Since Kanna Reads has started, I’ve been under a sort of budget. As part of a deal with a family member (the same family member that encouraged me to start all of this), in order to get a book, I have to write a blog post and upload a video to YouTube. This was to keep me from spending all of my money on books—which I was prone to doing. Now, writing a blog post has always been simple for me, but YouTube was a bit harder.
But I digress.
I’ve stuck with that deal for two years and here are the few tips that I’ve learned (note: these are intended for published novels and not the novels that I read on apps like Wattpad):
Tip #1: Be Intentional with Your Book Purchase
My family hates going to the bookstore with me. More often than not, we end up spending at least an hour between the shelves, all because I can’t choose on a book. And with the deal in place, I have to make sure that the book I want is truly what I want. I can’t just pick up a book and go with it.
Tip #2: Go Into a Bookstore with the End Goal in Mind
Whenever I would go into the store, I have my wishlist handy on the notes app on my phone, reminding me of the types of books I was looking for. It helped in narrowing down my search, but as I browsed I would add more books to the list if I was interested. My end goal was always that one book that interested me the most, the one that I would be most intrigued by. Keep that in mind.
Tip #3: The Clearance Section is a Good Place to Search
Most of the books that I’ve bought have been, at the very least, four dollars in Books A Million and Barnes & Noble. I love hunting through the bargain section because if I have the ability, I can get two or three books for the price of one. Not only that, but sometimes, recently released books or older books that I was interested in was marked down to a lower price and made more affordable.
Tip #4: Use Your Local Library
I currently have a library card that’s been collecting dust (shameful, I know), but having a membership to your local library is a fantastic way to save money on your books. You can get as many books as you’re allowed, have two weeks to read them (and can renew if you didn’t get to finish), and you have access to valuable resources as well—like the Internet, printing capabilities, movie rentals, etc. And usually, a library card is free. Just be sure to turn your books in on time or you could be fined!
Tip #5: Amazon is Your Best Friend
Do you know how long I’ve been reading books through Amazon? Almost ten years. I got my first Amazon Kindle in the beginning of high school, and I was able to purchase ninety-nine cent books everywhere (that didn’t help my uncle’s credit card, though). Not only does Amazon have really cheap books, they also have free books. I read a lot of fantasy, and most of the fantasy novels that are free are either romance or high fantasy—you have to really dig deep—but when I do find a good fantasy book that’s free, I devour it, and then that gives me incentive to buy the next book, which usually costs money. By the way, you don’t have to have a physical Kindle in order to read books on Amazon; there’s a Kindle app that you can download so that you can access the books.
Tip #6: Used Books Are Just As Valid As New Books
Like the title says, there is nothing wrong with used books; they’re just a little more loved. Whenever you’re searching for a book, be sure to check out the used book section of your bookstore—if they have one.
Tip #7: Search Your Local Bookstore
When running errands, I would always drive past this used bookstore on my way home and always said that I would stop by when I had the time. And when I finally did stop, I really enjoyed my time there. The area was stuffed to the ceiling with books, and each book was half off the actual selling price—and they were used. I ended up finding a book series that I loved in middle school there and also bought myself a nice, thick fantasy novel for personal enjoyment.
Reading on a budget isn’t hard; it just requires some discipline. Many people don’t have the opportunity to be able to buy large amounts of books, and that’s okay. I hope these tips were all pretty helpful!
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