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Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 118
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 11:26 am: | 
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When you hear about a good book, where do you usually go to buy it? Do you have a favorite online site? Do you just visit the nearest store? Do you go to independent bookstores or African-American bookstores only?
I look forward to your responses to my informal survey.
BTW, I just drive down to Borders myself because it's close, I can pay cash, and I like the atmosphere. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3036
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 05:01 pm: |
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I often go to Amazon.com because they have used books available for low prices. I also patronize my local library. I hate fessing up to being cheap but what I do should be included in a survey. LOL |
Babygirl
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Babygirl
Post Number: 148
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 07:05 pm: |
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Barnes and Noble gets a fair amount of my money. And I love browsing and patronizing small, independent bookstores when I'm traveling. I rarely buy books online although that may well change and very soon. |
Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 119
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 10:58 pm: |
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Good point Cynique. I used to burn a hole in my library card before I started reviewing and getting books for free. Now that the reviewing has nearly come to a halt, I'm back at the library again. |
Libralind2
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Libralind2
Post Number: 282
Registered: 09-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 09:48 am: |
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Library, or when I have money: Black Bookstore, from the author,Half Price, Barnes & Nobles, Amazon.
LiLi |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 296
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 04:32 pm: |
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I buy books in perhaps every conceivable fashion -- though the most frequent method is via AALBC.com (our Amazon Links). Interesting side bar; Most book purchases, made via AALBC.com, are via our Amazon links. A small minority of visitors use the B&N links -- even though we were selling exclusively via B&N for over two years. I think Amazon's site has worsened over the years -- the site is just too busy. The prices are good and their Market Place is a boon for inidividuals, but they just don't present the information well.
The last two books I brought. I purchased via Cush City; Zadie Smith's White Teeth and On Beauty (based upon recommendations discovered on AALBC.com). Why did I buy via Cush City? Two reasons; (1) to go through their purchase process (they did as good a job as Amazon); and (2) I wanted to "spread the love", buy supporting other Black book web sites.
I do buy books at independent (Black) book stores -- typically this is during an author signing and usually it is a book I already have! As you can image I get a lot of books for free, again I'm just trying to support the author and book store. Usually I use the one I already own for gifts or prizes n the web site and I keep the autographed one. Whenever I go to a new city I try to find the local Black owned book store - and I always buy something. Though typically it is hard for me to find something that I want and don't already own.
I rarely buy books in the major book stores (Borders, B&N, etc). It is just less expensive to buy them online. I do however go into the big book stores, to browse, but I'll come home and make the purchase online. I suspect most people do the exact opposite; i.e. discover books online, then go to the store to make the purchase. The trend, I'm sure is moving toward my method of making purchases. The only exception is if I'm desperate: I brought Freakonomics in an airport book store this year and I was kicking myself the whole time; even though I enjoyed the book.
I've even purchase books from street vendors. I ran into an author selling her book on 125th street (in Harlem) this year and I just felt compelled to buy the book. I started reading it but never fisnished it. Not becase it was "bad" it just wa not my cup of tea. A week later I was in the Howard University Book store and saw that she would be reading there the next Saturday -- a hard working sister. I'm glad I brought her book (http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=10354&bfpid=0976152401& bfmtype=book)
Again most of the book I buy is via AALBC.com of course. I hope you all do the same; at least for the majority of your purchases. We are also increasing our emphasis on selling books directly, so I hope you'll buy some of these titles as well.
Finally if you are a book lover I encourage you to visit attend Book Expo America. It will be in DC this year. for the price of admission about $110 buck or so. You can very easily obtain a year or two worth of reading. Check two ladies who did just that: mms://media.writersandpoets.com/writersandpoets/booklovers.wmv
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Crystal
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Crystal
Post Number: 247
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005 - 12:23 pm: |
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I do most of my reading via the library. I just can’t afford to buy all the books I read and a lot of them I’d want my money back. I buy from amazon – through aalbc and I buy from a couple of the black bookstores in town although the one very close to me doesn’t have a large offering. I’ve also purchased several books at book expos. Troy, I got about 25 books or so when I attended a session of the Book Expo America held in L.A. and didn’t like any of them except the Mark Bittman cookbook. |
Troy
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 300
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 24, 2005 - 12:11 pm: |
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Crystal, I thank you sincerely for supporting the site through your posts and book purchases.
NYC is full of Libraries. However the only time I step into one is to do some research.
In contrast to you Crystal I have more books than I have time to read. Despite that I continue to accumulate more books.
When I have more time I'm going to widdle my collection down to the "keepers". Books I really believe I'm actually going to read, book I truly enjoyed reading and other important reference books. I need to do the same with my albums. I have no idea how many 12" from the 80's I have that I never play. Maybe I can get the kids to sell them on eBay.
I reccomend BEA as a way for book lovers to aquire a lot of books. If you don't just take anything handed to you, you can acquire a lot of fine books at BEA.
One year I collected scores of books that I never even looked at after paying to have them shipped home. Nowadays at BEA if I come home with 10 books that is a lot.
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