Monday 19 March 2018

How to Shop Books Like A Pro: Buying Books You'll Not Regret


Don't always follow the best selling lists


Book lovers love to go on a book scout, looking for the books that have been recommended to them. When the new book hits the shelve, we can’t wait to lay our hands on them and consume the goods therein. We always want to have something on our table because our reading list never gets empty.

In a conversation with a book lover recently, he asked me; “How do you know which book to buy and where do you get them?” We will all have different answers to this question because we acquire books differently. So, I’m going to take my time to discuss the various ways one will know which books to buy and buy them without any regret and also where to find what to buy.

HOW TO KNOW WHICH BOOK TO BUY




#1. Follow book recommendations from your favorite writers or bloggers.
Sometimes, it’s not easy to know which books to buy. There are a lot of them at the shelves and there are so few you could buy so you want to ensure you buy the books that would serve you well in the end. This is where recommendations become very important. To get the very best recommendations, subscribe to the mailing list of writers and book bloggers. These people read a lot of books and they recommend the very best of books they’ve read based on genre. Depending on how many mailing lists you are subscribed to, you are assured of getting a lot reviews that would inform you on the next book to purchase. You can follow my book list here 

#2. Don't always follow the bestseller list.
People are mostly tempted to buy the books tagged as bestsellers. I’m guilty of that and most times I’m left disappointed. The fact that a book is listed as bestseller doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy reading it. Remember, the book you will enjoy reading are books that solves a problem in your life or a book that answers a question for you. Such books are not necessarily bestsellers. So, when buying books, stay off the temptation of buying books just because it’s a bestseller. Shop around your best interest. That way, you wouldn’t have any reason to regret your purchase.

#3. Follow book boards on Pinterest
That’s what I use Pinterest for. All the boards I follow are boards that talk about books. What happens is, you get the opportunity to read book list from people from all corners of the world who have different tastes and interests when it comes to book. You see a photo that says “11 top books that will make you cry.” If you are in the mood of crying, you just tap on the photo and click “Read.” Pinterest will take you to the site where the book list is curated so you know which ones are worth the buy.

#4. Join a book club
Book club is also another avenue to get intimate with books that you love. In Ghana, there a lot of them and they all have their schedules and their book of interest. Some book clubs are formed around fiction and none-fiction. Others are formed around classical books and literature. Depending on your interest, find one of these book clubs and join. They usually pick a book for members to read and at some point, in the month, they meet to discuss the book. There’s one that I join. It’s called Kadi Book Club  and it’s centered around non-fiction and self-help. Most of the books I buy are recommendations from Kadi club so I hardly regret a purchase.

#5. Be friends with readers on social media
Book lovers usually share what they are reading on the timelines. The share quotes and snippets of their current reads on their timeline. Some even go the extra mile to review what they are reading. When you find yourself with these people on social media, apart from the fact that you are motivated to read and join the conversation, it also gives you the opportunity to know the kind of books to buy the next time you visit the shop. Find these people on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. But find me first…wink!

Where to shop the books

Our aim is to shop on a budget and when it comes to books, we look for places we would get the books we want and at cheaper prices. Below are some of the ways to get the books you want;

#1. Second-hand shop
The number one place to buy books at cheaper prices are the shops that sell second-hand books. These shops are scattered along the streets of Accra and many places in Ghana. And they sell all genre of books.

The only disadvantage here is that, you usually don't find the titles you want and if you find, it's through serendipity. It takes a lot of patience and search to finally get what you want since books from these shops are hardly categorize.

#2. Book Hawkers
I love the book hawkers. Though they carry a very little stock, if you are lucky to find the title you want, you can trust that you will have it at cheaper prices. When you see them, don’t be lazy, ask them to unpack so you can go through their titles one after the other. Chances are that, you might find what you are looking for. If not, you might find an interesting title to buy. Either way, you win.

#3. Bookstores
Bookstores usually hold a very large stock of books and as such, it’s easy to find what you are looking for. If you have a list of books that you want to purchase and you want a place you can find them, then a bookstore is the place. There, you can check out all the aisles and find the what you came to buy. Chances are, you can even stumble on a title you didn’t plan for but have interest to buy. The only cons with the bookstore is that, usually the prices aren’t cheap as compared to the two places above but you’ll get what you want anyway.


#4. E-books from online
 No matter what people say about e-books, they are not going to go away. It’s now an entrenched category that a lot of people love to read from. I love e-books for its handy nature and for the fact that I can carry thousands of them around at a time. I’m never short of books because of e-books. Also, when new books arrive and most bookstores haven’t stocked them, you can buy the e-book online. It’s cheap as compared to the paper counterpart and you can buy in the comfort of your sofa and read it instantly. Buy eBooks.

About Nesta

Nesta Jojoe Erskine is an author, blogger and social media manager who helps businesses and individual entrepreneurs manage their digital presence and also builds an audience for their brand leading to more engagement and online sales. He blogs on www.nestaerskine.com and you can follow his works on…

Facebook: @nestajojoeerskine

Twitter: @Nesta_J_Erskine







1 comment:

You want to comment? You are definitely my sunshine.
Love ya :) I would reply as soon as possible.

Code line 7 9 is for loading jQuery library. Remove this line if you’ve already loaded it somewhere else in your blog. Hint: If your blog has an image slider, carousel or something with fading effect running, chances are it is powered by jQuery. If this widget doesn’t work, the first thing you want to do is comment out or remove this line. To use your own button, replace the URL in line 3 with the direct link URL to the image. Make sure to keep the quotes. To reposition the button, replace