Comments on: Poll: Where Do You Buy Your Books?

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:58:40 +0000

While I voted “on-line bookstore”, I buy books from several sources. I use Amazon for new books and love the “wish list” feature to help me track my collection. I also love Abebooks and Wonderbook for on-line used books. I have been happy with all my used book purchases from these site. I also buy SFBC exclusives from their on-line club. I do have an indy bookstore near me which sells new and used and I visit about once per month to check out their used books to see if there is anything I need for my collection. I’ve even picked up a book I wanted at a flea market! The only thing I don’t use is eReader. I collect Star Wars novels and I love having the actualy “book” in my hands and in my collection.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:56:38 +0000

I don’t actually buy them anymore. I just download them in torrent file and use a conversion program to get them on my ereader. I used to have a giant collection of paperbacks, bought primarily from major bookstores, but since getting an ereader, and the fact that I live overseas and travel from country to country a fair bit, just easier to download.

By: Brent

Brent — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:36:30 +0000

I buy most of mine on Audible. With a 24-credit annual subscription, I pay less than $10 for the most premium version of the book. I have a long drive to work and don’t like watching the TV at the gym so it works well for me.

The rest of the books I read are on Kindle. I only buy paper books at author signings. I go to lots of those though so I still run out of bookshelf room despite never reading paper books.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:19:40 +0000

Why I don’t buy eBooks? One word (or rather acronym): DRM.

Rather than using technology to make eBooks more flexible and thereby help customers, publishers have chosen to use technology to copy-protect eBooks and thereby help themselves.

Consider: A paper book can be dropped, sat on, spilled on, left in the sun, and even torn–and you can still read it. In 30 years, likely long after the current generation of eBook readers has been recycled into something that won’t recognize a Kindle file or an iPad file, I can still read *any* paper book that I have acquired at any time in my life.

I will buy eBooks when, at the very least, I can make personal use copies that are free from technology restrictions, so that if I do drop, sit on, etc. my reader, I still have the book. And so that I will still be able to read it when I outlive one specific device.

By: Kenneth W Davis

Kenneth W Davis — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:42:07 +0000

The selection at B&N and Books-a-Million is so generic and Bestseller-centric that genre fiction in my area is spotty, at best… No good Indie Bookstores near me, sad to say… Most of my collectable SF, Fantasy, and Horror is pre-ordered from Mark & Cindy Ziesing in California, they know me and that I want only first editions in mint condition… They get all my Small Press and UK books, plus a lot of Domestic books, as well… I also order lotsa books direct form Subterranean Press… I’m fed up of getting damaged stuff from Amazon and B&N.com because they don’t pack their books securely to prevent damage in transit…

By: Emma

Emma — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:08:02 +0000

There’s a shop in town which I go to all the time that has mostly secondhand books but they get local, SF and fantasy new. Which is great fun.

By: Bill Cornette

Bill Cornette — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:51:58 +0000

Depends on the book. If I just want to read it — eReader. If I want to add to a collection (with signed First Editions, say), by mail from on-line stores like The Signed Page and Subterranean. And occasionally, it see the right book (e.g., large format picture book), at a brick and mortar bookstore. So the poll is not going to provide good results with its limiting choices.

By: Noname1

Noname1 — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:47:56 +0000

Amazon. I love Amazon.

By: will

will — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:01:54 +0000

I buy my books at the book store. Something about going in a the quietness of it I just get lost for hours in there sometimes and its not drinking Starbucks either its looking through novels or magazines and coming out with books galore im probably like a woman when she goes clothes shopping

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:07:17 +0000

I buy mostly Star Wars, Star Trek and Peter David books so my primary source of books is Amazon.com. There is a B&N in our town but Amazon’s prices are better. I would like to see a combo packs similar to Blu-ray/digital copies. A one time use code for iBooks or the kindle store with the purchase of a hard back book.