going to do?

JoelArnold · 06-08-2011, 04:30 PM

My name is Joel, and I am also an ebook addict. I think alcohol is cheaper...

Figlilly · 06-08-2011, 05:54 PM

My name is Figwit and I am an ebook buying addict too. I try to limit myself to the cheapies or the freebies where possible but now and then the inner dragon has to be fed with something a bit more expensive. I will have to live a very long life to read all the books I have collected as I have overflowing bookshelves of paper books too.

ilovejedd · 06-08-2011, 07:15 PM

Just curious, how many books do you guys have in your library?

CWatkinsNash · 06-08-2011, 08:41 PM

My name is Christa. I have over 900 unread ebooks that I intend to read. I have another couple of hundred that I probably will not read.

I can't say no to any Fictionwise coupon 40% or higher. I can't say no to my favorite authors. I can't say no to any even slightly enticing freebie. AllRomance eBucks rebates, Books on Board rewards, I'm too weak to fight them.

It's been two days since I last purchased. My hope is to make it a week. I don't count the freebies, even though, deep down, I know they are a part of my problem.

I think I knew I hit rock bottom when I pre-ordered the next Dresden Files book, #13, despite the fact that I've only read the first three so far. I just had to. I have all of the others... I justified it by saying it was okay because it's being released two days before my birthday so it was, like, supposed to be mine. I know I'm lying to myself.

They tell me I can stop if I really want to. Right.

AlbertaCowboy · 06-08-2011, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

I think I knew I hit rock bottom when I pre-ordered the next Dresden Files book, #13, despite the fact that I've only read the first three so far. I just had to. I have all of the others... I justified it by saying it was okay because it's being released two days before my birthday so it was, like, supposed to be mine. I know I'm lying to myself.

They tell me I can stop if I really want to. Right.

You're telling me that I can pre-order "Ghost Story" now? Grrrrrr. I had convinced myself that I was going to get the audiobook so as not to read it all in one sitting like the last four. Now it seems that I have no choice but to get the book version. Thanks alot for being my enabler

ATDrake · 06-08-2011, 10:02 PM

In order to find a solution, you must first acknowledge that you have a problem.

I don't have a problem. Everything is fine. Perfectly fine.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Just curious, how many books do you guys have in your library?

Technically, I've got at or very near the 1000 mark in free e-books from those time-limited promotional freebies offered in the major stores alone.

But realistically, I've only got at most a low few hundred that I've actually paid real money for, and I don't expect to seriously try and read more than 1% of the freebies at best.

* Despite my habit of picking up freebies almost indiscriminately, I'm actually very, very picky as to what I'll actually shell out real money of my own upon.

I really only buy stuff from authors I trust whose books I know I'll want to read that I haven't already, books I've read and enjoyed already that are on sale, or occasionally make an initial test purchase from new author that may lead to my picking up their other books. And I usually make a point of reading those latter such purchases fairly soon after getting them.

And I'm cheap, so I often also only ever get books during deep discount sales because if a book's available in the library/I already own it in paper, I usually feel I don't need to have my own e-copy unless the price is so low and I like the author/title enough that I might as well, by which time I'll have already read the book anyway, so no TBR issues there.

So far this year I've already finished 26 of the ones I've actually paid for (and did another two dozen or so last year). And some are e-book re-buys of favourite paper titles that were on sale, so I don't feel the need to re-read them quite yet.

I'd estimate my overall read completion ratio for paid e-books currently around 2 out of 5, and that number skewed because I bought a bunch of magazines/anthologies and splurged at Fictionwise last month.

Frankly, my dozen-title library backlog is more worrying, since those are technically commonly-owned books that I should hurry up and finish and return to the general public.

CWatkinsNash · 06-08-2011, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbertaCowboy

You're telling me that I can pre-order "Ghost Story" now? Grrrrrr. I had convinced myself that I was going to get the audiobook so as not to read it all in one sitting like the last four. Now it seems that I have no choice but to get the book version. Thanks alot for being my enabler

Ooops... sorry.

jocampo · 06-08-2011, 11:27 PM

I'm Joe, and I'm an ebook addict but I don't want treatment

... actually, I bought another ebook, one for high speed reading so I can read more ebooks and faster ...

pdurrant · 06-09-2011, 03:46 AM

Thank you all for your honesty. It's nice to know I'm not alone. My ebook library is currently around 2,000 items. I've bought the vast majority of those (1392 at fictionwise, 700 or so at webscription.net, a few elsewhere). I've read about 1600 of them.

And that's not counting the free classics downloaded from here and elsewhere, of which I've read less than 50, I think.

I've now been purchase free for three days...

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06-08-2011, 01:02 PM	#2
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 60,914 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Hi! My name is Pooh. I am an ebook addict. I can't stop adding ebooks to my TBR list. I plan to be buried with my Kindle and a work light drop cord in my coffin - so I can have light and power to finish reading all the books I have bought/downloaded/acquired. [memo: if I convert to Buddhism, will my ebook library follow me through my reincarnations?]

06-08-2011, 01:32 PM	#3
Tome Keeper Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 1001201 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard, Surface Tablet, Android Smartphone, Laptop, Netbook	My name is Tome and I'm an e-book addict. I worked out that it would take me about 12 years to read my current collection, and I keep adding to it.

06-08-2011, 01:40 PM	#4
sunnysmiles Addict Posts: 279 Karma: 1188010 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: London Device: I pad air, kindle pw2 and kindle touch , kindle had fire Nook pad nook	Im an addict of both the books and the machines . Im adding to it almost everyday .

06-08-2011, 04:14 PM	#5
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,309 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I have to say that I'm hooked too. Though I stick mostly to the free books here, at SmashWords and at Amazon as otherwise it could become a very expensive addiction quickly. Though I don't buy everything that I find I have enough to tide me over for a long time though I still find myself downloading yet another book from time to time. I don't think there is a cure for addiction to the written word, though I'm not spending much effort in searching for one either.

06-08-2011, 04:19 PM	#6
Pomtroll Guru Posts: 822 Karma: 1341819 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Minnesota USA Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1	My name is Ginny aka pomtroll & I am an e-book & e-reader addict. I goal is to get no more than 10 books a month & I reached my limit yesterday.....What am I going to do?

06-08-2011, 04:30 PM	#7
JoelArnold Fanatic Posts: 544 Karma: 1036914 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Savage, MN Device: Kindle 3	My name is Joel, and I am also an ebook addict. I think alcohol is cheaper...

06-08-2011, 05:54 PM	#8
Figlilly Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 2514066 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis 2&3, Paperwhites, Kindle Touch, Kobo Clara, IPad Air2	My name is Figwit and I am an ebook buying addict too. I try to limit myself to the cheapies or the freebies where possible but now and then the inner dragon has to be fed with something a bit more expensive. I will have to live a very long life to read all the books I have collected as I have overflowing bookshelves of paper books too.

06-08-2011, 07:15 PM	#9
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,110 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	Just curious, how many books do you guys have in your library?

06-08-2011, 08:41 PM	#10
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	My name is Christa. I have over 900 unread ebooks that I intend to read. I have another couple of hundred that I probably will not read. I can't say no to any Fictionwise coupon 40% or higher. I can't say no to my favorite authors. I can't say no to any even slightly enticing freebie. AllRomance eBucks rebates, Books on Board rewards, I'm too weak to fight them. It's been two days since I last purchased. My hope is to make it a week. I don't count the freebies, even though, deep down, I know they are a part of my problem. I think I knew I hit rock bottom when I pre-ordered the next Dresden Files book, #13, despite the fact that I've only read the first three so far. I just had to. I have all of the others... I justified it by saying it was okay because it's being released two days before my birthday so it was, like, supposed to be mine. I know I'm lying to myself. They tell me I can stop if I really want to. Right.

06-08-2011, 11:27 PM	#14
jocampo Layback feline Posts: 3,034 Karma: 6980745 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Oasis 2nd gen, Sony DPTS1, iPad Pro 10.5"	I'm Joe, and I'm an ebook addict but I don't want treatment ... actually, I bought another ebook, one for high speed reading so I can read more ebooks and faster ...

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06-09-2011, 03:46 AM	#15
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 72,457 Karma: 309060442 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Thank you all for your honesty. It's nice to know I'm not alone. My ebook library is currently around 2,000 items. I've bought the vast majority of those (1392 at fictionwise, 700 or so at webscription.net, a few elsewhere). I've read about 1600 of them. And that's not counting the free classics downloaded from here and elsewhere, of which I've read less than 50, I think. I've now been purchase free for three days...