Cheap books. We all love it when books are on sale, or there are amazing deals meaning we can consume more of what we love. But what is it actually costing us in the process, aside from saving a few pennies?
We all know that (most) books are fundamentally good for us. They allow us to be progressive, lending so much to the development of both individuals and society – to our morals, our understanding of the world around us, and our entertainment. They provide spaces to approach taboo topics, to have deep and meaningful discussions with our peers, and an escape from difficult situations.
If you’re a book lover, I also don’t need to remind you of the joy of walking into a bookstore and browsing for hours, flicking through pages, smelling the paper, or being drawn to an extremely pretty cover as you’re passing the shelves.
I recently read this post on medium.com, which reports that Amazon is on track to own 85% of the publishing/book market by 2025. This is absolutely astonishing and needless to say harmful to all of the well-established and indie bookstores that we know and love.
In 2021, Amazon’s profits from book sales reached $280 billion dollars, and every year their book-based profits increase by 8%. This doesn’t sound like much, does it? But what if I told you that 8 percent is equivalent $22.4 billion dollars? Scary, right?
Not only is this bad for the physical bookstores because their entire livelihood depends upon people purchasing books from them, but this is also catastrophic for authors.
As Andy Hunter writes in the article:
‘Authors and publishers need to worry. Once Amazon dominates 80% of the book market, who are authors working for? Authors will effectively be producing content for Amazon to sell on commission, and Amazon will have control over the terms.’
Of course, we’re also all aware that authors rely on their readers in order to make a living, as without readers their entire purpose becomes obsolete. However, it’s very easy to underestimate the power that bookstores have in growing an author’s fanbase and helping them to acquire new audiences. From book signings, Q&A events, interviews, and even the promotional tables such as ‘our bookseller’s favourites’ that you see when you enter the doors… all of it is essential to the author’s livelihood.
And, it is also vital to us as readers. How many events have you attended at a bookstore where you’ve made friends with somebody whilst waiting in line? How many times have you recommended a book to somebody else whilst you’re browsing the shelves? How many times have you been recommended a book by the booksellers because they think you might enjoy based on the pile of books that you’ve brought to their till?
Bookstores are crucial in shaping the communities of readers and non-readers alike.
‘Every bookstore is an activist for the importance of books in our culture; they are fertile grounds where all kinds of wild narratives are nurtured and grow.’
I will admit, that I am no saint. I have spent more than my fair share of pennies buying books on Amazon. It’s relatively easy to do when you have the app right there and you can get Prime delivery so the book will be on your doorstep the next day. It’s easy to do when they offer great deals or the prices are so cheap that you can’t believe how many books you can get –’you’d never get this many in a bookstore,’ you think to yourself. And you’re right. But in saving even just a tiny bit of money, you’re sacrificing your experience.
So, how can we save our beloved bookstores and everything they represent?
Shop small. Shop indie. Shop physically. Buy secondhand books. Thrift them from your local charity shops. Even purchasing them from your local supermarket makes a world of difference!
I’m not saying to boycott Amazon, because I know that most people have e-readers like a Kindle (I do!), and of course, Kindle is an Amazon-owned company, so I would be an utter hypocrite if I told you to avoid it completely. But where you can, when it comes to physical books, use Amazon as your last and final resort.
In order to help you, I have compiled a list of shops and websites that you can use as an alternative to Amazon! I have also included the websites for the physical bookshops if they have them (the exception being places like 66 books)
Bookshops:
With its flagship store at the heart of Central London on Shaftesbury Avenue, the cult TV megastore sells not only merchandise from a million and one-hit television shows and films, but also carries an enormous selection of books!
If you’re looking for books that are specifically science-fiction, fantasy or horror, then this is 10/10 the place to shop! In fact, this is always my go-to before venturing to other places such as Waterstones.
Not only are the prices great in here because they tend to run quite a few offers but they also carry signed editions too!
Though, I will say that my favourite reason to venture to Forbidden Planet for some books is purely the fact that I’m a floppy paperback girl through and through, and the majority of the books on the shelves (if not hardbacks) are floppy paperbacks! (If you’re a reader, and I’m assuming you are, you’ll know how exciting and appealing this is!).
Blackwell’s is an independent bookshop (now owned by Waterstones), offering a wide variety of books from mainstream fiction, to more indie publications that are perhaps harder to find. Its flagship store is located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, but there are also 17 other locations throughout the UK, including Cambridge, Edinburgh, Exeter and London.
One of the things I love most about Blackwell’s is that they often stock international editions of books which is wonderful for a bibliophile like me if I’m looking for a specific (or very pretty) cover, that all of my international Bookstagram friends have (such as Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren).
It’s also handy because even though their prices are slightly higher than some other independent bookshops, it means that I don’t have to sell an organ in order to be able to afford the extortionate costs incurred from shipping the book from overseas.
Heffers
Heffers is an independent Blackwell’s-owned bookshop located in the heart of Cambridge. Interestingly, there is no online site for Heffers through which you can buy books, meaning that if you’re after a copy of something from this bookstore, then you’re going to have to venture out in person!
In some respects, I love and admire this because it’s all too easy to forget how wonderful in-person book shopping can be; but then again, with life sometimes being so chaotic and barely finding the time to do all of the things I need to do, let alone want to do, being able to purchase books with the click of a button and have them delivered straight to my doorstep is utterly convenient.
For me, The Works is always a top priority when it comes to finding books at bargain prices, and it seems like it’s hard not to find a store these days as they are seemingly popping up everywhere! Of course, it isn’t actually a bookstore, but a discount retailer, so alongside the wonderful reads lining the shelves, you’ll also find arts, crafts, and stationery supplies.
But, perhaps the major perk about shopping for books in the The Works is the 3 for £6 offer (used to be 3 for £5… bloody inflation!). A lot of the books included also tend to be popular reads circulating through BookTok – such as those by Colleen Hoover, Lauren Asher, and Hannah Grace. So, if you’re after something that it seems like everybody else is reading and you don’t want to spend a fortune on it, then The Works would be my top recommendation!
66 Book Club
66 Book Club (also known as 66 Books) is an independent book wholesaler operating out of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. It is only open to the general public for one weekend every month, but covers two floors, and you’ll find hundred upon hundreds of books at super cheap prices! Even allotting three hours to browse the books is not nearly enough time, because of the sheer magnitude of stock that they have – but it’s well worth a visit if you’re looking for some amazing, hot-off-the-press reads!
Oxfam Bookshops
So, we all love a charity shop bargain, don’t we? While you can find books on the shelves in most regular bookstores, Oxfam has specifically opened branches dedicated to stocking books and music, which is why it’s one of my go-to places. It’s hard to tell what books you’ll find, as a lot of it is down to trends and the likes of individuals discarding what they no longer need or want. But, that’s not to say that you won’t find any current books. It really just depends on what bookstore you visit, and when. In my local Oxfam bookstore, there were dozens of Colleen Hoover books on the shelf, tucked in between authors that I was unfamiliar with, so it sometimes is simply a case of thoroughly scavenging the shelves to see if you can find what you’re after. And of course, as this is is a charity shop, most books will be priced between 50p and £1 (sometimes more), so you can know that your money is going to a worthwhile cause… not to mention feeling less guilty about adding two (or ten) more books to your shelf!
Daunt Books
If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram, you’ll probably have seen this bookstore appear in your feed once or twice, and when you visit, it’s clear to see why. It’s perhaps one of the most aesthetically pleasing and beautiful bookstores I have ever seen, and if I had an infinite amount of time, I would spend it all browsing the shelves.
Though this is more of a high-end bookstore, and the prices can be a little steeper compared to chain bookstores like Waterstones or Foyles etc, it is certainly worth it if you’re looking for something in particular. One of the fantastic things about Daunt Books is that it tends to carry a lot of special and signed editions, so if you’re hunting down a present for somebody (or yourself) and you can’t seem to find what you’re looking for, this is certainly a good point of call.
And, to be honest, even if you don’t end up purchasing anything, the aesthetic and instagrammable interior is worth it on its own!
Online bookshopping:
Of course, we all know how convenient Amazon is. With Prime, you can order a book online and have it delivered the following day, or even the same evening if you’re lucky! And, you can do it all from the comfort of your sofa while binge watching your favourite show. There’s no need to spend hours in a painful queue, or even step outside at all (which is utterly wonderful when it comes to buying books as presents as Christmastime, because who needs that chaos?!)
So, for those of you who like the ease of shopping online and don’t feel like venturing into physical bookstores, here are some alternatives to Amazon where you can purchase your books online (and often even with better deals and discounts too!)
I know that the majority of this post is probably wishful thinking as Amazon is multi-billion conglomerate, and the ease of which you can purchase millions of items – including books – is appealing to everybody. People are not going to stop shopping on Amazon, no matter how much you tell them to and I think I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I stated that, because I continue to shop on Amazon on a frequent basis, especially if I need something urgently. Not to mention the discounts there are too good to turn down on days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
But this post is not about boycotting Amazon completely. It’s about trying to fuel us as book lovers and buyers to make the conscious decision to shop for books in the physical world – whether it be in Waterstones, Foyles, independent bookshops, or through thrifting secondhand. It’s about using Amazon as they very last resort if you cannot find what you’re looking for at a reasonable price and good quality elsewhere. It’s about preserving physical bookshopping so that the joy and nostalgia of walking into a store and smelling the pages, meeting others in the book community through events and signings, or seeing a title glimmering on the shelf that catches your eye, is felt by generations to come.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
thebecksedit.co.uk 