There’s no denying it – book blogging can be expensive! In the interest of transparency Hippies, Beauty and Books… Oh My! recently revealed the yearly cost of running their blog– a whopping $2,300+ in expenses!! However, many of us young adults and young adults, and/or we just don’t have a large disposable income to spend on books, blogging, etc.
In addition, Megan at Book Brats wrote a fantastic post last week, Book Blogging for Broke Brats, and when I went to write my reply, well, it transformed itself into 1.5 pages of ideas and comments. So, with Megan’s permission, I am posting this as a response to her original discussion – if you haven’t read it, please do so!
Now, the answers you’ve all been looking for:
How do I save money on books and blogging?!
LIBRARIES
I don't think many people use libraries to their full extent – they offer more than just free traditional books, as more and more are offering online eBook and audiobook download services as well! I know that my library is purchasing the newer YA books in these digital versions more often than they are physical books, which will lead me to my next point. But, what if your library doesn’t have all these resources, like Megan’s? After all, these are hard times. Well, your library might offer inter-library lending. This likely won’t get you brand new books (my library has a rule that the book has to have been published for at least 1 year), but it does increase your book selection. You may also be able to access a library’s resources in a surrounding county, town, etc. if you inquire about this. Also, if you want library books to remain free make sure to take note of the due date to avoid any late fees!
E-READERS
Before I had an e-reader I wasn’t really sure they were worth the investment. However, I’ve had my Kobo for more than a year now, and I can truly say they actually are worth it! You can get a Kobo or Kindle for less than $100 if you forgo the fancy ones with apps, touch screens, internet browsers, etc. Some libraries also loan out pre-loaded e-readers which allows you to experiment with the different makes and models before you buy! As for eBooks, they are usually cheaper than their physical counterparts (and bonus: you won't need to keep buying bookcases!). Also, if you use a program like Calibre you can sometimes convert eBooks, which means you can shop around for cheaper prices from the various e-stores. If you get a Kindle, there are a lot of freebies as well! From a student perspective, I've loved being able to put PDFs of class readings on my e-reader and not having to lug around repro-texts, or spend a fortune on ink printing out the readings.
BUY SMART
If you are on a budget, try not to pay full price for a book! I try and wait until there is a sale, and/or use coupons and discount codes (like this WagJag deal for $30 worth of books from BookCloseOuts for $15 – 50% off is a GREAT deal!). You can get these by signing up for e-mails from the major sites you buy through such as Amazon, Chapters, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, etc. BUT don’t let the appearance of a coupon or discount code persuade you to buy something you hadn’t planned on, or to spend more than you were going to! It may be useful to set a limit and stick to it each month. Also, when buying online be kind and support other broke book bloggers by using their affiliate links for your purchases.
SWAP/SHARE/SELL
If you have bookish friends, swap or share books! For eBooks Amazon has a lending program that Kindle users can take advantage of. If you have a used bookstore near you, you can try and sell books you no longer want in exchange for credit. They usually give you more credit than if you exchanged the books for cash.
CONTESTS
As Megan said, ENTER THEM because you won't win if you don't try! Just be sure you are checking out the rules, so you aren’t spending your time tweeting for daily entries into contests that you can’t win anyway. But also, don't feel pressured to hold contests you can't afford! Another option if you have a blogversary or other celebration event coming up then you may be able to do a call-out on Twitter to see if anyone wants to sponsor a contest. Just make sure you return the favour some day, and also promo the heck out of the sponsor – thank them in your post, make following them a requirement, etc!
AMAZON GIFTCARDS
Sign up for sites like Swagbucks and Superpoints (disclaimer: those are my affiliate links), where by doing small tasks such as using their search engines or just checking your e-mail you gain points which you can then put towards Amazon gift cards! For a little effort you can gain enough points to get at least $20 in Amazon gift cards – more if you are dedicated to getting codes, searching, etc.
BLOG LAYOUT
If you can't afford to purchase a blog design, keep it simple. Really want an upgrade? You may be able to find someone locally you can exchange services with (try searching Kijiji or Craigslist) if you have something you can offer in return: editing, copywriting, baking, gardening, etc. I’ve also seen a few bloggers who accept Amazon gift cards as payment (for example Jude from In Between Designs). If you’ve worked hard at collecting Swagbucks and Superpoints and converting them into gift cards, you wouldn’t have to spend a dime!
Any other ideas on how to save money, other than avoiding haul posts to prevent jealousy and breaking your book budget? Not that I have ever done that! *looks away guiltily*
Great post, Rachelia! I'm glad to have inspired stuff like this. Also, I am always happy when I inspire wars and the launching of a thousand ships, but sadly that's never happened to me. And yes, Swagbucks is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post, Rachelia! I had read the Hippies post about it and I can say that I do NOT spend that much on book blogging. If I weren't book blogging, I would still be buying and reading the books, so I don't consider that to be an expense at all. What I do consider to be an expense is the cost for my website (currently around $50/year) and the cost of giveaways (which I don't do often).
ReplyDeleteI do agree about contests. Once I started entering them, I started winning some! You're right -- if you don't enter, you're not going to win anything!
And the local library is awesome. Mine does get in new releases, so I always find myself browsing the list of what's coming in, so I can plan my holds. Where I am, they do charge for a library card, which is about $30/year, but it's totally worth it. Not only are there physical books, audiobooks, and periodicals -- but now you can download ebooks AND audiobooks right from your computer. It's great!
Thanks for sharing this!
Great article. I am new to book blogging. I've only had my blog since May. My husband thinks its cool I do a blog. A free way I earn gift cards for books is Swagbucks. When I get enough points I turn them in for an Amazon gift card. It helps me save on the cost of getting a book. As for the haters who say "How do you get free books?" Write to publishers and authors. I have gotten a few books that way.
ReplyDeleteI use the library and my Kobo as much as I can, I even love that my library lets me borrow books just for my Kobo! I tend to enter a lot of contest and giveaways as well, Ive gotten a couple of books from that too.
ReplyDeleteIt can definitely be hard not to spend so much on books, I never used to buy this much before I started blogging. What I did to help me reduce my buying, was kind of like a book buying ban, but instead I limited it to one a month. I'm starting it next month so will see how it goes! Will need to rely on the library much more but that's ok :)