Pre-Ordering, Boarding the Hype Train, & Letting it Pass

If you haven’t already guessed, I kinda like reading. Says the person who read 100 books last year. But I have a confession to make—I don’t actually buy a lot of books. For numerous reasons, though I’ll briefly touch on a few. I move a lot and books are heavy. I can’t exactly afford to spend all my income on books, shelves, and secret passageways let alone pre-orders.

Instead, I tend to frequent the library, which is another post for another time (see A Guide to Getting Lost in Your Local Library). In a way, I wish I could support the new releases and the publishing community more, but I give what I can. I volunteer, check out books, befriend librarians, write book reviews, and make lists of books to buy.

Whether you’re like me or not, here’s a quick comparison of the trends in the book buying world and how they influence readers like me. Because of the nature of this post, I will briefly acknowledge but not be discussing advanced reader copies (ARCs) and old classics.

Pre-Ordering your Personal Copy

Want to make sure you get that book you’ve been waiting for? Secure your copy now and buy it ahead of time!

Pros: supporting the author and the publishing world, bragging rights, and shiny new books!

Cons: high cost for hardcovers and shipping, sooooooo sloooooooow, what if I don’t like it, few people know about said book, and why did I order this again?

Can we find a middle ground?

Maybe… not. At least not for me anyway. Even when I know I have enough money to pre-order a book, more often than not, I don’t know if I’m going to have the same address when the book comes out.

I can only remember pre-ordering two books: Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2) and A Thousand Perfect Notes. I only pre-ordered them because I could afford them, because I knew I could wait six to eight months without moving to another country, and because I trusted the authors. That’s a lot of requirements for an avid bookworm.

But I’m pretty sure my local library pre-ordered several books because when I spoke with one of the librarians, she mentioned how she bought a bunch of young adult books and couldn’t wait to put them out. So I waited… and waited… and a lot of them were displayed around their release dates. Thank you, dear librarians!

Jumping on the (Slightly Fast) Hype Train

This bit can be fun albeit slightly dangerous.

Pros: great conversations, you don’t have to wait as long for all the books, all the hype, and finding readers with favorite characters/books in common.

Cons: the factions/ships have already been established, potential spoilers, potential disagreement over hype, when does the next book come out, and what on earth is everybody talking about?

Can we find a middle ground?

Probably. Sometimes, I like to wait a bit for the hype train to see how far it goes, then I can judge it for myself later. The only thing is, I don’t always agree with the hype. Sometimes I don’t think the hype is worth it, or other times, I have less hype for one book than another.

I started reading The Hunger Games after the movie came out, and while the trilogy isn’t necessarily my favorite, I still think they’re pretty good. Similarly, I started A Series of Unfortunate Events, but didn’t finish reading the books until the first season came out. Now that the third season is here, I’m slightly obsessed and a little concerned when I go to work and have to stock the sugar bowls.

If you’re feeling Dauntless, go for it! Jump on the hype train!

Waiting for the Entire Series to Come Out

Why torture yourself with reading a book that ends on a cliffhanger and a sequel that doesn’t come out until next year when you can torture yourself by not reading any of them until they are all out?

Pros: better chance of getting matching covers for books in a series and binge reading!

Cons: SPOILERS are everywhere, the hype train is probably long gone, and will the author ever finish writing the series so I can buy it already?

Can we find a middle ground?

I usually lean more toward two extremes—getting a book when it first comes out or waiting for the entire series. Sometimes, I’m incredibly patient—I’m actually waiting for all the books in Arc of Scythe and the Shades of Magic graphic novels to come out so I can binge read them. Other times, I’m incredibly impatient—when is Patrick Rothfuss going to write Doors of Stone? The Name of the Wind came out in 2007, I didn’t read it until 2017, and I’ve still managed to join the group of fans waiting for book three. Oh, well.

Update (14 April 2019): After reading a thread on Twitter about how waiting for the release of a whole series can kill a series, I may just change my reading trends. Though I'll still have to wait until I can find a copy of Shades of Magic, I may check out Arc of Scythe sooner than later.

Of course, these aren’t all the stages bookworms can encounter when it comes to new releases. There’s being a part of the hype train as it leaves the station and/or being the only person aboard, which can be refreshing and saddening all at once.

Let’s chat! Which stage do you prefer? When’s the last time you pre-ordered a book? Do you like hyped books or obscure ones or both?

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Similar posts: A Guide to Getting Lost in Your Local Library, 8 Obscure Books I Thoroughly Enjoyed, and The First Fifty Pages

Literary references: Alwyn Hamilton’s Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2), C. G. Drew’s A Thousand Perfect Notes, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Neal Shusterman’s Arc of Scythe series, and Patrick Rothfuss’ Doors of Stone and The Name of the Wind