[ad] head to squarespace.com... to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code JACKINTHEBOOKS !! main channel: / thejackexperience Instagram: / jackbenedwards
Jack, you should do a series highlighting world literature by country, like JACK READS KOREA, JACK READS SOUTH AFRICA, JACK READS BRAZIL (I can help with that one!). In each video you could present some authors, fiction and non fiction, etc. It would be everything!
In most bookstores, paperback books here in Singapore can range from $20 to $28 depending on the title. so that means hardbacks can easily hit the range between mid 30 to 40 dollars....Thus, this is why I frequently visit the local library instead of buying books HAHAHA deeply jealous of those who can buy books at a cheaper price :') I definitely get the joy you felt when you could thrift books instead
@@faitharu wow!! based on what you've mentioned, if I convert that into SGD, that would be around $25-32 for hardbacks. Oh to pay that price for a hardback would be a dream 😭
I think translation also contributes to that price. In Hungary, books are more expensive than in the UK (those that are translated) too I think because of that reason :). The size and cover of the books are different too so the price reflects that
@@fatimej4286Not sure how much of a thing that is - in the UK, at least, translated literature (e.g. from Japanese authors) is no more expensive than books written in English. One important thing though is that in the UK books are exempt from VAT (sales tax). Which is not the case in many other countries and can make a difference.
there’s a recycled bookstore in my college town that’s just massive (literally three levels), i’ve spent an ungodly amount of money there. jack, once you start thrifting books you just don’t stop
Jack, try also looking for Friends of the (Public) Library sales that raise money for libraries. Out here in CA, we are surrounded by these type sales and you can get books for a fraction of the cost. Also look for “free libraries” which are old newspaper dispensers that have been converted into a depository for used books by readers in the community. I hardly ever pay full price for a book, unless it’s a cookbook.
Approximately 75% of my books are thrifted or purchased during some kind of sale (like B&N's 50% off promo). I've also found a lot of books in almost new condition from my local library's used book sales. I usually only pay full price if I'm visiting an indie bookshop that I want to support. But if I'm buying new books online I always compare the US vs UK prices. They are usually so much cheaper in the UK that I just end up ordering from there. I love Blackwells because they include free shipping to the US.
The UK is very cheap for books! I'm Dutch and recently went bookshopping in London and I was shooketh by how cheap they were. I've been to the UK many times before, but never had the chance to shop for books, and I had no idea! I'm surprised this is the first time you've mentioned books being more expensive in other countries, because pretty much all countries around the UK are more expensive than the UK. Next time I'm in the UK, I'm bringing an empty bag just for books, that's for sure 😂
To compare: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, hardback, is €32,95, so around $36USD, $49CAD. On the Waterstones websites it's listed for £12,50, which would be about €14, $15USD, $20CAD.
@@ChemicalPenguinn I put in a pretty big order from Waterstones when I got back and even with import costs it was still so much cheaper than buying here 😂 idk how it works, but it worked. And if you buy IN the UK, they have no proof you bought it there when you travel back home, so as long as the journey doesn't cost too much (or you're already traveling there for some other reason), it'll still be cheaper!
I looked this up after buying books so much cheaper in the UK. I’m from the US. The basic reason is that the UK does not require retailers to follow the recommended retail price by publishers for books, and more importantly, no VAT is applied to books. So you don’t get taxed and the sale price is very likely lower than the list price.
Ahhhh, the Guncle is one of my recent finishes!! I listened on audio, which definitely added to the experience - I was not expecting to be SO impressed with how discussing death/grief/anxiety/feelings with children was represented, excellent read for sure
I love charity shops, I buy most of my books from them now 😊 my concern for Jack is how he’s going to get all those books home to the UK when he eventually moves back 😂😂
That's what I think every time he buys more (I say as I look at the huge pile of books I have bought on my study abroad semester in the UK and have no idea how I'm getting back).
hear me out: a book about a book lover who meets the love of their life through the books that are donated in their local thift shop, and slowly falls in love with them without meeting in person
the way $26 for a hardback seems cheap to me as a Canadian LOL that's the price of our paperbacks 😭 hardbacks here are usually like $35, more if they're new releases
Books are so pricy in Canada too. Hardback for 40$, it hurts :') And that is if you read in english, because if you read in french (or other language) you can add 10 $ to the pricetag. That's why i read in english even tho i'm french canadian.
i'm currently reading Joan is okay and i'm loving it!! it's just so comforting to read about some else's experiences with dealing with immigrant parents and losing a loved one in another country
You don’t understand how excited I got when you mentioned you went to housing works. I live in NYC and most of my books are from thrift stores like Housing Works. The other day, the one on East 90th had a sale $1 paper backs and $2 hardcovers and it was the best day. It’s such a great way to make reading accessible AND support such an important cause.
I’m that fiction reader in my hood- we have what’s called free little libraries, which are like cute wooden mailboxes to leave/take a book & I leave a lot of newer stuff and get excited to come back and see they’ve been taken .
Please make a book recommendation video to help us buy books for Christmas with very specific demands (a book about music and London, but for someone that hated Open Water 👀 etc!!) 🎁🎄
New books are so expensive in the US that the last new one I remember paying full price for is The Time Traveler's Wife back around 2003. And I DNF-ed it! I buy books "on clearance", in thrift stores, used online, or as cheap ebooks.
Yeah, I feel like I have to take out a small loan just to buy recently released books in the U.S. If you are in the Tennessee or North Carolina areas, however, I highly recommend making a visit to McKay's. It's a used bookstore that sells just about anything entertainment related: books, DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs, manga, trading cards, electronics, etc. Prices for the used items are usually pretty fair and even some of the newly released items are at discounted prices. They have locations in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro.
yes it's so crazy how much more books are in the US :( when I went to the UK i was genuinely shocked as to how much cheaper the books were even taking into account the conversion rate
Our libraries here in the Seattle area have library book sales, they are donated books and discontinued books. Some are often in great condition or barely used, and the library only charges 25 cents for paperback and 50 cents for hardcover. I’m amazed at what I’ve found for so cheap.
We didn't know to warn you! Why didn't you tell us how inexpensive your books have been this whole time in the UK - that was the shock to me! 😂 ETA: They don't have stores everywhere, but if you live in the states, I recommend Half Price Books for used book shopping. I always find great stuff for great prices. They have by far the most locations in Texas, but they have a smattering of locations in other states too, so it's worth checking on their website. I used to live around a couple and now miss them dearly - I usually make a point to stop if I am going to be passing through or near a city that has one 😅
having never been to the uk, I've always assumed the uk price listed next to the us price on books was indicative of the exchange rate. had no idea we were paying more!
so you pay $250 for ten hardcover books in the us?? In germany you'd get ten hardcovers for 146€/$160😭 The fact that I related when people here said they couldn't afford books, like i wasn't paying a fraction of your prices for a paperback💀
Reading the comments I had no idea books were that expensive outside of the UK! The cheapest new books I've found in the UK is Fopp. The London branch is in Covent Garden and paperbacks are 2 for £7 or 1 for £4. They have a brilliant selection but I'd say specialise in modern classic fiction & non-fiction.
I absolutely love Jack's videos. I have been following him for years. Great video, Jack! Keep up the great work... and it was such a blast to see you host the Booker live 🥳🎉🎉
This is the video I've been waiting for! I love charity shops for books! My recent aquisitions have been "Beautiful World Where Are You" by Sally Rooney, "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" by Shehan Karunatilaka, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" by Gabrielle Gevin and "Best of Friends" by Kamilla Shamsie. I paid less than £10 for all of those books together. It would be good to see a UK vs US charity/thrift shop book-off!
$26 is pretty good for a hardcover too! Usually I saw them for like 28 ish, sometimes they’d go up to 32 for bigger or more popular books. Imagine my shock when I moved and suddenly books are reasonably priced?????
Some books are around £22 in the uk too (depending on the book and who the author is). But yeah that’s on the more expensive side. I think the average is around £18. In theworks you can get books for really cheap. 3 books for £6 and certain romance/ popular fiction books start as little as £3/book (max £5-£6)
I get the shock from british book prices to american ones, but its literally so so expensive in norway its crazy. I regualrly buy pocket books for 20 ish pounds, and hardcovers are usually out of the question since they are like 40-50 pounds. The worst part is that there are no good book thrift shops either... so youre basically screwed when youre a reader here.
Nothing To See Here sounds like the perfect blend of the heartwarming whimsical books I liked as a kid and the introspective character study type books I read now I'm so excited to give it a read
Would also highly recommend visiting Book Thug Nation (more used books) and McNally Jackson (more new books) in Williamsburg! They're around the block from one another and both have great vibes :)
I very rarely buy my books new. Most of my books come from Goodwill where the books are $2 for paperback or $3.50ish for hardback. However if you want to buy a lot of great books for $2.00 or less, go to your local library book sale. If the library has a donor tier system become a donor because quite often there is a donor night & you can shop before the general public. It's a win win all around. You get a lot of good books inexpensively & also supports the local library.
Your friend might be interested in actor Andrew Rannells’ new autobio Uncle of the Year- I haven’t personally read it but I’ve read his first autobio and really liked it!
looking at the comments and videos it is literally shocking me about book costs. In India hardcovers are maximum around 12 usd but also can be as cheap as 5usd. also paperbacks are usually 6ish usd but if u buy it from open shops it can be as cheap as a dollar. how are yall living?!!!!
Man ik the feeling bout how expensive books are in America I'm from Dublin, Ireland but the books are worth saving money for and Walmart has great selection of books I recently bought 11 new books 📚. Love your videos and I'm currently writing 5 different genres since 2022 still working progress mate. I'm also currently reading 3 books
If you do any traveling around the US i recommend looking for cities that have Half Price Books locations. Theyre mostly in the south/southeast but if you find yourself near one they have great prices and selection/condition of used books. I had to move away from that part of the country, i miss living right near HPB!
WHAT 😲 I live in Italy and let me tell you the prices for books here (especially English ones) are much closer to those in the US than the UK prices like a hardback for around 15€??? Man I wish
I went to a thrift shop this week! It was great I got two books for 30sek (around 3 dollars). One is The summons by John Grisham and the other one is Play dead by Harlan Coben. I love thrift shops!
After Sappho was the BEST find of the past few years. I loved it SO MUCH... I kept thinking, whenever i watched your videos, this guy has never talked about After Sappho... he has missed THE book . hahahah i'm so excited about you reading it soon
18£ = $22 usd ... it's a $4 difference... While I agree, thrift books please because so many books end up in landfil, the price difference between the uk and the US is not that big .... Canadian here being charge $35+ for a hardback book. 🙃 and being shown the us price above the cnd price just to rub it into the wound more
Love a secondhand book and these are such good finds! I just picked up Joan is Okay at a Little Free Library and couldn't believe my luck. The word Guncle makes me cringe, but I really enjoyed Rowley's newest book The Celebrants, so I might have to suck it up and give The Guncle a go
If the US prices look like too much then don’t come to Canada lmao. Here it’s $20-30 for paperbacks, and $35-50 for hard backs 🥲 only time you might find something under $20 is if you catch a sale or buy a penguin classic edition of something
I litterly got almost the entire collection of Virginia Woolfs diaries + Virginia Woolf Congenial Spirits Selected Letters for free today. Gotta love those free *give and take* bookshops😭 It is estimated to cost around 166 $, its to good to be real
Books are so expensive in Latin America 😢😢😢 bookdepository (rip) and thrift stores are the only affordable options. I mostly buy *second hand* in online shops and yet it's SO HARD to find anything that's affordable 😂 and I'm talking about thrifted books
The Guncle is hilarious and heartwarming. If you enjoy it, you'll have to read Steven Rowley's new release called The Celebrants. I loved both so much!
jack, you said books in the us are expensive than in the uk but wait until youre in malaysia. seeing the price here makes me want to quit the loml 😭 even tho i work at my campus parcel center, buying a book still isnt enough after a few hours shift smh. and then seeing the price difference between $, £ and RM makes me want to jump off a mountain
you can find some good gems in general op shops, just not nearly as many depending on how big it is. Definitely worth popping in as you pass them just in case you find a good one!
in bookstores here and online, avg price of a hardcover book in New Zealand is 20 - 30 USD ($30-50 NZD) and they are very rare :( Paperbacks aren't much better. don't even get me started on shipping prices - probably almost the same as the price of the book i find 😂 libraries are fantastic :)
The US price for a hardcover book sounds normal to me as a German - unfortunately, they're expensive 😬 I didn't know that books are that cheap in the UK, but that explains why you don't thrift them more 😅 I mainly buy books used, or use public bookshelves :)
lol, come to Australia! I get excited when a paperback (not new release) is $12!!!! Secondhand books are essential over here, but it’s hard to get recent releases, especially in rural areas
book "thrifting" rec! See if there is a "friends of the library" type store near you, its like donated books the local library system can't use and all profits go back into the libraries!
Its crazy that second hand books are like the price of a brand new book in the uk. I normally go to second hand shops and the books cost between like 50p and £2.50. though that bookshop is soooooo good
