When I opened my brand-new tablet, I immediately started loading it with ebooks. Pretty soon I noticed that swapping my paperback habit for a library of Kindle titles was getting pricey.
To trim costs without giving up my reading, I started using a site called BookBub. In the first couple of months, I estimate it saved me about $60 across five purchases.
What Is BookBub and How Does It Operate?
You sign up for a free account, which was simple enough for me, then indicate the device you use to read and select your preferred genres. I ticked mysteries, nonfiction and young adult.
Every afternoon, BookBub emails me a curated list of discounted titles in the genres I picked. Most of the deals are $1 to $1.99, a handful are free and a few are around $2.99. The priciest offer I’ve encountered was $4.99 for an entire series.
Publishers pay to feature their books on BookBub and appear in the daily message. Fortunately for readers, the service itself is free.
How Do You Actually Purchase the Books?
BookBub doesn’t directly sell books; it alerts you to bargains available elsewhere.
Clicking a title in the email takes you to the purchase page on Amazon’s Kindle store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook store or Apple Books. From there, you buy it just like any other ebook.
How Can You Tell If the Deals Are Worthwhile?
When you land on a book’s page on Amazon or another retailer, you can check its ratings and reviews.
I initially assumed these heavily discounted books would be lower quality or less reputable than full-price releases.
That hasn’t been my experience. Most of the titles I’ve bought have at least four out of five stars on Amazon.
And occasionally, recognizable authors show up with discounts. Since joining BookBub I’ve spotted deals on books by Michael Crichton, Anne Rice and Alice Hoffman.
Can You Search BookBub for a Particular Title?
No. If you’re searching for a specific book, it’s better to buy it directly from your usual bookstore.
For me, BookBub is more like browsing the stacks and picking whatever captures my interest. A bonus is the availability of online reviews, which I rely on when deciding whether to download a bargain.
Lyndsee Simpson is a contributor to Savinly.
