Monday 5 November 2012

Why Book Depository rocks Australia

Book Depository - why it's awesome
If I lived in America I'd probably make huge use of Amazon, because the postage appears to be so damn cheap! Living in Australia, though, those Amazon bargains aren't quite so bargainy, since postage is at least $8 per item. Even if you buy more than one item from the same seller, you'll still be paying at least $8 postage for each item. Compared with Book Depository, which provides us with free postage, this really can add up to quite a large amount. I tell ya, if Book Depository sold CDs and DVDs as well, it'd be my one-stop shop for pretty much everything I neeeed/want/musthave.

"Gravity",
I'm waiting for you!
The downside for other buyers
Cherie Reich recently pointed out to me that self-published authors wanting to sell their books on Book Depository have to put up the price of their books. Since I know the world doesn't revolve around me, I completely agree that book prices should stay affordable for the majority of buyers, at least for a while. But eventually I would hope that you guys will add your books to the Book Depository just so I can buy them without breaking the bank. ;) And yes, I do prefer a paperback copy. Don't worry, though, I can wait my turn.

Aaaand, in other news:

NaNoWriMo
It's day 5, but I haven't written anything for today yet (pesky full time job getting in the way!). Days 1-4 brought my wordcount up to 18,290, and I'm pretty happy with my progress there. The writing has come fairly effortlessly so far, though I've had to pause now and then to get my facts straight. It does help that I'm basing my character's uni studies on my own from 1999, but I'm going to have to update a few things, i.e. there shall be more iPads out and about, even if my characters rely on a clunky laptop and an old-fashioned notebook for writing.

18 comments:

  1. I need to figure out if I can get my book on the Book Depository, but I have no clue how to go about it. :S

    Congrats on your NaNo progress - that's awesome!!

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    1. Sorry, I can't help you there, but I do know people who know - Michael Atkinson who wrote CATRINA IN SPACE (and the CATRINA CHRONICLES), and also, Cherie Reich seems to have a clue :D

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  2. Wow you're rockin' with the word count! Congrats!

    Interesting about Book Dep. I'll keep that in mind. Yeah, even tho authors have mixed feelings about Amazon, it's the cheapest and most efficient way for me to shop for anything. I love it.

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    1. Thanks :) I'm enjoying NaNo a lot!

      And yep, and that's why I go with BD, because it's the cheapest (maybe not most efficient, but so very cheap by comparison that I can't do anything else) option.

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  3. Amazon does have awesome free shipping opportunities for us in the U.S., so I understand your attraction to Book Depository. Yay! for affordable books =D
    Although, now that we're down to one bookstore in our little town here, I try to support them with my business. It would just be so sad to lose them.
    Sounds like you're off to a good NaNo start. Keep up the good work!

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    1. That's another thing - none of us here can really afford to pay what they charge us here in the bookstores. RIDICULOUS amounts. Like, double or even triple what I pay for a book in a US bookstore. So really, if they don't want to go broke, Book Depository is the best option for Australians ;)

      I agree though, it's really sad to see bookstores closing.

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  4. $8 is a lot. But nice to know there's one place Amazon doesn't rule all.

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  5. You're doing awesome, Trisha! You always do with NaNo, don't you? :) You're speedy!

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  6. Amazon postage costs even more to South Africa! It's about $13 per item! Which is pretty much ALWAYS more than the price of the book I want to buy. So I agree wholeheartedly with you on the awesomeness of The Book Depository! I don't think I've bought a book from anywhere else (aside from ebooks) in the 2 years since I discovered it.

    So even though I have to pay an extra fee for extended distribution, I WILL be going that route with my books so that customers in South Africa (and the rest of the world) can order my print books without having to pay Amazon's huge shipping costs. So in about 6 weeks (just in time for Christmas) you should see my book there!

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    1. Um, yeah - I would be going the BD route too if I lived in SA :) Very glad to hear you will be making your book(s) available on there eventually! :D That will be a nice Christmas present for myself :)

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  7. I've used The Book Depository to gift books internationally, so I'm all for the free shipping. And I promise once the holiday season dies down, then I'm going to look in about raising the price and doing the expanded distribution so I can get my print books there.

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    1. Thanks Cherie, just thought I would mention it to other author friends of mine as well :)

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  8. I agree that Book Depository is super. I've received some great books ordering from it. Hope your NaNo muse kicks in and sends you on your writing journey.

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  9. Sheesh! Here I am saying I live vicariously through my NaNo blogging friends but I can't even keep up with their blogging once it starts. IT's a good thing I'm not participating, Id' blow it the first day!

    Glad it's going well for you though and that you will have a successful evening! Cheers!

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  10. Great word count, Trisha! Especially since you do have a full-time gig! Rock on!
    Mina's Resurrection Blogfest!

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  11. wow, you've done heaps for NaNo already!!!
    And yes!! I love the BD as well!! So awesome!!!!!!!

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  12. You're doing so well with NaNo!
    I love Book Depository too. It makes running a book giveaway contest so easy!

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  13. I've never even heard of BD! I guess I take Amazon for granted here in the U.S., but I must say that I've grown to love my Kindle over paperbacks in the past year b/c it's so much easier to read with on the tredmill! ~Cheers

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Thanks for your words, me hearties! and don't forget to leave a link to your blog somewhere I can find it!