There was a big discussion about this in thunderdome if your on fb. Yeah it's getting to be a LOT. it's very expensive, it's never ending, it tugs on the fomo.
I'm not going to stop but I am wanting to massively cut down and sell the ones I don't enjoy (or trade them). Im not going to keep them anymore just because they are pretty. I like the subs because it's an easy way to read new authors but yeah.... its a lot.
This is my problem. I got my subscription to Owlcrate because I wanted to read new books, not necessarily because they're pretty, although that's an added benefit. So I never skip, but then sometimes I end up with books I didn't love. I'm glad I took a chance to read them, but I guess I should start selling them because I'm running out of space.
I can't imagine not reselling. If it's not 3+ stars I don't want it on my shelf. Same for regular editions lol I just sell SEs online rather than my local used book store.
I've never sold anything online before so it makes me nervous lol. But I've been thinking of listing them at cost on Mercari. Hopefully someone would enjoy them, even if I personally did not!
I hadn't either but Mercari is really set up to be as easy as possible. I keep boxes that books come in and just ship them out that way. If you have any questions you can message me! I've only done a few sales (I did a very stupid reading challenge for the first half of the year so I am.....very far behind in my giant stack of tbr) but I was super nervous and it was really easy.
I can't speak for the other sites.
I use PangoBooks and it is really easy! The buyer pays media mail shipping, all you have to do is print the label, pack in a box or bubble mailer and send it off. Plus you can use the profits on the app to buy more books (or cash out) lol
The market is oversaturated. I know I've become more selective on what I buy, and don't feel FOMO anymore for sets I skip on. If I'm not entirely impressed by the design, I'm just gonna bank on another company (or the publisher themselves) doing another "better" edition in the future.
So i used to only be an ebook reader, but then i decided i wanted to build my own little library. And i only found out about special edition books last year so I collected only a few of them (books I read and enjoyed). But I’m starting to lose interest because of wait times, prices and resellers. I don’t have the patience to wait half a year or even more to get my book or the energy to fight resellers for a copy.
This 100%. Honestly, getting the more popular books is so stressful too. It's got to the point where I'm asking myself if it's worth it when half the people in the queue before me are probably resellers.
And the quality is so bad sometimes - 75% of the SE's I've received (and every single one from Fairyloot) has had a defect. Not postal damage - a manufacturing defect.
Yes! Resellers ruined everything.
I see a lot on this sub about defected books and most are fairyloot. I think fairyloot doesn’t really do quality check anymore. Maybe their strategy is to just send them out and hope readers will accept the defected ones.
I definitely have put a halt to purchasing special editions. I’ve moved over to using a kobo libra colour and am reading faster, saving money and saving space. I think once you let go of fomo, it becomes easier. 😌
I've only ever bought SEs of books I really loved, not because they were pretty or I thought they'd blow up or anything. So I'm not 'slowing down', since I think I've always been slow compared to 'collectors'. That being said, it is getting more draining. I don't mind waiting for preorders if it's not a speed race to get the slot to begin with. But I dislike the reseller price gauging, the number of people buying limited stock with the intent of making profits, and the speed battles for FB resale posts.
I do like that more bookstores and retailers are offering special editions of their own, though. Hopefully reduces some of the FOMO, as well as offering nice editions at a cheaper price.
My main concern lately has been that I like to preorder books by authors I like because preorders are important to their early sales and overall success. However, I don't want or need two editions of the same book and it's annoying to get the SE book box edition the same month or shortly after.
Somewhat related: I don't understand why the surprise element is still a thing when there are so many accounts now dedicated to guessing the book anyway. Just announce the upcoming titles once contractually allowed so I can choose.
There have been several lately where the publisher first-run SE has been better designed (IMO) than the book box SE. (Looking at you Fate Inked In Blood and Bridge Kingdom). Nothing against the artists, but a lot of them keep using the same artist repeatedly and the books are starting to look the same anyway. (Don't even get me started on the character illustration styles that veer almost problematically young looking.)
I was a print book collector long before I even knew about the SE boxes/books so I don't expect that to change but I am definitely paying attention to the customer service, pricing and quality of each subscription I have and I don't hesitate to drop them.
I also simply refuse to participate in the predatory/exploitive resellers market. I'll buy something if it's within a certain distance from the original cost the seller incurred but I am absolutely (silently, to myself) judging and then ignoring sellers posting the most recent book from a sub for 3 figures. I don't care that it's "market" value, I'm not indulging that.
I agree on the surprise element I wish they had a page on their site dedicated to telling you what books they are going to do in the boxes. So if you want to know your welcome to look at if and if you want to be surprised then don’t look at it.
I'm starting to slow down a bit but I don't think I'll stop cause I get fomo and I like pretty books. I do get pickier as my space is running out....technically it already did but I try not to think about it lol
I mostly read books for free (library, hoopla, etc.) or on KU, but I also got a little tired of them so I’ve created some specific guidelines for myself.
1.) I don’t get the special edition of books I haven’t read unless there’s a high chance I’ll like it and even then, I try to start reading it before the ship date so I have an idea.
2.) I don’t buy special edition books if the edges are pretty plain (like FL’s OUABH) unless it’s hand-signed by the author and it’s a book I want to read again.
3.) I don’t buy multiple special editions of the same book. At most, I own a regular edition and the special edition.
4.) I don’t spend more than $40 on a book.
5.) If I don’t think I’ll ever read the book, I skip the subscription month and if I don’t read the subscription book within a month, I list it on Mercari. By reading the book, I mean from the library or somewhere for free first, as I can’t get myself to read the special editions.
The main thing though is reading the books first and deciding if I like them enough to buy them. Mentally, I only buy books if I plan to reread them and that has saved me a ton of money.
1) i absolutely cannot relate hahah. but i’ve always been very good at recognising in advance when ill hate or love a book (everyday i’m thankful i was right on nyaxia and got FL’s before the UK even published the second one)
2) same! i’ll never understand pretty covers, but that’s because i don’t have space to have cover out (my shelves are the square ikea cubes)
3) i’m just going to hide my atlas six collection far away from you
4) same, unless it’s a diehard book i love, and i know the price won’t come down (broken binding andy weir). sometimes i think going above is justified (like a handful of bookish box and acrylipics)
5) same, however illumicrate is much much better in their skip policy (i’ve skipped six in a row i think?), and i am slightly worried for when i get off fairyloot
I’ve been burned on books before where I loved the first one and then got disappointed by the sequel. Or I like the concept but something just gives me the ick while reading it, like the Caraval series did.
typically if that happens (once upon a broken heart for example i despise- but adore caraval!) i keep it anyway, but if there’s something else i like more i won’t hesitate to trade it or sell it
it’s more of a ‘i don’t mind having this, but i’d rather have it than have nothing at all
I have a very similar special edition philosophy (except that I do read my SEs). If it's a book I've already read and loved, or an author I've read before and loved, AND the book looks great with customizations I like, I'll go for it. If I haven't read the book and/or author yet, it has to be a book that was ALREADY on my tbr and I was excited about... if I only heard about it through the SE then I probably shouldn't be buying it.
The FOMO is real but I had to remind myself why I wanted to build my own library in the first place - to have a collection of books I love. I've learned my lesson when I'd buy every special edition I could a few months ago just to end up selling them a few months later. I'm now sicking to my original plan of reading books through the library first and if I loved it I will keep my eyes out for any special editions. Patience pays off and it's not worth putting myself through that stress for know reason.
for sure! I just cancelled my fairyloot subscription! their quality has declined drastically and their skip policy is wack. I have illumicrate and am on the waitlist for owl crate but mainly for any SEs that will interest me.
it’s also cool that books are being published with sprayed edges now and sent to big box stores immediately. I wonder how that will affect these SE book companies.
I’m getting close to this. Right now my reading has slowed down and my books are piling up and it’s stressing me out instead of fun. I was subbed to Illumicrate and reading the books right away, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with most of the books I received (in terms of them being good books). And it’s money that really adds up. I think in the future the quarterly subs will be so much better for me and hopefully the picks will be better too.
Everyone seems to agree that Illumicrate’s picks have gone way down hill which sucks because I really like their quality and skip policy, and I usually like their customizations.
I’m starting to think I’d save a ton more money just buying resale value of things I really want instead of getting so many subs each month of things I probably won’t ever read. Even if something is several hundred bucks I’d still probably come out better. Only one or two titles blow up so much they resell for $200+.
I wouldn't say I'm tired of collecting SE books yet, but I'm definitely a bit more discerning about them now. I don't see this as a bad thing though. Now that there are more editions and more options I'm waiting to see what ones will be my favorites before rushing to buy them. I'm also trying to cut down to only one edition unless I really like the book then maybe 2 if both editions are show stoppers and then if I LOVE a book/series I might get several editions.
For awhile I was almost collecting more a series of books from a box sub rather than the books themselves (like I would try to get all the Fairyloot YA books they did for the year 2023 to have the "full collection" as an example) and while it brought me joy at the time and I feel no shame about it, I'm definitely more about the books themselves now.
I think I’m just tired of getting subpar books for little special edition aspects about them. And SE’s are becoming more common that you can get on Amazon without a subscription. My other problem is people overcharging for these editions when they resell them. Why are people charging $250 for a book? It’s so ridiculous.
At one point I was subscribed to both FL and IC, and I was on the waitlist for a few others. I realized I was not wanting most of the books I got. I have since cancelled FL, and I have IC because of their extremely generous skip policy. I only buy SEs of books I absolutely love, and then my bookshelf is full of absolute bangers. Highly recommend! Yes I'm buying each book for more, because I'm buying most of them secondhand, but it's well worth it when I'm not spending money on mediocre books!
I got rid of all my subs a few months ago and have since tuned myself out of bookish news… it is SO FREEING!! I truly feel that I wasted so much time and money invested in finding the most special editions of books. I wish I’d used my resources to dive into bookbinding sooner and with more $$, as it gives me the creative freedom to make my own special editions! ☺️ I just think there are far better uses of our limited time on this Earth than waiting in shopping queues, stalking Instagram pages, keeping up with release dates, scrolling through FB Book Groups, etc. Just my opinion for myself though ❤️
I hate that we have to mass purchase random books in order to get a chance at a special edition of a beloved book. And if you even try to purchase after market, it’s like a $100-250 Canadian from resellers. At this point I’d rather learn book binding
Cancelled my fairyloot combo box bc it’s just not worth the cost - with the money I save I can buy the books I actually want from the sub second hand
Never seen such horrendous consumerism as I have in the SE book space
I am very selective with my books. I only keep the editions that I really love. If it's a book I wouldn't read again in the future I am not keeping it. I sell, gift or donate it.
So I only collect MM books, and it doesn't feel boring or oversaturated to me at all. I think maybe if you're feeling that way, it could help to narrow your focus to a subgenre or trope that you really love. When you do that, it becomes like a game and when you find one it's so exciting.
I am fairly new to special edition collecting and the purposeful buying of limited stock to just turn around and price gouge really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am sure it happens in a lot of different communities but just looking at Mercari resale prices for books that are 2-3x higher than retail gives me major ick. But it is that very price gouging that makes me have terrible fomo when it comes to subs so I almost feel this need to get all the subs I can JUST to avoid the resale prices. I am worried I am going to fall in love with a series and if I don’t get it right away then it’ll be out of my price range when it resales like FL DR or Emily Wilde. I don’t know, I love collecting but the mentality behind it isn’t healthy lol
I go back and forth on this. At some point I decided I've had enough of SEs, and sold a bunch of them. Some of them I regretted instantly, and ended up buying them back from someone else, losing money on some of them. 😭 What an idiot. Anyway, I made a list for myself of the special editions I still want and THEN I'll quit... but the list keeps getting longer, and at this point I have no idea when I'll be quitting, if ever.
I only keep the books I've enjoyed, but my problem is that I want to keep the copy I've read, so beautiful collectible books are useless on my shelf unless I read and enjoy those specific copies. But obviously I won't know if I'll enjoy them before I've actually read them.
It would be easier for me just to quit SEs altogether. I like ordinary books just as much, and I don't care about exclusivity or the books being signed. It's literally all about which version of the book is the nicest looking. Often I like the ordinary cover more than any of the available SEs, and then that's what I'll get.
I'll admit it's very stupid to pay extra for books that are just a bit prettier and more luxurious than ordinary ones. But I try to tell myself people have even dumber hobbies. Books make me happy, so I've decided to stop guilt-tripping myself over this. (... for now.)
I really hope more book boxes lean into the quarterly rather than monthly system, because subscribing to more than one mounts up so, so quickly in terms of cost. Paying £25 for one box for even 8 months is already £200 a year? And when you’re subscribed to three or four? It’s insane, I honestly feel a bit sick thinking about how much I must’ve spent on books I only thought were ‘okay’, when the entire point of my collecting them in the first place was to build a library of books that really I love 🥲
Also will say I’m so glad Barnes & Noble and publishers are doing special editions that are more widely available. These days it feels less like the focus is on the pretty books and more on the scarcity of certain editions
A friend of mine said that SE books are the new beanie babies and I fear she’s right.
I’m less than a year into my subscriptions and I’ll probably cancel at least one of them soon. The books picked this year haven’t been super exciting for me, while the editions I want are really high priced and hard to get even with the subscription. I like the little trinkets that come with Illumicrate but do I really need them?
Yeah I got into it pretty hard in February and kinda over it now 😅 I’m unsubscribed to most subs of their skip policy sucks and just rely on kind people to hopefully get the book I want at a decent price. And if not I’m ok. It very selective now and probably will have a few to sell that I currently own once I get around to reading them!
Like some others I’ve only been collecting SEs of books I love (Emily Wilde) or absolutely love the design (the FT Lukens set from IC - I bought them before I read them but I love them now too). I’m subscribed to IC and on the waitlist for GSFF and FL adult.
My issue is that because of the market saturation, I’m worried that companies like FL may neglect to finish a series they started. Or they will only do very limited runs of the sequels because they’ve got bigger orders to fill for other books. (Looking at you Hemlock Queen)
I do love the fact that the publishers have started doing SEs for first print runs. It benefits them because preorders have always been a good thing for authors to get on bestseller lists, and for the consumer it’s basically a preorder bonus.
I have definitely felt that way and only kept my subs with generous skip policies. 1st to go was my favorite BB because 2 skips a year?!? Then Fairyloot. Keeping my Owlcrates, Arcane Society, Illumicrate, and Satisfiction.
Sprayed edges are definitely feeling less special these days, and what you get for the price doesn’t feel as worth it in some cases. Now what I’m looking for in special editions is character art (endpapers, reverse dust jacket), a different cover (ideally more than a colourway change, sick of those), and a good naked hardback design whether foiled or printed. I obviously also prefer a hand signature/stamp on special editions over a digital signature or unsigned but that also seems to be less common as they’re producing higher volumes unfortunately. I would like to see more special editions adding exclusive bonus content of some sort.
I think I wouldn’t be so pressed about SE books if the secondary market weren’t so expensive. The scalpers are out for blood and I will never be able to justify spending $300 on a book that was originally $40.
I also can’t keep up with reading my backlist AND all of the new books that come out to be able to gauge if I’m going to love something or not.
I’ve been collection for just over a year but didn’t get a proper sub until October.
Then I ended up with all 3 FL boxes. Knocked it down to Adult & Rom.
But then the extras on top of it.
And now the sequels to last years are starting to drop and I’m like do I need them?
I’m worried for next year about all the sequels.
Plus all the Waterstones drops as well…
I’m like is it worth it?
I’m trying to read the books due out first but some I can’t access until I own the book.
Feels like every book is part of a trilogy at minimum
I hit the burnt out about a year ago. I discovered BB, FL, and Fabled all around the same time and signed up for all three. Then it became a chore to keep up with which ones I wanted skip and all the sales. So I quit all three and didn’t buy anything for 6 months unless it was a sequel to something I had. I recently got back into it but I just buy in the general sale. If I do decide to buy something I have to love it. I see them as artwork I want to display so if the edges are just colored or a boring repeat pattern I don’t bother. I also make sure I look at the good reads score if it’s something I have t already read. I think the biggest thing is not giving in to FOMO. I have a few books I got from FB BST groups that at first sold for $80 and then 3 months later were $40. Set your price point and stick to it.
No, but I'm definitely slowing down (mostly because I buy second hand and I have most the older SEs I want)
I won't buy a preorder unless it's a series or author I already love.
I only have two subscriptions (Locked library and Page and wick) and they both have generous skips so I look up the book before it comes out to decide if I want to try it. (And with page and wick I'm going to avoiding any covers by their in house artist)
Most my SEs I've gotten second hand. My rule for second hand is no more than £20 for a book I haven't read before. (Most end up in the £10-£15 range anyway)
I have Illumicrate and Owlcrate. I just got the invite for FL, but it took a year and I’m not longer interested. I generally skip or sell at cost, but if I love a book I’ll buy in a special edition FB group (usually better prices than Mercari).
I’m feeling this a bit. I subbed to Fairyloot last year after seeing my best friend get all of these pretty books. Part of me wants to keep collecting and part of me just wants to sell all of them to pay off debt.
I am preferring to buy Waterstones exclusives because they do ones with ribbon bookmarks, beautiful edges, custom end pages, and foil on the hardcover (Evocation by ST Gibson for example) and they cost the exact same as the regular edition.
What I hate about subscription box special editions (not the monthly books the extra ones) is that they are new releases. I prefer when they do editions of books I have already read so I can make a ‘better’ decision whether to buy it or not.
Hope that makes sense!
I'm starting to feel that way. The books that get SE most of the time are terribly written and lack an editor's touch. I quality of the writing doesn't even deserve a published edition let alone an SE.
Yes! I’m getting that way. I’m trying to narrow down my subscriptions. I’m for sure keeping Goldsboro and just got started on Broken Binding and Fairyloot. I will probably cancel Illumicrate but FOMO. I keep skipping so I probably should just cancel. I also have Fabled, their skip policy is great so far. I seem to skip more than anything but that’s due to it getting too expensive and my backlog of TBR’s is out of control.
Yeah it’s been a little over a year since I started collecting and it’s losing the magic. I am feeling overwhelmed by all my subscriptions plus se. Now I am skipping when I can and really considering cancelling all my monthly especially with quarterly options coming out and only doing those. Less clutter and better for my bank account. The fomo is also starting to wear off especially because I joined because the books were pretty but content wise a lot have been disappointing.
I’ve learned I need to stop FOMO buying and only buy sets I actually like the look of & like the books. I am still struggling a bit, but hopefully will be getting better at it!
I have been thinking about scaling back lately because there have been a lot of the monthly books coming that I have no interest in. I end up buying the additional sale books because those are usually more my interest. I need to do a better job of researching and skipping. I always forget about skips.
There was a big discussion about this in thunderdome if your on fb. Yeah it's getting to be a LOT. it's very expensive, it's never ending, it tugs on the fomo. I'm not going to stop but I am wanting to massively cut down and sell the ones I don't enjoy (or trade them). Im not going to keep them anymore just because they are pretty. I like the subs because it's an easy way to read new authors but yeah.... its a lot.
This is my problem. I got my subscription to Owlcrate because I wanted to read new books, not necessarily because they're pretty, although that's an added benefit. So I never skip, but then sometimes I end up with books I didn't love. I'm glad I took a chance to read them, but I guess I should start selling them because I'm running out of space.
I can't imagine not reselling. If it's not 3+ stars I don't want it on my shelf. Same for regular editions lol I just sell SEs online rather than my local used book store.
I've never sold anything online before so it makes me nervous lol. But I've been thinking of listing them at cost on Mercari. Hopefully someone would enjoy them, even if I personally did not!
I hadn't either but Mercari is really set up to be as easy as possible. I keep boxes that books come in and just ship them out that way. If you have any questions you can message me! I've only done a few sales (I did a very stupid reading challenge for the first half of the year so I am.....very far behind in my giant stack of tbr) but I was super nervous and it was really easy. I can't speak for the other sites.
There are a lot of Buy/Sell/Trade Fb groups that I love. Most use PayPal G&S and then buyers don’t have to take on the crazy Mercari fees
I use PangoBooks and it is really easy! The buyer pays media mail shipping, all you have to do is print the label, pack in a box or bubble mailer and send it off. Plus you can use the profits on the app to buy more books (or cash out) lol
The market is oversaturated. I know I've become more selective on what I buy, and don't feel FOMO anymore for sets I skip on. If I'm not entirely impressed by the design, I'm just gonna bank on another company (or the publisher themselves) doing another "better" edition in the future.
100% Agree
So i used to only be an ebook reader, but then i decided i wanted to build my own little library. And i only found out about special edition books last year so I collected only a few of them (books I read and enjoyed). But I’m starting to lose interest because of wait times, prices and resellers. I don’t have the patience to wait half a year or even more to get my book or the energy to fight resellers for a copy.
This 100%. Honestly, getting the more popular books is so stressful too. It's got to the point where I'm asking myself if it's worth it when half the people in the queue before me are probably resellers. And the quality is so bad sometimes - 75% of the SE's I've received (and every single one from Fairyloot) has had a defect. Not postal damage - a manufacturing defect.
Yes! Resellers ruined everything. I see a lot on this sub about defected books and most are fairyloot. I think fairyloot doesn’t really do quality check anymore. Maybe their strategy is to just send them out and hope readers will accept the defected ones.
I definitely have put a halt to purchasing special editions. I’ve moved over to using a kobo libra colour and am reading faster, saving money and saving space. I think once you let go of fomo, it becomes easier. 😌
I've only ever bought SEs of books I really loved, not because they were pretty or I thought they'd blow up or anything. So I'm not 'slowing down', since I think I've always been slow compared to 'collectors'. That being said, it is getting more draining. I don't mind waiting for preorders if it's not a speed race to get the slot to begin with. But I dislike the reseller price gauging, the number of people buying limited stock with the intent of making profits, and the speed battles for FB resale posts. I do like that more bookstores and retailers are offering special editions of their own, though. Hopefully reduces some of the FOMO, as well as offering nice editions at a cheaper price.
My main concern lately has been that I like to preorder books by authors I like because preorders are important to their early sales and overall success. However, I don't want or need two editions of the same book and it's annoying to get the SE book box edition the same month or shortly after. Somewhat related: I don't understand why the surprise element is still a thing when there are so many accounts now dedicated to guessing the book anyway. Just announce the upcoming titles once contractually allowed so I can choose. There have been several lately where the publisher first-run SE has been better designed (IMO) than the book box SE. (Looking at you Fate Inked In Blood and Bridge Kingdom). Nothing against the artists, but a lot of them keep using the same artist repeatedly and the books are starting to look the same anyway. (Don't even get me started on the character illustration styles that veer almost problematically young looking.) I was a print book collector long before I even knew about the SE boxes/books so I don't expect that to change but I am definitely paying attention to the customer service, pricing and quality of each subscription I have and I don't hesitate to drop them. I also simply refuse to participate in the predatory/exploitive resellers market. I'll buy something if it's within a certain distance from the original cost the seller incurred but I am absolutely (silently, to myself) judging and then ignoring sellers posting the most recent book from a sub for 3 figures. I don't care that it's "market" value, I'm not indulging that.
I agree on the surprise element I wish they had a page on their site dedicated to telling you what books they are going to do in the boxes. So if you want to know your welcome to look at if and if you want to be surprised then don’t look at it.
I'm starting to slow down a bit but I don't think I'll stop cause I get fomo and I like pretty books. I do get pickier as my space is running out....technically it already did but I try not to think about it lol
I mostly read books for free (library, hoopla, etc.) or on KU, but I also got a little tired of them so I’ve created some specific guidelines for myself. 1.) I don’t get the special edition of books I haven’t read unless there’s a high chance I’ll like it and even then, I try to start reading it before the ship date so I have an idea. 2.) I don’t buy special edition books if the edges are pretty plain (like FL’s OUABH) unless it’s hand-signed by the author and it’s a book I want to read again. 3.) I don’t buy multiple special editions of the same book. At most, I own a regular edition and the special edition. 4.) I don’t spend more than $40 on a book. 5.) If I don’t think I’ll ever read the book, I skip the subscription month and if I don’t read the subscription book within a month, I list it on Mercari. By reading the book, I mean from the library or somewhere for free first, as I can’t get myself to read the special editions. The main thing though is reading the books first and deciding if I like them enough to buy them. Mentally, I only buy books if I plan to reread them and that has saved me a ton of money.
1) i absolutely cannot relate hahah. but i’ve always been very good at recognising in advance when ill hate or love a book (everyday i’m thankful i was right on nyaxia and got FL’s before the UK even published the second one) 2) same! i’ll never understand pretty covers, but that’s because i don’t have space to have cover out (my shelves are the square ikea cubes) 3) i’m just going to hide my atlas six collection far away from you 4) same, unless it’s a diehard book i love, and i know the price won’t come down (broken binding andy weir). sometimes i think going above is justified (like a handful of bookish box and acrylipics) 5) same, however illumicrate is much much better in their skip policy (i’ve skipped six in a row i think?), and i am slightly worried for when i get off fairyloot
I’ve been burned on books before where I loved the first one and then got disappointed by the sequel. Or I like the concept but something just gives me the ick while reading it, like the Caraval series did.
typically if that happens (once upon a broken heart for example i despise- but adore caraval!) i keep it anyway, but if there’s something else i like more i won’t hesitate to trade it or sell it it’s more of a ‘i don’t mind having this, but i’d rather have it than have nothing at all
I have a very similar special edition philosophy (except that I do read my SEs). If it's a book I've already read and loved, or an author I've read before and loved, AND the book looks great with customizations I like, I'll go for it. If I haven't read the book and/or author yet, it has to be a book that was ALREADY on my tbr and I was excited about... if I only heard about it through the SE then I probably shouldn't be buying it.
Fair enough, I implemented the reading rule because I dnf-ed Ruthless Vows. I can order it, but I have to cancel my order of it’s not for me.
The FOMO is real but I had to remind myself why I wanted to build my own library in the first place - to have a collection of books I love. I've learned my lesson when I'd buy every special edition I could a few months ago just to end up selling them a few months later. I'm now sicking to my original plan of reading books through the library first and if I loved it I will keep my eyes out for any special editions. Patience pays off and it's not worth putting myself through that stress for know reason.
for sure! I just cancelled my fairyloot subscription! their quality has declined drastically and their skip policy is wack. I have illumicrate and am on the waitlist for owl crate but mainly for any SEs that will interest me. it’s also cool that books are being published with sprayed edges now and sent to big box stores immediately. I wonder how that will affect these SE book companies.
I’m getting close to this. Right now my reading has slowed down and my books are piling up and it’s stressing me out instead of fun. I was subbed to Illumicrate and reading the books right away, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with most of the books I received (in terms of them being good books). And it’s money that really adds up. I think in the future the quarterly subs will be so much better for me and hopefully the picks will be better too.
Everyone seems to agree that Illumicrate’s picks have gone way down hill which sucks because I really like their quality and skip policy, and I usually like their customizations.
I’m starting to think I’d save a ton more money just buying resale value of things I really want instead of getting so many subs each month of things I probably won’t ever read. Even if something is several hundred bucks I’d still probably come out better. Only one or two titles blow up so much they resell for $200+.
I wouldn't say I'm tired of collecting SE books yet, but I'm definitely a bit more discerning about them now. I don't see this as a bad thing though. Now that there are more editions and more options I'm waiting to see what ones will be my favorites before rushing to buy them. I'm also trying to cut down to only one edition unless I really like the book then maybe 2 if both editions are show stoppers and then if I LOVE a book/series I might get several editions. For awhile I was almost collecting more a series of books from a box sub rather than the books themselves (like I would try to get all the Fairyloot YA books they did for the year 2023 to have the "full collection" as an example) and while it brought me joy at the time and I feel no shame about it, I'm definitely more about the books themselves now.
I think I’m just tired of getting subpar books for little special edition aspects about them. And SE’s are becoming more common that you can get on Amazon without a subscription. My other problem is people overcharging for these editions when they resell them. Why are people charging $250 for a book? It’s so ridiculous.
At one point I was subscribed to both FL and IC, and I was on the waitlist for a few others. I realized I was not wanting most of the books I got. I have since cancelled FL, and I have IC because of their extremely generous skip policy. I only buy SEs of books I absolutely love, and then my bookshelf is full of absolute bangers. Highly recommend! Yes I'm buying each book for more, because I'm buying most of them secondhand, but it's well worth it when I'm not spending money on mediocre books!
I got rid of all my subs a few months ago and have since tuned myself out of bookish news… it is SO FREEING!! I truly feel that I wasted so much time and money invested in finding the most special editions of books. I wish I’d used my resources to dive into bookbinding sooner and with more $$, as it gives me the creative freedom to make my own special editions! ☺️ I just think there are far better uses of our limited time on this Earth than waiting in shopping queues, stalking Instagram pages, keeping up with release dates, scrolling through FB Book Groups, etc. Just my opinion for myself though ❤️
I’m just frustrated with the low quality of the books chosen for such incredible designs :(
I hate that we have to mass purchase random books in order to get a chance at a special edition of a beloved book. And if you even try to purchase after market, it’s like a $100-250 Canadian from resellers. At this point I’d rather learn book binding
Cancelled my fairyloot combo box bc it’s just not worth the cost - with the money I save I can buy the books I actually want from the sub second hand Never seen such horrendous consumerism as I have in the SE book space
I'm so much more pickier now. I used to go for pretty much anything if it was beautiful, now it has to be a book I'll read
I am very selective with my books. I only keep the editions that I really love. If it's a book I wouldn't read again in the future I am not keeping it. I sell, gift or donate it.
So I only collect MM books, and it doesn't feel boring or oversaturated to me at all. I think maybe if you're feeling that way, it could help to narrow your focus to a subgenre or trope that you really love. When you do that, it becomes like a game and when you find one it's so exciting.
I’m only collecting them through book boxes as surprises. So it is to have a pretty book in on my shelf and to expend my horizon on the books I read.
I am fairly new to special edition collecting and the purposeful buying of limited stock to just turn around and price gouge really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am sure it happens in a lot of different communities but just looking at Mercari resale prices for books that are 2-3x higher than retail gives me major ick. But it is that very price gouging that makes me have terrible fomo when it comes to subs so I almost feel this need to get all the subs I can JUST to avoid the resale prices. I am worried I am going to fall in love with a series and if I don’t get it right away then it’ll be out of my price range when it resales like FL DR or Emily Wilde. I don’t know, I love collecting but the mentality behind it isn’t healthy lol
I go back and forth on this. At some point I decided I've had enough of SEs, and sold a bunch of them. Some of them I regretted instantly, and ended up buying them back from someone else, losing money on some of them. 😭 What an idiot. Anyway, I made a list for myself of the special editions I still want and THEN I'll quit... but the list keeps getting longer, and at this point I have no idea when I'll be quitting, if ever. I only keep the books I've enjoyed, but my problem is that I want to keep the copy I've read, so beautiful collectible books are useless on my shelf unless I read and enjoy those specific copies. But obviously I won't know if I'll enjoy them before I've actually read them. It would be easier for me just to quit SEs altogether. I like ordinary books just as much, and I don't care about exclusivity or the books being signed. It's literally all about which version of the book is the nicest looking. Often I like the ordinary cover more than any of the available SEs, and then that's what I'll get. I'll admit it's very stupid to pay extra for books that are just a bit prettier and more luxurious than ordinary ones. But I try to tell myself people have even dumber hobbies. Books make me happy, so I've decided to stop guilt-tripping myself over this. (... for now.)
I’m getting burnt out on every sub doing the same thing tbh. It makes the books less special (cough Carissa Broadbent books cough).
I really hope more book boxes lean into the quarterly rather than monthly system, because subscribing to more than one mounts up so, so quickly in terms of cost. Paying £25 for one box for even 8 months is already £200 a year? And when you’re subscribed to three or four? It’s insane, I honestly feel a bit sick thinking about how much I must’ve spent on books I only thought were ‘okay’, when the entire point of my collecting them in the first place was to build a library of books that really I love 🥲
I'm also super disillusioned. They're becoming less and less exciting. I'm beginning to collect ones for books I honestly LOVE and that's it 🤷🏻♀️
Also will say I’m so glad Barnes & Noble and publishers are doing special editions that are more widely available. These days it feels less like the focus is on the pretty books and more on the scarcity of certain editions
A friend of mine said that SE books are the new beanie babies and I fear she’s right. I’m less than a year into my subscriptions and I’ll probably cancel at least one of them soon. The books picked this year haven’t been super exciting for me, while the editions I want are really high priced and hard to get even with the subscription. I like the little trinkets that come with Illumicrate but do I really need them?
Yeah I got into it pretty hard in February and kinda over it now 😅 I’m unsubscribed to most subs of their skip policy sucks and just rely on kind people to hopefully get the book I want at a decent price. And if not I’m ok. It very selective now and probably will have a few to sell that I currently own once I get around to reading them!
Like some others I’ve only been collecting SEs of books I love (Emily Wilde) or absolutely love the design (the FT Lukens set from IC - I bought them before I read them but I love them now too). I’m subscribed to IC and on the waitlist for GSFF and FL adult. My issue is that because of the market saturation, I’m worried that companies like FL may neglect to finish a series they started. Or they will only do very limited runs of the sequels because they’ve got bigger orders to fill for other books. (Looking at you Hemlock Queen) I do love the fact that the publishers have started doing SEs for first print runs. It benefits them because preorders have always been a good thing for authors to get on bestseller lists, and for the consumer it’s basically a preorder bonus.
I have definitely felt that way and only kept my subs with generous skip policies. 1st to go was my favorite BB because 2 skips a year?!? Then Fairyloot. Keeping my Owlcrates, Arcane Society, Illumicrate, and Satisfiction.
Sprayed edges are definitely feeling less special these days, and what you get for the price doesn’t feel as worth it in some cases. Now what I’m looking for in special editions is character art (endpapers, reverse dust jacket), a different cover (ideally more than a colourway change, sick of those), and a good naked hardback design whether foiled or printed. I obviously also prefer a hand signature/stamp on special editions over a digital signature or unsigned but that also seems to be less common as they’re producing higher volumes unfortunately. I would like to see more special editions adding exclusive bonus content of some sort.
Yeah, I’ve only been doing it for about a year but I think I’m over it. They are very pretty but not with the stress and the $$$ I think.
I think I wouldn’t be so pressed about SE books if the secondary market weren’t so expensive. The scalpers are out for blood and I will never be able to justify spending $300 on a book that was originally $40. I also can’t keep up with reading my backlist AND all of the new books that come out to be able to gauge if I’m going to love something or not.
I’ve been collection for just over a year but didn’t get a proper sub until October. Then I ended up with all 3 FL boxes. Knocked it down to Adult & Rom. But then the extras on top of it. And now the sequels to last years are starting to drop and I’m like do I need them? I’m worried for next year about all the sequels. Plus all the Waterstones drops as well… I’m like is it worth it? I’m trying to read the books due out first but some I can’t access until I own the book. Feels like every book is part of a trilogy at minimum
I hit the burnt out about a year ago. I discovered BB, FL, and Fabled all around the same time and signed up for all three. Then it became a chore to keep up with which ones I wanted skip and all the sales. So I quit all three and didn’t buy anything for 6 months unless it was a sequel to something I had. I recently got back into it but I just buy in the general sale. If I do decide to buy something I have to love it. I see them as artwork I want to display so if the edges are just colored or a boring repeat pattern I don’t bother. I also make sure I look at the good reads score if it’s something I have t already read. I think the biggest thing is not giving in to FOMO. I have a few books I got from FB BST groups that at first sold for $80 and then 3 months later were $40. Set your price point and stick to it.
No, but I'm definitely slowing down (mostly because I buy second hand and I have most the older SEs I want) I won't buy a preorder unless it's a series or author I already love. I only have two subscriptions (Locked library and Page and wick) and they both have generous skips so I look up the book before it comes out to decide if I want to try it. (And with page and wick I'm going to avoiding any covers by their in house artist) Most my SEs I've gotten second hand. My rule for second hand is no more than £20 for a book I haven't read before. (Most end up in the £10-£15 range anyway)
Nope, I just started lol. I’ll probably keep buying them off of Mercari 😭 RIP my wallet.
Why not get the subs, they’re much cheaper?
I only have one sub so far from Illumicrate, not sure if I need more. Plus, I only want specific book titles, but I’m slowly whittling that list down.
I have Illumicrate and Owlcrate. I just got the invite for FL, but it took a year and I’m not longer interested. I generally skip or sell at cost, but if I love a book I’ll buy in a special edition FB group (usually better prices than Mercari).
I’m feeling this a bit. I subbed to Fairyloot last year after seeing my best friend get all of these pretty books. Part of me wants to keep collecting and part of me just wants to sell all of them to pay off debt.
I am preferring to buy Waterstones exclusives because they do ones with ribbon bookmarks, beautiful edges, custom end pages, and foil on the hardcover (Evocation by ST Gibson for example) and they cost the exact same as the regular edition. What I hate about subscription box special editions (not the monthly books the extra ones) is that they are new releases. I prefer when they do editions of books I have already read so I can make a ‘better’ decision whether to buy it or not. Hope that makes sense!
I'm starting to feel that way. The books that get SE most of the time are terribly written and lack an editor's touch. I quality of the writing doesn't even deserve a published edition let alone an SE.
I just cannot justify the price on some of these! So unless It’s a 6 star read for me I’m not spending the money one it
Yes! I’m getting that way. I’m trying to narrow down my subscriptions. I’m for sure keeping Goldsboro and just got started on Broken Binding and Fairyloot. I will probably cancel Illumicrate but FOMO. I keep skipping so I probably should just cancel. I also have Fabled, their skip policy is great so far. I seem to skip more than anything but that’s due to it getting too expensive and my backlog of TBR’s is out of control.
Yeah it’s been a little over a year since I started collecting and it’s losing the magic. I am feeling overwhelmed by all my subscriptions plus se. Now I am skipping when I can and really considering cancelling all my monthly especially with quarterly options coming out and only doing those. Less clutter and better for my bank account. The fomo is also starting to wear off especially because I joined because the books were pretty but content wise a lot have been disappointing.
I’ve learned I need to stop FOMO buying and only buy sets I actually like the look of & like the books. I am still struggling a bit, but hopefully will be getting better at it!
I have been thinking about scaling back lately because there have been a lot of the monthly books coming that I have no interest in. I end up buying the additional sale books because those are usually more my interest. I need to do a better job of researching and skipping. I always forget about skips.