This column is part of a series of features that will be a resource for romance readers, writers, and others in the industry. This RTB Ten List provides links to online bookstores that sell new, out-of-print, collectible, or autographed books. It also lists places where you can trade for or receive free books.
Please note that authors receive no royalties from used or borrowed books. We encourage you to purchase new copies when possible to support your favorite authors.
We hope this list is helpful and invite you to tell us about your favorite online book sources in the comments.
Amazon
Offers new and used books.
Author, Author!
Offers both new and used books, many of them autographed.
Barnes & Noble
Offers new and used books.
Book Clubs
Many book clubs offer free books when you join them. (Keep in mind that you may be required to purchase a certain number of books after joining.)
Book Crossing
This site combines free books with treasure hunting. If you have time to go looking, you may find some terrific books.
Frugal Reader
A place for people to post books they have and request books they want. It’s trading made easy.
LuvLibrary
This site operates like a lending library. When you subscribe to the service, you can borrow as many romances as you want.
New and Used Books
As its name suggests, you can buy new and used books here, many of them autographed.
Paperback Swap
Another venue for readers who want to trade books. The more books you trade, the more you can request.
Turn the Page Books
Maryland bookstore holds several book signings each year and sells autographed copies online.
This list is not an endorsement of any seller and should be used for informational purposes only.
No related posts.
My favorite online source for new (not used) books is Buy.com. They usuallly (though not always) have better prices than either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
One for British readers that’s mentioned in the Guardian newspaper today – readitswapit.co.uk. It’s free to participate – on-line Multicoloured Swap Shop kind of thing for readers.
I do appreciate that authors only get royalties from new books, but your comment made me wonder what authors (in an ideal world) would like readers to do with those books they aren’t keeping. (My local library doesn’t take donations – I asked after reading that some US libraries did. Don’t know whether other UK libraries are the same.)
I use half.com a lot. Often I can get a book cheaper though them than at the local bookstore, even with postage added. And that’s a new or practically new book.
I think it’s a mixed bag. I’m sure authors are glad that readers who haven’t read their work are willing to try it (with hopes that they’ll buy in the future). I know that I take books I’ve purchased that aren’t keepers to the used bookstore or the library quite regularly.
The problem I see is that a percentage of the people on these lists aren’t buying any of the books. They are just continuously swapping. Like you mentioned above, the author never sees a dime, while their book is passed from person to person repeatedly. Without those sales, the author may not get a chance to put out another book.:neutral:
[...] Romancing the Blog has put up another Top 10 List (I think all the usual contributors are still relaxing after the holidays), this time on Book-Shopping and Book-Swapping. The usual suspects are there–Amazon. Barnes and Noble, Book Clubs. [...]
I too recommend http://www.readitswapit.co.uk if you live in the UK and want to swap old books for new books.
As for what you said about authors, there’s nothing to suggest that book swapping affects book sales. The fact is, the more people read your books, the bigger your readership base is for future (and previous) books. Who’s to say a swapper might not like your book so much they go out and immediately buy every book you’ve ever written? Or that they recommend your book to so many people that in the end you sell far more copies by giving away one free book. The fact is, readers feel able to experiment a lot more when the book is free, and might try books they’d never have dreamed of reading if they’d had to buy it. This can only be a good thing for authors and readers alike.
After all, isn’t this what second hand bookshops have been doing for centuries? And isn’t it a good thing that people who can’t afford to buy lots of new books now have access to thousands of titles? Authors need to look beyond the depths of their own pockets and think about how wonderful it is that these initiatives encourage people to read their books.