why you keep buying books you don’t read

Why are buying books and reading books two different hobbies? Why is your to be read (TBR) list only ever getting longer? And what does all that have to do with book publishers destroying thousands of books every year? In this video, Sabrina explores the world of Booktok, bookstores, and publishing, to figure out why we keep buying books we don't read.

And yes, she does read ACOTAR and Fourth Wing in the process.

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SOCIAL MEDIA
Sabrina
Melissa
Taha

CREDITS
Produced by Sabrina Cruz
Research Assistance by Jananie K. Velu from @thisstoryaintover
Video Editing by Joe Trickey
Motion Design by Sabrina Cruz
Sound Design by Joe Trickey
Special Thanks to:
Patrick Hempelmann from BMV Books
Chris Krawczyk from Little Ghosts Books
Kariza Santos from @LifeOfRiza

MUSIC

RECOMMENDED READING
No specific recommendations but check out BMV Books and Little Ghosts Books for some great options!

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 realizing i have a problem, in real time
00:44 the ikea kallax system system has failed me
00:55 of course i made this into an existential crisis
01:26 forcing myself to read (again)
01:35 eat your heart out, storygraph
02:46 what did i learn
03:03 oh, it's that i'm BASIC
03:17 nvm, maybe i'm NUANCED
04:04 i read the ACOTAR series (derogatory)
04:42 how BookTok changed publishing
05:52 how BookTok changed my reading
06:28 wait but why is BookTok so efficient?
06:51 how traditional publishing works
08:13 the benefits of BookTok
09:54 trying to justify my problem instead of solving it
11:00 this is an extended metaphor, trust me, it pays off
12:00 what happens to unsold books
13:35 just be glad i didn't show you a supply-demand graph
14:25 please don't judge me
14:37 the metaphor is about to pay off
15:11 SEE!
17:01 now i'm just restating the metaphor because... it was very extended
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Welcome to the joke under the fold!

In case you don't want to buy books, you could try making a reservation at the local library. Just be careful, they tend to be fully booked!

Leave a comment with the word BOOK to let me know you were here ;-)

[answerinprogress]

UPDATE: We've just placed a new order for a bunch more bookmarks. In the meantime, you can pre-order now. We're expecting to be able to ship out in late April at the latest. Thanks again for supporting us!

ORIGINAL:
Y'all sold out the bookmarks so fast!! We're working on getting them restocked as FAST as possible - if you want to be notified when they restock, subscribe to the newsletter!

[VinnieGer]

Not to sound sarcastic but by rediscovering the library, my compulsive book spending dropped down to zero.

[teadrinker]

start with your local library!!!! i love my library and it helps me not feel bad about having a whole bunch of books because in three weeks they'll not be in your space anymore!!

[shreya...]

Jack Edwards saying "buying books and reading books are two entirely different hobbies" is my life motto.

[forestofthings]

I had a terrible "book shopping" addiction a decade ago, then decided to donate ALL of my books to the local library and since then, I've been loaning books from my library and returning them when I'm done reading. Now I have only about 10 books at home that are nostalgic and I feel sentimental towards them. I read 152 books in 2023 and I'm planning to read about 85 this year. I read mostly using my kindle or borrowed books from my library near home. It's so great!

[JulesVante]

I gotta say, I was a bookworm growing up. But I read so much fantasy. Since I was able to read, I always had a fantasy book on my lap. Then, in college, one of my professors told me that I only read “trash” and that I should try and read “a real book”. And that professor was a huge figure for me. So I stopped reading fantasy, and bought some more “essay” books. I majored in psychology, and though it took me some time to read the texts and books we were discussing in class, I read them. But I just couldn’t sit and go through pages and pages of some person ideas. It took me like three years to read a book written by profesor Harari. After I graduated, and after many personal struggles, I came to realize that my favorite books will always be novels. I need a protagonist, a plot. And I don’t care if some academics think that “books” are just those essays thousands of pages long. To me, literature is about the characters, the stories. And after reconcile that with myself, I regain the same pace at which I used to read, and I can’t be happier. For me, personally, stories are my life, and maybe that’s the reason I studied this career (even though I know I should studied Literature back in college), and being able to submerge myself in a story, and don’t even notice the passing of time… is just the best experience I can get in this life

[colonelb]

To be fair, I think this phenomenon is true for all kinds of things and not just books. Some do the same thing with clothes. or kitchen gadgets, or power tools, or hobby / art supplies, or even buying video games that you never get around to playing. And I think that the thing they all have in common is that what you're actually buying is a possibility for something. And as such, I suspect that creative types do this way more than non-creative types.

[PogieJoe]

I just love how Sabrina shoots her narration lines. Makes you feel like you're living the whole experience with her as she goes from place to place, meanders around her home, and has a revelation mid-read.

[adhdd]

Donate unwanted books to your local library! it really helps them out! :) Whatever they don't need, they'll sell (at heavily marked down prices) and that money goes to supporting library programs.

[dozakomedije]

This video made me rethink my reading habits. The real change happens when you explore the powerful techniques on Nixorus. Stop living in a trance and start truly benefiting from your books.

[MaxG]

Sabrina continues her trademark blend of knowledgeable and helpless, adorkable and “I’ll turn my life into an experiment and tell the internet”. Keep up the great work.

[UmbreonLibris]

Support your library!! You get to browse through shelves in person, read in whatever format you prefer (I love both print and audio), help support continuing access to books for everyone in your community, and you participate in a successful alternative to capitalism. Plus, you can always still buy copies of the books you love to put on your shelf.

[galaxyvita]

This is why library are perfect, read as many books as you want and don't worry about space then if you really loved a book you buy it and read it again.

[rfrolicarts]

I can easily isolate my problem: the clearance section at Half Price Books. These are $2 and $3 books. Irresistible.

[juanjosesegura]

Nice video. A few years ago I also gave a good look at my desire to buy books. In my case I could identify that, nowadays I have very little free time or me time. Full time job, family, take care of our home... takes all my time. So when I feel stressed I tend to feel the urge of buy books, because is somehow as "buying the relax time required to read them". Of course I do not have that much time, so now I look at this feeling in the eye, and tell myself "no, I have a few books in line waiting, I do not need more books now, it is just that I crave the me time that I do not have right now".

[jallen]

I just wanted to say that I am impressed with the amount of research that went into this, your energy, the editing, as well as the fact that virtually every reader can relate to your video. Well done!!

[avi]

This is basically me but in gaming, I bought way too many games that I've never even launched once

[answerinprogress]

Bookmarks are back in stock!

(In a very on brand whoopsie, we wrote the wrong number on our backend which made it sell out prematurely - sorry for the confusion!)

[reshbet]

I do it for a few reasons,
1. Finding books in my personal library that I forgot I bought before is really nice feeling.
2. I enjoy the idea when friends come over and I can show off my personal library :)
3. If i ever have children my library will be like a legacy I can share with them.
4. I like reading!
5. The physical book needs no battery!
6. Books have souls! Why diminish that with a bright screen...

[LaxmanRajwar-buwl]

Anyone else here obsessed with Secret Pathway To Triumph? It's like discovering a secret treasure map for wealth!