6 Ways to Save Money on Books

Happy Tuesday, sweet friends! I hope all of you are continuing to stay safe at home and are finding small bits of joys where you can these days. I have, like I’m sure many of you, started reading and listening to more books while home. My #TBRpile (to be read pile) is growing by 2-4 titles a week and it never fails that I’ll start one book then put it down one day later to start another. I don’t do this because I don’t like the first book but mostly because I get sidetracked by a new title and want to get to get started on that one.  

However, over the past few weeks I have started seeing how my reading patterns, mixed with FOMO AND a good (bad) amount of late night shopping, has equaled a lot of $$$ spent purchasing new books. On top of costs, I have quickly begin to run out of space to store books. Knowing that many of you are probably in the same or similar situations, I figured today I would share a longer list/guide to saving money on books following my recent Instagram post. Some of the tips below are completely free while others are at a fraction of typical book prices. I have also included notes around which links get you a discount on services or books. So, let’s get started!

1 | Book swap – In a pre-pandemic world, book swapping would have been an easy way to meet up with friends, enjoy yummy found and relax together after a long week. Now, book swapping may look like a porch drop-off with a side of Lysol spray, hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes. Still, it’s 100% worth it to save $$ on books as an avid reader. If you don’t like to reread books or having very limited storage space, swapping books every few weeks/months with friends is a great way to save money. My recent 5 book porch swap saved me $78 and valuable space in my apartment. 

2 | Thriftbooks –  This online store is a GEM for finding older books! I have found full collections of series like Twilight and Pretty Little Liars for under $20 including shipping. With Thriftbooks, you have options for a brand new book (closer to retail price) or a slightly used book or a heavily used book. Since most of the books I read end up being swapped with a friend or co-worker, I always opt for slightly used books. I want to them be in the best shape as possible but they don’t need to be brand new. Thriftbooks has a HUGE selection that would take days and days to search through so I suggest searching for the exact title that you’re looking for and narrow down from there. TB is a great option if you love history and fantasy books!

3 | Scribd (<– this link gives you 60 days FREE)– I have been RAVING about this service over the last few weeks on my Instagram stories! It’s $10/month for unlimited e-books & audiobooks plus has amazing membership perks! In that $10, you also have access to sheet music, magazines and podcasts. The membership perks have a value of over $50 so if you want to upgrade your Pandora account or want MUBI for free, it would make the most sense to get Scribd. Over the past 2 months, I’ve taken full advantage of my free 60 day membership and have listened to 1-1.5 audiobooks a week. I was also able to find one of my grad school textbooks on Scribd which saved me about $60. *Grad all student dreams are made of this* You’ll basically see and hear me singing their praises from now on because it’s one of the only services I feel like I actually use and that I’m getting my $$ worth out of. I highly encourage you to take advantage of the free 60 days before committing! *BTW, the app is WAY easier to use on the go but you can also access Scribd via your desktop to listen/read that way*

4 | Libby – *Disclaimer* Because I don’t have a library card, I haven’t used Libby. However, SOOO many of my readers have told me what a great tool it is so I figured I would share. With Libby, you borrow e-books through your library card. It’s completely free and you get to see exactly what is available in your local e-library catalog at anytime. The only downside I’ve heard about Libby is that there is often a waitlist for the most popular books. The library can only loan out a certain number of books so you could find yourself waiting to read a title you’ve been thinking about. But, since the app if free with having a library card, the general tone was that waiting was worth paying $0 per month. 

5 | Book of the month (<– this link gets your first book for $9.99) – Okay, I jumped on the BOTM train. Please don’t hate me. But guys, BOTM is good. For $14.99/month, you get to pick any of the 5 books selected for the month or any other book on their website. BOTM is particularly great and a huge value for three main reasons: 1. Every book is a hardcover. If you shop books at all, you know that hardcover books can cost anywhere from $6-$12 (on average) more than a paperback. 2. Add-ons are only $10. That’s all – JUST $10. I am truly amazed and wondering how they can sell them at that price but *shrug*. You get 2 add-ons per month (your first month only allows 1 add-on). So even if you “max out” your add-ons for the month, you would spend only $35 on 3 hardcover books. Right now, 3 of their May books retail as hardcovers for $23.40, $25.19 & $16.80 = $65.39. This month you would have saved $30 versus purchasing the books online. 3. You get access to new releases that are exclusive to BOTM. My May book was The Boyfriend Project, which is set to release June 6th as a paperback. The hardcover copy will probably come out in August or September. Even though it doesn’t matter to me to be the first to read a book, it is cool that at least 1 book out of the 5 monthly picks is an early release. Totally makes me feel like I am part of a special club or something. 

6 | Bookoutlet (<– this link gives you $10 off $25) – Last but not least, Bookoutlet. I actually just discovered this website last weekend and have already placed my first order (please send help, I can’t stop buying books). To me, Bookoutlet is an upgraded version of Thriftbooks. Even though TB has more books in stock, BO’s books are far more affordable, IMO, and you can see how many copies are available. If you wanted to purchase several copies for a book club, you would easily be able to do so on BO compared to TB. Plus, their Instagram is pretty ascetically pleasing which will win me over any day. This weekend, I ordered 8 books that have been on my TBR pile for months for only $53. Totally a steal when I had them in my other online cart for over $135.

Okay friends, that was a lot but it felt good to type everything out. As always, there are SO many options out there to explore and try. These 6 options above are the safest, easiest to use and the best bang for your buck when you are trying to save $$ or spend as little as possible. Be sure to use the links above that have special promotions like $10 for your first Book of the Month; $10 off $25 at Bookoutlet & 60 days free with Scribd!

Want to help your fellow readers? Share this post via Pinterest or Twitter! Thanks so much for reading. -xo, Azanique <3