Bookclubs! Or How To Grow Your Very Own Sizable Personal Library
Aug 11 '00
Ah, book clubs!
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. For some, the thought of belonging to any club where you promise to make a certain number of purchases in a period of 1-3 years sends off warning signals and flares that it's a trap of some kind. It's not. It really isn't.
Most book clubs operate to a degree (more or less) of the following.
1. You sign up and pick your book selections. (This varies from each club but usually you'll get 6-8 just for joining) You will be billed for shipping for these selections. Usually, for joining the club, the free books are actually a penny each, or a dollar each, or in most cases, free. Either way, your first bill won't amount to much more than $20. Not bad considering the same books you get can be bought individually at your neighborhood Borders for roughly $15-25 a piece, depending on the book.
OK! Great! You've got a handful of books now that cost you total a little more than $20, that would've cost you between $150-200 (approximately).
2. You then will receive a monthly mailing that will have all the selections available for purchase. Nearly every month, there is bound to be a deal of some kind. Usually, it'll be something like, "Buy 1 book at regular club price, (which trust me, is still substantially discounted-in other words you'd be hard pressed to pay more than $20 for a single book in a book club), and choose as many more books as you'd like for 60-70% off the club price. Other times, they'll have a sale on books that aren't selling as well as they were six months prior and they'll be close to 80% or more off club price.
3. When you join, with the exception of one or two clubs that I know of, you will generally be asked to make between 1 to 3 more purchases at regular club price within the next 1-3 years, depending on the club.
For myself, I just love book clubs. I get to read books that normally I wouldn't have cause to justify their purchase. I have created for myself an impressive library solely from books bought from these clubs over the last 5 or 6 years. They have been a godsend. I can't afford to go to the bookstore and pay twenty bucks each time I'm interested in reading something. And my taste in reading material is varied, from horror to self-help to cooking. For a few more dollars added onto that twenty dollar bill, I could just as easily get the same book I wanted along with 2 or 3 other books that interest me just for being in the club and taking advantage of their great deals.
People tried to stop me from joining these clubs when I first started. I'd hear generic stories like, "Once you're in, you'll never be able to get out. They'll hassle you for life. Sure, you may be getting all those books for free, but in the end, you'll pay for them ten fold."
In my eyes, this has NEVER been the case. I have always had such wonderful experience with the clubs and they have brought alot of joy to my life. Customer support is friendly and easy, nine times out of ten. Paying for your selections couldn't be easier either. You order first, then pay later. Returning selections is no problem either. As for the cards that some clubs insist you return, that kind of is a pain, but a bearable one-I'll add.
I personally belong to the following book clubs:
Quality Paperback Book Club (or QPBC as it is called)-they offer a lot of everything
One Spirit - they deal with books that explore alternative spirituality, metaphysics, etc.
Science Fiction Book Club- I joined them because they had several horror titles I wanted to read.
Writer's Digest- practically invaluable to aspiring writers; their school is wonderful too and a great investment
Book of the Month Club- they too offer a lot of everything
In the past I've also belonged to:
Doubleday Book Club
The Literary Guild
Mystery Book Club
Graphic Designers Book Club -(that might not actually be the correct name of the club; it was a while back; anyway, it appealed to those interested in graphic design)
So you really can build a nice size library from belonging to these clubs. Yes, there are shipping and handling charges on each book. generally $2.25 or there abouts is average. Even when you add that in to your final cost, you will have saved hundreds of dollars, I am betting!
Give it a shot! As long as you know what you're getting into and what your'e obligated to buy, there should be no surprises, except for what new books they'll have for you each and every month!
Happy reading!
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Epinions.com ID:
dominionxl
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Member: Mike Ford
Location: St Louis, MO
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
23 year old Goth from STL that is almost always at the movies.
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