Happy Thursday, naughty readers!
Back in January, in an effort to get through the 240 unread books on my Nook, 329 unread books on my Kindle, 9 unread books on iBooks (I’m not a dedicated iBooks reader!) and 52 hardcover/paperbacks on my unread shelf … I made a deal with the devil.
Those are real, unexaggerated numbers. Holy fuck balls, I wish they were exaggerated. *sigh* So many fabulous books … waiting. Some for a very long time.
So, my deal (with myself, I’m the devil): NO MORE ONE-CLICKING.
Y’all know what I’m talking about. You’re killing a few minutes on Amazon, just looking around, no big. You find a smokin’ hot cover. Oh man! It’s written by an author you’ve read and loved in the past. How did you miss this one? Damn, it’s only $2.99. *wicked laugh* *one-click* Hey! Look at that book (if you like this book, you’ll love …)! Wow, that looks like a good one too! *one-click*
And on and on and on and on and on and … I digress. Ahem. No one-clicking!
Instead, I’ll add books to my wish list. Still a one-click, but doesn’t cost me any cash. Rome was thrilled. Plus, I have a list of what I want to read once I get through what I already own. Win-win, right?
Now, I know myself well enough to include some exceptions. The “fine print,” you could say. Disclaimer: this deal doesn’t include any of my favorite series’ – those few that I pre-order every single installment, wait until midnight of release, and refresh my device until the effin thing shows up. (Hey, it’s my contract. I can include “effin” if I want!)
Okay – so the deal becomes: No one-clicking unless it’s a series I actively follow and will die a painful death if I have to wait to read. Black Dagger Brotherhood, Lords of the Underworld, Dark-Hunter, Sentinel Wars, Demonica, Rough Riders, Blacktop Cowboys, Castle of Dark Dreams, the Mackenzies, Hard Ink, …fuuuuuuuck.
Are you starting to see my problem?
One last adjustment and now the deal is: No one-clicking unless it’s a series I actively follow and will die a painful death if I have to wait to read AND/OR unless it’s a book I’m going to read immediately (or close to). No waiting.
There. Done.
No one warned me about .99 cents, limited-time only, boxed sets. Son of a– *rips up deal*
What about you? Do you have one-clickitis? Any purchasing rules?
Maybe we can form a support group.
Until next time … *one-click*
Love, Lust, and Laptops 
You and me, baby. You and me.
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Just the way I like it, Mags. 🙂
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Oh girl, I totally feel you! I have pretty much the same rules as you tried (though not all the same series addictions, thanks for the list, btw) and I have also instituted a gauge based on number of stars/quantity of reviews. If its 4+ stars with at least 50 reviews, but it’s over $3.99 for less than 300 pages… You see where I’m going with this. And yes, boxed sets are the death of me. But, if the zombie apacolypse comes and the internet dies (gah!!!!!) as long as I have electricity, I’ll be set for quite some time.
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Wow, Nickie! You’ve got it down! You’re welcome for the list! There are just too many series that I actively follow – couldn’t list them all! 🙂 What are some of your favs?
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I use the Wish List feature. It works for me.
I put the books that “interest me” there as pre-orders usually. Once the books are out, I look at the reviews — if no reviews, I get the “free look.”
If the reviewers (and it has to be more than one or two) say the story was full of angst — and it makes no difference whether they liked the angst or not — I delete. I hate angst. I have angst in my every day life so do not need to buy and read it.
If the reviewers say it was full of grammar errors and the reviewer’s review was grammatically correct, I delete from the list. Grammatical errors drive me nuts. So why buy a poorly edited book? Throwing my Kindle at the wall would break it and make a dent in my wall — so not worth it.
If I read the “free look” and detect any of the above or it just doesn’t grab me, then I delete.
I have found that by the time I am done, I have cut my Wish List in half. 🙂 That’s my system and it works for me.
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That sounds like a good way to do it!
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If the book isn’t free or $0.99, then I add it to my wish list. I do check my wish-list often to see if anything on there has become free or $0.99. Other than that I wait until some random fairy godmother sends me an Amazon Gift Certificate, then start buying books off my wish list in the order that *I must have them*. I am amazed at how fast I can add books to my kindle that are free or $0.99, and have yet to have an empty kindle or wish list.
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I find adding to my wish list satisfies my impulse to one-click. I don’t check my list too often though, that’s a great idea to watch for sales! Thanks, Jennifer!
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I have a simple rule – I can only buy 5 books after I’ve finished one of my WIPs. Then I gorge for days. Of course, this rule excludes authors I have to read – like yourself, cher. That’s when the rule falls apart.
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Aw, how could I argue with that logic? 🙂 Thanks, Jianne! I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Drinks in NOLA?
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