My mom and I are avid readers. If the number of books that we had out at my mom's last yard sale are any indication, we probably spend more money on books than we do on clothes or groceries. We don't just buy paperbacks either; we buy the hardbacks when we can't wait for our favorite authors' newest books to make it to paperback. The only problem with buying books, paperback and hardback alike, is that we are never able to recoup what we spend on them. No one wants to pay more than a quarter for a paperback at a yard sale, and most of the time we're lucky if we can get twice that amount for a hardback, no matter how pristine its condition. Ninety percent or more of the books usually make their way back into my mom's garage, where they sit in plastic storage bins or laundry baskets until the next yard sale or until she finally gives up on selling them and drops them off at Goodwill.
Obviously, there has to be a better way to fuel our reading addiction without going broke in the process or killing all those trees. The local library isn't the answer. I'm pretty sure that my family is on some type of blacklist there because we've returned one too many books late. I wouldn't even be surprised if sirens went off and we were rushed from both sides by the library police the minute we walked in the front door.
I used to think, "Wouldn't be cool if there was a book version of Netflix, that is, some way to rent a book without having to worry about late fees and due dates?" As it turns out, there already is, a company called BookSwim. BookSwim works in the same manner as Netflix. You go online and create a queue, or a rental pool in BookSwim terms, of books that you want to read. BookSwim then sends you books from the top of your pool. When you're through reading the books, you send them back in the prepaid packaging, and BookSwim sends you the next books on your list. As with Netflix, there are no late fees or due dates, which means that you can take as long or as little as you would like to read the books.
BookSwim doesn't want its customers to be stuck with books that they don't like. As such, all subscription plans that allow you to check out three or more books at a time allow you to keep one book while the remaining books are in transit. If you read a book that you want to keep, you can even go online and purchase the book. There is no need to return it and buy it somewhere else. BookSwim also has a variety of book types available in both hardcover and paperback, from new releases to hard-to-find, older editions.
Right now BookSwim is offering special pricing on the first month of service for new subscribers. For just $9.95 for the first month, you can subscribe to BookSwim's casual reader plan, which allows you to have three books from your pool at a time. After the first month, the casual reader plan costs just $19.98. Other available plans are BookSwim's most popular plan, which allows you to have five books at a time; the big reader plan, which allows you to have seven out; and the family plan, which allows for nine books. The most popular plan, with the promotional discount, costs $12.45 for the first month, $24.97 thereafter. The big reader plan costs $14.94 for the first month and $29.96 thereafter, while the family plan costs $17.44 for the first month and $34.95 thereafter.
BookSwim is running an additional promotion just in time for the holidays. If you purchase a BookSwim gift card of $50 or more, you will receive $5 in BookSwim credit. If you purchase a BookSwim gift card of $100 or more, you will receive $20 in BookSwim credit. Furthermore, BookSwim will plant a tree in your honor with every gift card purchase, regardless of the amount.
To sign up for BookSwim or to learn more about its services, just click on the link in this post or on the BookSwim picture above.
Obviously, there has to be a better way to fuel our reading addiction without going broke in the process or killing all those trees. The local library isn't the answer. I'm pretty sure that my family is on some type of blacklist there because we've returned one too many books late. I wouldn't even be surprised if sirens went off and we were rushed from both sides by the library police the minute we walked in the front door.
I used to think, "Wouldn't be cool if there was a book version of Netflix, that is, some way to rent a book without having to worry about late fees and due dates?" As it turns out, there already is, a company called BookSwim. BookSwim works in the same manner as Netflix. You go online and create a queue, or a rental pool in BookSwim terms, of books that you want to read. BookSwim then sends you books from the top of your pool. When you're through reading the books, you send them back in the prepaid packaging, and BookSwim sends you the next books on your list. As with Netflix, there are no late fees or due dates, which means that you can take as long or as little as you would like to read the books.
BookSwim doesn't want its customers to be stuck with books that they don't like. As such, all subscription plans that allow you to check out three or more books at a time allow you to keep one book while the remaining books are in transit. If you read a book that you want to keep, you can even go online and purchase the book. There is no need to return it and buy it somewhere else. BookSwim also has a variety of book types available in both hardcover and paperback, from new releases to hard-to-find, older editions.
Right now BookSwim is offering special pricing on the first month of service for new subscribers. For just $9.95 for the first month, you can subscribe to BookSwim's casual reader plan, which allows you to have three books from your pool at a time. After the first month, the casual reader plan costs just $19.98. Other available plans are BookSwim's most popular plan, which allows you to have five books at a time; the big reader plan, which allows you to have seven out; and the family plan, which allows for nine books. The most popular plan, with the promotional discount, costs $12.45 for the first month, $24.97 thereafter. The big reader plan costs $14.94 for the first month and $29.96 thereafter, while the family plan costs $17.44 for the first month and $34.95 thereafter.
BookSwim is running an additional promotion just in time for the holidays. If you purchase a BookSwim gift card of $50 or more, you will receive $5 in BookSwim credit. If you purchase a BookSwim gift card of $100 or more, you will receive $20 in BookSwim credit. Furthermore, BookSwim will plant a tree in your honor with every gift card purchase, regardless of the amount.
To sign up for BookSwim or to learn more about its services, just click on the link in this post or on the BookSwim picture above.
