Who's Your Author? discussion

Just wondering how many of you pre-order books and where do you usually get them from?

I pretty much never pre-order a book because I always assume that if I pre-order it I probably wont get it until several days after the release date. Versus if I just go to the store on the release date, there it is!

Any advice on pre-ordering though? Is there a company that typically gets it to you on the date of release, or is it always after? And if it's the date of release, do you have to pay for overnight shipping?

I do pre-order a lot, but mostly because there are no booksellers closer to me than one hour away. Some local booksellers have tried to make a go of it, but they never last long. The closest B&N and Borders are an hour away in either direction. Honestly, on most work days, I don't have time to fit a trip like that in my schedule!

So, if my local Wal-Mart doesn't carry the book I want, I order it. The Wal-Mart is good about carrying the big names like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Linda Howard, Christine Feehan, Gena Showalter, Charlaine Harris, JD Robb, etc., but anythinge else is a toss up.

I end up doing most of my ordering from Amazon. I have gotten some refunds by using their pre-order guarantee, where they refund you the difference if your item's price decreases between the time you order and the release date. I don't end up waiting too long for my stuff, either. I usually get a notice that my orders ship the day before or of its release date. I think they have a distribution center in my region, so that may help ship times.

I've used B&N and Borders for pre-orders, but it seems like they take forever to ship and arrive. I don't think I'd recommend them unless you were getting a really good member discount and weren't chomping at the bit to get your book.

I pre-order some. I recommend it especially for paperbacks or authors like Gena Showalter. I know, I have several times gotton and finished one of Rachel Vincent, Gena Showalter, and Richelle Mead's books before the release date. Hardbacks especially, are cheaper to pre-order and make up the difference in shipping/ cost to drive to the bookstore.

I live in a large metro area, so there are lots of bookstores around. However, I buy almost all my books online. I pre-order a lot and buy primarily from Amazon & BAMM. BAMM frequently ships well in advance of a books release date. I've gotten some books from them as much as 2 weeks early. Lately I've been buying more from Amazon due to their price guarantee and really low prices on books I've been waiting for. CHANGES, the new Harry Dresden, arrived on Thursday which was only 2 days after the release date and I paid $9.99 for it. I almost never start a book the day I get, except for the Sookie books, so to get a price like that getting it 2 days after release was just fine with me. I paid $13.00 for SILVER BORNE and also had it 2 days after release. I rarely buy from B&N, unless I have a gift card. I got HOLLY BLUES from them with a gift card and was really surprised when they sent it over a week early. I had it read before what was its listed release date.

I tend to pre-order from Amazon to start with as they'll give me an estimated dispatch/delivery date (usually on or before release date) and will email me if they can't make the date. If I'm desperate for the book, nearer the time of release I'll check Book Depository and other websites to see who can deliver it to me first and if I'm dying for it I'll pay next-day delivery charges.

Note: Book Depository is great for low prices and shipping. However, if you live in the U.S it can take up to 10-14 days to get a book.

I placed my first order with the Book Depository they ship out faster than Amazon's free shipping. So it took the same amount of time as Amazon does to get to my house (Ca, US).

Borders is great for pre-orders. A lot of them are 33-46% off if you pre-order. In fact all the ones I've been pre-ordering were 46% off. I don't pay for shipping because I have them delivered to the store near me.

Typically I do not pre-order, I love going to the book store and buying my new book. I feel like I have a prize LOL

I preorder because I don't have a bookstore nearby. I usually go with Amazon, however I've had several friends tell me that got their books sooner with Barnes & Noble. B&N released paperbacks before release day. I'm thinking of giving them a try.

I pre-order some, because the bookstores are way across town and I don't get that way often. (The one nearest me closed!) The other stores, like Wal-mart and Target etc, don't always get new books out the day they come out. So, I just wait and actually I pay less ordering them from my bookclub!

I usually don't pre-order books unless I've already started the series & I've read the last book. When I do pre-order a book I get it from Amazon because I have Amazon Prime & a ton of Amazon gift certificates. Most of the time though I usually end up waiting to see if it gets included in Amazon's 4 for 3 special. I recently pre-ordered Changeless & the Mage in Black from them & recieved them on their release date.

I really don't have any bookstores close my house except BAM, which I really hate. Their selection stinks & they don't offer any coupons. There is a Borders close to my office & I go there sometimes when I have a coupon, but that particular store rarely has books on the release date.

I pre-order books in a series I'm usually reading and if I'm up to dat with the sereis.

I pre-ordered Lover mine from Book depostory and got an email saying that they were procesing it for despatch! That is two weeks earlier than the US and about a month earlier than the UK (where I live!!!)

Gem H aka *Dhelirious* wrote: "I pre-order books in a series I'm usually reading and if I'm up to dat with the sereis.

I pre-ordered Lover mine from Book depostory and got an email saying that they were procesing it for despa..."

Amazon is selling LOVER MINE for $9.99 for anyone who's interested!

Not for everyone, but I do alot of online shopping and a huge amount of Amazon shopping, especially for Christmas and gifts -- beyond books. If you are a "Prime" Amazon member ($60 yearly fee), you get free 2-day shipping and Amazon always ships the day of purchase and I usually receive it the day after (in 1 day) but never more than 2 day. But paying the yearly $60 fee is less expensive than paying shipping and taxes year round since I do all my shipping on line. :) And for the most part you don't have to pay taxes on Amazon (changes slightly with the new Agency model publishers are forcing on vendors)

So when I have done pre-orders through Amazon, I have gotten the book the day before release date.