Ways to Save Money on Books | Favourites

Although I go into bookshops regularly, I rarely buy anything from them. I’m always shocked at how high the prices are and am just not willing to pay so much when there are way cheaper alternatives. There’s a book I really want to read in the local bookshop, it’s probably only about 200 pages, and it’s £9! I think it’s ridiculous that a book that would only take me a couple of hours to read would cost so much. There’s always discussion about getting young people to read more, so I think prices should be lower. Going into a shop and spending around £10 for a book is just not affordable for students etc. I decided to share my cheapskate wisdom with you all, with 8 of my favourite ways to save money on books.

1. Library

Now you would think that this is such an obvious one, but there are so many people I’ve spoken to who’ve never set foot in their local library. I think people associate libraries with elderly people reading ancient books, but I love my local library. Although the YA section isn’t great within the actual library (I think I’ve read every book they have), you’re able to order books from other libraries within the council area. Annoyingly, they now charge me 50p per book to order in because of my age, but that’s still obviously a massive saving compared to buying a new book from the bookshop. I also recently discovered my libraries ebook service, where you can borrow up to 6 books at a time for up to 3 weeks. You just download the books to your e-reader and then you’re good to go.

2. Charity Shops

I had never really went into a charity shop before, but one day I was walking past a local store and saw a massive pile of books sitting on a table, so obviously I had to go in. Ever since, I’ve been obsessed. I’ve managed to get some great finds, it’s especially good if there’s a popular book everyone’s talking about as there inevitably ends up being loads of copies in the charity shop once the hype dies down. It’s funny, there’s some authors and books that appear in every charity shop: James Patterson, Stephanie Meyer, 50 Shades of Grey (the charitable thing would be to burn all copies of those books) and whatever the most popular book of the Summer was. My favourite local shop sells books at 2 for £1, which is amazing. So if you want to grab a bargain and help charity, go find your local shop.

3. Discount bookstores

One of my favourite shops ever is The Works, which sells books, crafts and lots of other things. I don’t know if there are any stores outwith the UK, but you should definitely have a look and see if there’s one near you. They do a 3 books for £5 deal that’s great, and there’s always special offers on the website (I actually just had a look and there’s a 10% discount available today!) In the actual stores they tend to have a bit of a random selection of books and it can be a bit of a hit or a miss, but there’s a really good collection online. There’s lots of good YA books available too. They do box sets of popular YA series (Harry Potter, Mortal Instruments, Maze Runner etc) for much cheaper than other retailers, which would make good Christmas or birthday gifts. 

4. Amazon

Again, this is another obvious one, but I always think it’s best to check the prices of books on Amazon before purchasing one from a regular book shop. The majority of the time they are a lot cheaper, and you get the added bonus of being able to preorder or get next day delivery. If you’re trying to save some money you can look buy used books, which you can check the condition of before buying. They also have a price guarantee service when you preorder a book (and DVD’s), so that if you order a book and the price goes down after, you get it for the cheaper price. I had preordered the last Sarah J Maas book and ended up saving £2 I think because the price had gone down. Also, anything that doesn’t require me leaving the house is a bonus.

5. Supermarkets 

Even though the selection is normally limited to the current best sellers, you can get some really good deals from the local supermarket. If there’s a really popular book with lots of hype, the supermarkets normally always have them in stock. The prices are usually way cheaper than standard bookshops, with Tesco in particular having a 2 for £7 offer that I normally use. My nearest Asda also has a really good selection of books, including some YA, for affordable prices. 

6. Epubs 

If you have a tablet with an e-reader app then you can find and download epubs online for free. There are lots of blogs and sites where people share links to books that they have written or bought. The site Epubbud has lots of good books on it and has an option where you can upload and share your own writing. I actually just had a look and saw the couple who created it did so to share a children’s book that they wrote for their baby who passed away, and so that other people could do the same. You can read more here if you want. The site is very easy to use, I’m not the best with anything techy, and even I can work it. 

7. ARCs

I’m sure you have all heard of and used ARCs before, but if you don’t know, an ARC is when you are sent an advanced copy of a new book to review. That way a publisher can spread awareness of a book and get feedback on it. I use the site NetGalley, but unfortunately I’ve been so busy since I signed up I’ve only had time to read and review one book from it. I can’t wait till I get some free time though so I can get stuck into the books I have waiting for me. 

8. Audible

I swear this post isn’t an ad for Amazon! I was just on my account the other day and saw that there was an offer for prime members to get a free 3 month Audible trial (if you don’t have prime you can still get a 1 month free trial). I haven’t listened to an audiobook before and always thought I’d hate it, but I’m obviously not going to turn down free books so I signed up. I’ll get one audiobook a month for the first 3 months, and then have to pay £7.99p/m when the trial expires. Let’s be honest, I’ll probably cancel the subscription when the free trial runs out. For this months book I downloaded Amy Schumer’s autobiography, which I’ve heard is hilarious. I don’t think I’d like listening to a fictional book so I thought this would be the best option. I travel a lot for uni so I’m exciting to have something to listen to, as I never have enough room in my bag for a book. 

How much are you willing to pay for a book? Do you have any money saving tips? Let me know!