I have been reading, you guys. A lot. I think I may have a problem.
Ever since I got my iPad a few years ago, one of my favorite things to do has been to download ebook samples. Because why not? If I'm remotely interested in a topic or a cover, I'll download it. Back when I used to travel a lot, I'd download 20-30 samples before a flight, to keep me occupied.
Well.
This is a problem because I am a really fast reader. I have tried to slow myself down, but I can't help it. I just want to tear through the book as quickly as I can, I'm so eager to know what happens. And yes, I know, some books ought to be savored like a fine cognac and not gulped down like a shot and that is why I am also an incorrigible re-reader. I read the first time to find out what happens; then, if the book is good, I read the second time to savor. To delve. To get immersed in the language, the world, the characters. But you see, since I've already read the book, this second read goes pretty quickly too.
So, you have a situation when I have like 25 samples of wonderful books and a Buy It Now button... which means that my conversion rate from samples to full books is pretty high. I would estimate that it's at 50%. I should really go back and try to figure it out. But I suspect it's scary high. I've had to restrict myself from getting samples, because the temptation to buy becomes way too strong.
And that means that yes, I'm spending far, far too much money on books. (But! Books! And now I am no longer confined by space on the bookshelves! My books can roam free in the ether!)
The library, you say? Why yes. We have a wonderful library here in Santa Monica that also lets you borrow ebooks. But the other part of my problem is that I like to m guessing that it won't quite work for me because I like to hold on to my contents. They comfort me on a dark night, as I browse through past titles of books I have loved, liked, and hated passionately (there aren't that many of those but there are a few. FIFTY SHADES, I'M LOOKING AT YOU.) My preciousssss...
I warily checked out Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's new book streaming service. Book streaming? Books-on-demand? Book subscription? I get one month free. We'll see. I suspect I'll still want to HAVE the books rather than merely have access to them...
As a writer, I confess I'm leary of subscription models for books. I want to be optimistic. I want to embrace the new. But. We'll see.
In the meantime, I have sixteen brand-new samples I've got to get reading, so...
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