Friday, July 20, 2012

How to Buy a Book


Buying a book can be hard for even the most seasoned readers. You might end up spending more money than you would make in an entire week or, even worse, you could buy a book that really wasn’t worth the time and money you spent on it. In order to avoid such traumas, here are a few problem areas you can bypass completely, just by being prepared.

1. Assess your budget.

I know that when I am buying books (whether the shopping trip was planned in advance or a spontaneous urge when passing a store) I have a bad habit of blowing my entire budget on the purchase of an enormously large stack of books. For myself — or any other passionate reader, I'm sure — a bookstore is heaven on earth, and there is no price that is too much to pay for a good read. However, this isn't the local library where that huge stack of books has absolutely no influence on your bank account. While those book prices may have seemed like a reasonable bargain at the time, there is nothing less rewarding than the realization that you don’t have enough money to make the gas light in your car disappear because those exalted green slips of paper have just been exchanged for the white and binded sort.

So, how do you prevent such unpleasant dilemmas? The first step you must take is to assess your budget. How much money do you have to spend? You need to decide this before going into the store. You don't go grocery shopping when you're starving, because everything looks amazing. It's the same concept with books. You have to walk in knowing exactly what your limit is to prevent the inevitable urge to binge on the first shelf of paperbacks you come across. Once that step is completed, you have an even harder decision to make: how much money are you able to expend (without completely destroying your budget)? The difficulty comes when you are forced to separate the ideas of what you want to spend and how much you can afford to spend. It's a difficult task, I know. Sometimes the answer is even heartbreaking when you realize that a new hardback just isn't going to make it into your hands this month. But once you’ve determined your budget you are well on your way to a few relaxing hours in another dimension.

2. Consider your options.

When setting out to buy a book, you want to analyze your prospective purchases and decide on what you’re really looking for. Planning ahead may seem entirely pointless (and unless you’ve got a specific title and author in your mind, planning may fly out the proverbial window once you’ve arrived at the bookstore), but it does tend to lead towards less time spent in the store and more time enjoying your books. I understand the joy that comes from simply walking along the rows of books with no set plan in mind. The unique mix of solitude and fellowship that books provide is a peaceful quality many bookstores offer. Why else would they have plush chairs to curl up and lose oneself in?

Only, at the moment we're not talking about the experience. We're trying to get the best possible read from limited means. So, you have a few choices to make: you have the chance to choose from a variety of sources and follow whichever path seems most appealing. Generally, books tend to be classified by whatever subject can be related to another book. These subjects are grouped in opposite pairs (fiction and nonfiction, historical and contemporary, education and recreation, comedy and tragedy, etc.), making your selection process much simpler in the long run. Find a genre that appeals to you and go from there. If you have an author you know you like, looking up authors or books that are similar is also a safe way to find a book you'll enjoy. Since books may also be purchased used, you have the additional option of expanding your original budget and doubling your amount of purchases should you choose to buy books that aren't new.

3. Brace yourself.

The trick is to go into the store focused on what you want and ready to face the bombardment of what psychologists refer to as subliminal advertising. Merchants know your mind, they know what sells, and they are ready to throw anything at you in order to convince you to buy their book. You’ve already fought half the battle in deciding your budget and choosing the general layout of your purchases. Now is the time to stick to your plan and find the books worth buying.

There are just a few things to keep in mind while perusing (or rushing through) the books at your store. First of all, don’t be fooled by sales. While buying one book and getting the next half off is certainly a good deal, those books are not always what you’re looking for. Be ready to do a bit of digging to find a good catch in that section. You shouldn’t settle for a mediocre read just because it fits well into your budget.

Second, try to focus on what you want, versus what looks nice. Bestsellers are definitely going to catch your eye when you enter the store, but if you constantly convince yourself that a book must be good because someone else says so, then you’re in for a rude awakening. You might want to consider that book after you’ve gone through the initial list of books you know you want to buy. That way, you won’t find yourself at home wondering why you thought that new book was more important than the newest installment of the series you’ve been following.

And finally, don’t be afraid to hold back. While I am certainly guilty of handing over my money to a bookstore without a second thought, there is something to be said for the person who is able to resist the urge to buy more books than they should. Only buy those books that you are certain you would come back for if you had, say, forgotten your wallet at home. Those are the ones truly worth spending your precious money on, and they are the books that will satisfy your urge to read (at least, until the next paycheck comes around).

4. Pay attention to details.

Don’t forget to keep a list of those mediocre books you considered in the store and eventually passed up. After all, what did you think libraries were for?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Free your thoughts!