Friday, March 25, 2011

Where Do You Buy Books?

So many options nowadays for book lovers... I've seen stats all over the Internet but I'm curious to know your book buying habits. Tell me, where do you buy books? Online? Where online? What format(s)? Brick and mortar stores? Where? Barnes & Noble? Borders? Wal-Mart? I'd love to compare your responses with the figures reported at other places online. Click here to comment.

18 comments:

  1. Amazon - kindle books

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  2. Sandra4:37 PM

    Def Amazon.com. INexpensive books like kindle and low priced paperback

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  3. Anonymous4:41 PM

    love real books that is to say printed ones that i get from online websites . Bn.com and Amazon. I don't go near physical book stores. There prices are too high

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  4. I purchase many of my books through Amazon, not because of price but because of availability and type of books I buy (Christian leadership). But anytime I go into the city (2 1/2 hr hours away) the first stop, and often the last stop, is Chapters, a large bookstore. I love the smell, the feel and the weight of a book in my hands. Browsing the aisles while sipping coffee is a treat for the senses.

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  5. Depends on the book, but here goes.....
    Amazon
    Christian Book Distributors
    Borders
    I love books and will continue to buy certain authors, and I love giving a book as a gift. I also own a Kindle easier to carry and travel with.
    I try and keep a book with me at all times and that makes the Kindle all the more valuable to me, but I do not hesitate to carry a book. I am a very loyal reader and when I favor an author I tend to buy every book they write, sometimes I’m lucky enough to have them autographed and those are my treasures. It’s my understanding that autographed books may be a thing of the past as more and more publishers do not require the authors to personally promote their books which is too bad because it’s as if the reader has lost some of their value.

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  6. Connie: Which genre(s) do you prefer? How much is too much for a Kindle ebook?

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  7. Maria: How often would you say you visit the city/Chapters?

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  8. G: Would you say that you buy more ebooks than print? Is the Borders in your town one of the stores closing? If so, how will that closing affect your book buying?

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  9. I buy most of my books from one of two local Barnes & Noble stores, and if I can't find what I am looking for there, or am pre-ordering, then from the following in this order: B&N.com, Amazon.com, Various bookstores at Author events, signed copies from various bookstores online, collectibles direct from a small specialty publisher and when possible, direct from an author's website when I can get them autographed that way. I buy all of my books in print.

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  10. Jim: When you do buy ebooks, which ereader do you use?

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  11. Staci: You buy all of your books in print--very cool! Do most of your friends/family have the same book buying habits as you?

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  12. Paperbackswap is my best friend, lol.
    Otherwise I order them from Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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  13. Staci6:48 PM

    J.J.: My family reads printed books and shop at retail stores for the most part. My friends tend to purchase a mixture of mostly retail and some online retail, and they seem to buy mostly print and some audio. I do have two friends that are frequent library patrons, as well.

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  14. Jacklynn: I've never tried Paperbackswap...I should check it out.

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  15. Staci: Very interesting. What would it take for you to switch over to eBooks? I'm thinking that you're the type of reader that would never replace the feel and smell of a print book with a digital version. Am I right? If your friends/family started buying eBooks, would that change your mind? Just curious to know...

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  16. Staci1:29 AM

    J.J.: A question that I've been considering myself! I admit that I love the textured, sensory experience of a book. I think of my library of books as a narration of my life history, told by the titles, dogeared pages and beloved characters that have had a voice in my journey. It's inconceivable that I could completely convert from books to electronic media.
    That said, I see the intrinsic value in the eReader. Versatile, economic reading in a lightweight package that travels well and remembers the text size you prefer and exactly where you left off. What's not to like? But which one to invest in? And do I take the risk that it will actually raise the cost of my reading rather than reducing it? I know myself well enough to know that I'll read things electronically and long for the hardcover first edition.
    I'm sure it would take me off of the fence to see friends/family blending a paper/electronic pallet. Someone might even let me try it, to help me decide. But until then, I'm not quite ready to take the plunge.

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  17. Staci: I actually prefer print books (I enjoy that reading experience too much to let it go). You and I seem very much alike...

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  18. J.J.: Hopefully the printed page never goes out of style. How do you ask an author to sign an eBook, or incsribe it with an indelible sentiment before giving it as a gift? No bindings, no endpapers, no need to hand them down to future generations. It has its place, but it definitely isn't the same.

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