How do you guys manage to keep up with buying the books for your collections?

[Rebecca]

Hi All, I just joined this group but I really need some help here please! I am trying to save money but at the same time I am looking at my book series and am wondering however I am going to be able to catch up and have them all purchased and on my shelves. I also have another problem I don't seem to like to buy them second hand I only like buying them brand new and normally fairly close to full price for my books in Australia. Way to expensive for book prices here lol. I also struggle to resist when it comes to buying books and normally don't resist very well when it comes to being able to get books to finish my series.

Anyway what I wanted to ask when you buy the books to complete your series do you ever catch up or own all the books in a series or ever manage to catch up??

And how do you keep up with buying the books so you can finish the series??

As I seem to have this crazy idea in my mind as to the fact that I have to own every book in the series I am collecting so I can read them when I want etc as I like having them all collected and complete on my shelves. But I am starting to wonder if its possible to catch up??

I have pretty much put off buying new books till I can catch up on the series I have but am at the same time trying to save as well lol. If I do have to buy a new series I have started only buying them if they are totally complete so I don't have more books added onto my to finish list.

Right now I have about 20 series complete and 40 more too complete. It seems impossible right now.

But at the same time am also trying to slowly catch up as I like my books new hence why I don't buy any books without the full series being available at the one time right now.

I have also left only the book series I really want on my amazon wishlist along with the few series I just really want in the future hoping to focus on finishing those off. I don't know how I am going to do it with having a limit and trying to save money etc as I want to buy but saving cash for the future is important to me too.

I guess I just have to hope with time I can finish my series and they don't pull the printed copies before I can finish them as it makes me so happy to collect the books and have them all neatly displayed on my shelf.

Just please let me know I am not alone here? Tell me I am not the only one with this problem lol

Thanks and look forward to hearing from others.

[Lin]

I used to be like you but had to make some serious compromises. I use both Goodreads and FuctFact to keep up with the series I follow, what I have read and when new ones are coming out. I follow 184 series at present time, so always buying new is no longer an option. Many release in Hardcover now so those I get from library and wait for reissue in mass market. I also buy a good number of books in e format. When I add a book to my goodreads shelves I make sure that I designate the type book I have, nook, kindle, mass market or read from library.

[Rebecca]

Linda wrote: "I used to be like you but had to make some serious compromises. I use both Goodreads and FuctFact to keep up with the series I follow, what I have read and when new ones are coming out. I follow ..."


Good to know I have basically stopped buying any new series till I can catch up on what I have :) If I just have to buy a new series I buy the whole series at once so I don't have leftovers to collect! I am hoping buy doing it this way that I can slowly catch up and once caught up then I can buy some other books or series that are now complete!

Thanks glad to know I am not alone! Plus I seem to have a real thing against the nook and kindle just for some reason I always love handling paperback books lol

Thanks again

[Lin]

You have to go with what works best for you, what you are comfortable with. Several of my series have reached high numbers now. In Death has over 35, Breeds has over 25, Stone Barrington is over 30, switching one to e has been a saving grace issue for me, lol. I read about 20 books a month, so I get plenty of opportunity to hold printed books as well as one of my e reader, lol

[Rebecca]

Lol fortunately the highest number of books one of my series has is 15 total right now short 5 but wow so good to know I am not alone with this damn book addiction lol :P But you certainly have big series! And you are lucky right now I seem to run short on time to read at times :( So bummed as I love reading and just want to sit and read for hours at a time!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

I don't have much advice - what I do (I don't track as closely as most of you are seeming to for high numbers) - is made a "waiting for release" exclusive shelf here, and I also mainly just track my favorite series. I don't do romance series, I also = depending on level = only semi follow mystery series. I tend to get the next releases in favorite series all at once when I'm in that "genre mood."

I don't buy hardback for series unless they're top favorites if the price is too high. I usually do the paperbacks. I've started some series on ebooks for free, but don't pay for ebooks so that's not as option for me with new books in my series. So this slow down collections too depending on what they're available in.

[sonya]

I dont buy books anymore; i get my books from the library

[Joseph]

The way I manage to collect all the series I want is I make the compromise that if I discover a series that has been going on for a while I go back and buy used copies of the titles that have already come out, then I budget to buy the next in the series new as they come out. Another way I saved money collecting series is I would check out books from the library so I could read the series as it came out, but I would wait until the books were published in paperback before I bought it.

[Lin]

Very rare for me to buy hardcover, they take up too much room on my shelves. Have a really great library system here.

[Louise]

I tend to mostly read short series with 2-4 books, most longer series I find, can't maintain the quality/my interest. I won't buy more than 1-2 books ahead (only exception is the Dresden books by Jim Butcher), but I have a mix of hardbacks, paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks. If there's a series I really love, I'll try to get all the books in a nice edition :-)

[Kathryn]

I'm only following about 4 series - but I always need to make sure that I have the same type of books for each one. I'm really annoyed that my husband has the first few books of the Fire and Ice as paperbacks and the most recent one as a hardback!

[Ashley]

I buy a lot of used books, and so if I get the start of a series in a paperback, and find myself loving the series, I try to buy the rest of the series in paperback as well! It bugs me to have some paperback and some hardback haha. Like others have mentioned, when I new book comes out in the series I'll wait until it's out in paperback before I buy it. Not only does it fit with my collection but it's also a lot cheaper!

[Zouagie]

If i buy a book, and its a series, i need the whole lot. but i tend to wait till its completed before i even start. I HATE finishing a book and then waiting a whole year to read the next part. too complicated. if its a stand alone, even better. No waiting.

[Melissa]

I keep track of the series here on goodreads as to which ones are coming out next, I have a want to buy shelf that I add any books I want to own. (It comes in handy around Christmas when people ask what I want I just print the list!)

If its an older series then its hard to collect them new but there are some really good condition books out there at used book stores or online so I usually go that route then depending on the series budget for the new ones coming out. A lot of my series I get from the library when they first come out to read then then wait for the paperback to buy them. saves some money.

[K]

I have started making lists on my phone so that I can keep track, because I always forget to bring my notebooks with me.

[Zouagie]

Kiera wrote: "I have started making lists on my phone so that I can keep track, because I always forget to bring my notebooks with me."

I have to do that now also, not on my phone but on a notebook that I have next to me on my stand. It helps me keep track of what I already have so I won't double buy.