My Latest Bookish Addiction [13] – Preordering

MLBA

In keeping with the theme of my blog, I decided to start bringing you updates of the newest and greatest bookish addictions in my life so I can share with you some awesomely bookish things or discuss if maybe we share the same bookish loves. It seemed like a great way to get a little discussion going in a very relaxed way.

This Edition’s Bookish Addiction? Pre-ordering

I never EVER used to pre-order. I really didn’t even know this existed (much) until I started blogging and even then, there were never any books I really wanted or needed that badly to order them before they came out in stores. I also never wanted to pay the shipping so there wasn’t much of a need to pre-order if I was only going to pick it up in stores! Somewhere along the way (not to long ago, actually) I started pre-ordering a few books because I knew I would want them anyway… And then somehow the pre-orders became a THING in my typical book buying habits.

Shipping. Ah, shipping. It was always my biggest deterrent. Honestly, it still is for online shopping. I can add a little or a lot to my shopping cart, get all the way to checking out, see how much shipping costs, and then totally just dump my order. It used to happen all the time with books, so I would just go to the store when it was convenient. Browsing the bookstore was more fun than shopping online anyway, I told myself. But also… how glorious is it when books show up at your doorstep!? I’m always excited for mail. Amazon Prime is kind of amazing. Two day shipping!? For free!? (Well, virtually free. Obviously you’re already paying for it with the Prime subscription.) I bit the bullet and signed up for a B&N membership too which also features free shipping! I love my local indie, but I can’t ALWAYS afford to buy my hardcovers there so do I a lot of pre-ordering from Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Sometimes — if you’re lucky — the book even arrives a day early. YAY!

I also love Amazon’s lowest price guarantee. If you’re not familiar with it, basically you pre-order the book and if prices drop between then and when the book ships/releases, you get the lowest price. Usually it’s only a few pennies, but hey, I’ll take the savings no matter how small! (Do they do this with Barnes & Noble? I haven’t pre-ordered as many things from them…)

Of course there are the downsides. I’ve heard some bad stories where people haven’t received their book until a week or more after the pub date (from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble) and sadly it happens to some more than others but I can’t seem to pinpoint whether it happens because of a certain area the book is being delivered to or what book it is or if they’re just totally random incidents. So far all of my pre-orders have gone pretty smoothly!

I haven’t gone crazy with pre-ordering all my must-haves because some I just don’t buy right away… But I do have quite a few fall books pre-ordered at the moment! (And the nice thing is, I can pre-order without TECHNICALLY breaking my current book-buying ban because my credit card won’t get charged until the book is shipped! LOOPHOLES.) I do feel like pre-ordering usually helps me get the best price, though, and especially when I have memberships that allow a free shipping option and my closest book store is at least thirty minutes away (which is not TERRIBLE but it’s not really CLOSE and not anywhere near on the way home from work), ordering books online just seems like the most convenient option at the moment!

So tell me! Do you pre-order? Was there ever a reason you didn’t pre-order/don’t see the appeal? Do you pre-order from your local indie as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble?

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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31 thoughts on “My Latest Bookish Addiction [13] – Preordering

  1. Brittany @ Ginger Night Owl

    I haven’t really pre-ordered yet. There are tons of books I want that I know I’ll get eventually, but I don’t utilize Amazon Prime or anything, so I just wait until there’s more of something I want to get the monetary requirement for free shipment.

    Reply
  2. Alexa S.

    I only pre-order a book when (a) it’s an author I really love, (b) a series I really love or (c) I’ve read an advanced review copy and know I want it for my collection! I’m surprisingly choosy about books I buy, particularly hardcovers. But pre-ordering is so fun! I like getting my books on release week, and I enjoy surprise mail a lot too 😉

    Reply
  3. Lauren at Bookmark Lit

    I love pre-ordering! I mostly do it with Kindle books because then I’m surprised when the book finally arrives. I mostly pre-order books I know I want to read ASAP when they come out, or if I know I’ll forget the exact release date. I should start pre-ordering real books, too, because surprise bookish mail is the best!

    Reply
  4. Danielle @ Love at First Page

    It’s funny that you posted this, because I literally just did my first pre-order haul last month (for September books). I thought I’d prefer going into the store, but now it seems my fingers can’t resist clicking haha. I was able to get one book really early, so I think that’s part of the reason why (no repeats of that yet unfortunately). Books A Million is where I order from, and I’ve received only one slightly damaged book, but I can live with it.

    Reply
  5. Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

    I typically don’t buy books unless a) I’ve already read it and loved it or b) it is the next book in a series that I am dying to read and 99% sure that i am going to love (aka favorite series). In a)’s case these books are probably already released and I buy them when I find a good sale, wherever that may be, but for books that fall under category b), I almost always pre-order and often from Amazon. My mother has Prime so I use her account to take advantage of the 2-day free shipping and I love the low price guarantee! The only downside is sometimes I forget which books I’ve already pre-ordered and have ordered things twice (whoops!) I’ve never had a problem with my book showing up on time, but in general I have had to send a few books back to Amazon because they were marked/dented/ripped/etc. but they have really good Customer Service which is also why I love buying from them! I have a few fall releases coming my way from pre-ordering and I can’t wait for them to arrive!

    Reply
  6. Mel@thedailyprophecy

    I have pre-ordered a couple of books. A few times on TBD, a few times on a Dutch website we have here called Bol, but both don’t deliver the kind of service I expect.. I received the books a long time after publication date (and it’s frustrating when you see the book in the store, knowing mine is on it’s way when it’s sooo close) so I decided to just wait until the book is published.

    Reply
  7. Shae/Shelver @ Shae Has Left The Room

    I usually don’t preorder simply because I don’t have the $$$ to buy books ahead of time. I almost NEVER buy a book I’ve never read before, as there are only a teeny-tiny handful of authors I trust enough to do that for. So I wait until I’ve read the book, and then it joins my big stack of other books I need to buy finished copies of, and that’s the stack I work on diminishing very, very slowly through birthdays, Christmas, and other odd events.

    Reply
  8. Nicole Hewitt

    I don’t pre-order much, but I’m totally with you on Amazon Prime – the free two day shipping is AMAZING and I utilize it to death. We even get 10% extra on part of our tax refund when we take that part as an Amazon gift card (through Turbotax) – then it feels like everything I get from Amazon is free!! (I know, it totally isn’t, but they do a good job of making you feel that way!). 🙂

    Reply
  9. Miranda @ Tempest Books

    Preordering is awesome! I haven’t been doing it as much lately, because I’m trying to be good about not buying too many books, but if there’s one that I really, really want, I definitely preorder. I love Amazon’s lowest price guarantee, and free shipping with Prime is always awesome! There’s really no downsides 😀

    Reply
  10. Rachel

    I still don’t really pre-order that often. On the odd occasion I have I was one of the unfortunate ones where it was delayed beyond the publishing date, so even though I’d ordered I got to walk past it in the shops! I have a considerable TBR and like to buy bargains as much as possible, and pre-ordering tends to not be cheap! Though I think I’ll be making an exception for the next Colleen Hoover book!

    Reply
  11. Justine @ paperback heart

    I used to pre-order a lot more, but I find that I rarely do now. I have pretty much stopped pre-ordering on Amazon, and I have sometimes pre-ordered with Barnes and Noble for in-store pick up – but the stores here never seem to get the books on release day! I’ve learned my lesson and if I ever pre-order with them again, I’m just going to have them ship it.

    All of my recent pre-orders have been special or signed editions, like Isla and Blue Lily, Lily Blue, that there are a limited quantity.

    Reply
  12. Jessie H.

    I love pre-ordering! In fact, 85% of my physical book orders and 75% of my ebook orders are pre-orders through Amazon. It’s super convenient since I work mostly night shifts and need to sleep during the day when the bookstores are open. I try not to go too crazy and limit it to my favorite authors that I trust for physical books. I’ve started to order mostly ebooks. If I really like it after reading it, I’ll buy the physical book later. Book space is becoming a hot commodity in my apartment. Plus with the ebook orders, they will hit my kindle at midnight so I can start them immediately.

    I don’t really shop at Barnes and Noble unless I have a coupon or I need a new journal. If I’m going to pay full-price for a book, I’ll go buy it from my local Indie.

    Reply
  13. Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl

    I got a $5 refund on Isla because of the pre-order price guarantee! I am definitely a HUGE fan of Amazon. I can’t afford much, so it’s nice to know I can get more because Amazon is cheaper. I feel bad for not supporting local indies, but the only one I’m familiar with is 45 minutes away. So… I don’t have a lot of incentive to go there because of gas money + the fact that their hardcovers are sometimes twice the price of Amazon’s.

    I’m liking your loophole thinking as well. lol. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Morgan @ Gone with the Words

    I never used to preorder, I was a big fan of wandering around Borders and BN until I found something I wanted! Or stalking the internet for info on the next book in a series and going to the bookstore to order it. The exception was Harry Potter, which I quaintly preordered in person at Borders for the midnight releases haha. I also never had much disposable money to spend on books and I was tight with my purchases. Too much guilt, plus it was easy to use the library!

    Once I discovered Twitter and book blogs though, I began preordering more. I saw how it supported authors, and I love love love making lists so I would make paper ones and Amazon wishlists and tinker until I preordered them hehe. Plus I had a better paying job and more to spend on books 😉 And YES once my bf-now-husband got Prime I went a little book crazy 😀 Getting mail is my favorite thing ever and I love the price guarantee because books do get expensive. I try to buy in person sometimes but usually stick to paperbacks or a HC I know I’m super dying for. I still love wandering around bookstores! Nothing replaces that feeling 🙂 I usually preorder authors I know I love but I also try debut books too to support the authors and because I know what I like for the most part. Plus if it gets good reviews from numerous sources I trust, it reinforces my good decision 🙂

    Reply
  15. Kayla @ The Thousand Lives

    I totally take advantage of that loophole too xD It satisfies the shopping needs, but book bans aren’t technically broken! I used to hate preordering as well, but once I realized that with Prime and the BN membership I would get free shipping and the cheaper prices, I started to convert a bit. I don’t preorder ALL my books, but sometimes if I find them for $11, I jump on it.

    I don’t think BN has the preorder price guarantee thing though, now that I think about it. That’s why I prefer Amazon – plus I get the book on release day, and BN usually takes 3-4 days after!

    Reply
  16. Mark Lindberg

    I am also addicted to pre-ordering, which is crazy, given the size of my to-read stack. Amazon Prime and Amazon’s price-matching guarantee are my great weaknesses. I’ll usually only pre-order for my favorite authors, but that still ends up being at least half a dozen books every year. I pretty much can’t survive unless I know I have something on pre-order. 😛

    I don’t per-order as much from B&N, simply because I can get Amazon gift cards more easily. I’ve done it before though, and it seems like, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be doing it for Orbit books. (Mur Lafferty and Brian McClellan, mostly.) I don’t usually order from my local indie, but that’s because I don’t have free shipping with them. The only thing I currently have with them is Rothfuss’ next novella, and that’s because I ordered it when he was here so I could get a bookplate.

    Reply
  17. Rebecca @ The Library Canary

    I preorder. I actually just bit the bullet this week and got Amazon Prime. The two-day shipping. I think as long as you select 2-day shipping you get your book day of release. A lot of times when ppl complain that they didn’t get there book it’s because they didn’t select that shipping speed and just chose the “free super saver shipping”. But mostly I wanted that 2-day shipping for my preorders. I don’t preorder new series very often, but sequels, I’m all about the preorder. Or if I read the ARC and really really loved it, I will preorder the shiny finished copy.

    Reply
  18. Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook

    I rarely pre-order books, but that’s more because I don’t buy that many books, and the ones I do buy , I usually pick up because I am at an author event, so I buy the books there. But I definitely like the convenience of pre-ordering, especially if you can get the shipping for free. I’m a Prime member too and I love that. I used it for other things besides books, obviously, but I love getting books shipped quickly, too. So pre-ordering – totally awesome!

    Reply
  19. Helen @ My Novel Opinion

    I’ve started to preorder more and more. I tend to use Amazon, cheaper and free shipping. The benefit to me is that I can’t always get to a bookstore during in the week, and if I want that book on release day then the only option is online and have it shipped. So far I’ve not run into any problems with delivery from Amazon. I also love the lowest price guarantee, it’s not often much of a refund but at least you don’t have to worry about the price changing once you hit preorder!

    Reply
  20. Carrie

    I try to reserve preorders for books I know I’m going to want to read and like. I’ve really started limiting myself because my TBR pile is big enough that I hate preordering to have it sit for months.

    I will make exceptions for hardbacks, because release week is cheapest for some time, but 95% of what I order is on Kindle now and prices are more steady in that format.

    Reply
  21. Andi

    You know I am a total pre-order fanatic. I have already ordered The Start of Me and You and it doesn’t come out until March of 2015. I also have Loop by Karen Akins already preordered as well and will be ordering I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios. I love knowing that my book will be shipped to me without having to worry about keeping track of release dates.

    In the past I have had some minor issues with Amazon pre-orders. Both Allegiant and The One (final books in series that I was desperate for) came later than I had wanted them to. I called Amazon and they were swift taking care of it in giving me a credit and finding out where my package was. All in all I have been happy with pre-orders. BN, not so much. I broke up with BN because of the trouble I had with them over pre-orders.

    Reply
  22. Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books

    I still can’t justify pre-ordering to myself. I just don’t want to spend the extra money on shipping and handling. I’m such a miser haha.
    In general, though, I feel like I have so many book options that I haven’t really come across a book where I needed to get it and read it the second it came out. So that’s definitely helped me not pre-order. That may change someday, though, especially with regard to Rachel Hartman’s Shadow Scale coming out in 2015…
    I do agree that Amazon’s lowest price guarantee is super smart, though. I have pre-ordered a few Kindle books (so I guess that’s one form of pre-ordering, but usually because they were also super cheap and no s&h), and it was nice knowing that I might not have to pay as much. It makes me feel like I need to pre-order books as soon as possible, though, so I can take the best advantage of the chance to save money!

    Reply
  23. Anne @ Lovely Literature

    I’ve just started pre-ordering because I have Amazon Prime and why not? I pre-order video games so it seems strange not to do the same for a book I know I really want to read. Usually though, its a book in a series. I haven’t pre-ordered any standalones. And, unfortunately, a lot of the books I want to read aren’t at local indie bookstores, which seem to cater mostly to literary fiction rather than scifi/fantasy or YA. So, I give into Amazon. Convenience wins out!

    Reply
  24. Allie @ Little Birdie

    It’s not something I do often, but with some books I HAVE to because I need them asap (lol). Like Blue Lily, Lily Blue, or Winter etc. I want them as soon as I can and they’re not books I’d be able to pick up in stores anyway.

    Plus, I like how I’ll pre-order, then kind of forget about it. Then the book will show up on my doorstep and I’ll be like OH YEAH OH MY GOD I GET TO READ IT AHHHH 😛

    Reply
  25. Amanda @ Book Badger

    Yeah, I don’t really pre-order.. I have on a few books, merely because I had the money and knew that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have the money further down the line, and that’s worked for me, and I tend to pre-order in stores because for some reason, I kind of trust the stores more than online, especially Waterstones (UK book store), they get the book on the day, they text you that it’s there and it’s quick and simple. My Dying of Light pre-order was just a pre-order and I found out later it was a limited edition signed copy, which is awesome, and because it would be on offer when it was released, I got the offer price, £7.49 for hardcover, amazing! I don’t pre-order much, but when I do, you can be sure it’s a book I really really really want. Great topic Brittany! 😀

    Reply
  26. Kim @ The Nomadic Book Hoarder

    I love pre-ordering! I do it all the time for books I know that I want anyway. For one, I don’t have a bookstore that sells books in English close by, so it’s just more convenient to buy them online. I buy them from The Book Depository as they ship to me for free, and I’m not sure if that’s with all online stores, but they also price books 15% lower if you pre-order it. So YAY for saving a few bucks 😀 I also feel like I’m supporting the author a little extra, because they are always talking about how publishers look at pre-orders. So I’m always happy to pre-order books from favorite authors!

    Reply

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