I Hate The 'Pre-order' Button - TheIslandReader.com

I hate the ‘pre-order’ button.

Okay, hate is a strong word. I have a love-hate relationship with the button that always seems to be surrounded by neon lights. For the most part, we are able to coexist peacefully, however, when it comes to books there is absolutely no chill.

Now before you get confused, let me explain why we don’t always have the best relationship. The pre-order button is simply too damn tempting! I follow a lot of authors on social media and am signed up for my fair share of newsletters. By doing so, I am liable to see and get updates on new book releases. Pre-order links almost always accompany those announcements. Followers of this blog know that if there is one thing that I do not like, it is being out of the loop when it comes to my books. Since this is the case, I usually click pre-order as soon as I receive the link. Don’t even get me started on Amazon’s lovely “recommendations” every time I log on to my account.

Ordinarily, this isn’t a problem. The problem comes when I do this to about FIVE books a week. The problem escalates when more than two books have the same release date.

There have been many Tuesday mornings that I’ve woken up to find one or two new books on my Kindle with no recollection of when I actually ordered those. Add this to a few other books that are still on my Kindle waiting to be read from a previous pre-order and I find myself in quite the pickle.

I won’t even count the 50 something physical books taking up space on my bookshelves waiting to read.

I have a book problem, we have established that. I also have a compulsion when it comes to clicking that pre-order button. I rationalize it many times because the money is never withdrawn until the book is available for purchase. I tell myself that I can always change my mind and cancel the order before the release date.

Does that actually happen? Rarely.

The ‘pre-order’ button seems to be surrounded by neon lights that say, “Pick me!

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I need to realize that just because something is available for pre-order doesn’t mean that I need to order it at that very moment. Chances are that I am probably reading a book at the time that the pre-order becomes available. If that is the case, I have to wait until I am done with my current read anyway.

I can only read one book at a time. There is absolutely no reason for me to have all of these books lined up like this. I checked my Amazon account earlier today and there are 20 digital pre-orders for books this year. I must slow down and make a list and only buy as needed. I use my calendar for a lot of things, it may also need to be used for book release dates. When I get an email or see a link, I need to simply pop it onto my calendar to alert me on release day. When that day rolls around, if I am not reading anything at the moment, then and only then should I purchase the book. This sounds like a fantastic idea, in theory, I just need to commit and find a way to put this into practice.

I hate the ‘pre-order’ button but I love the magic of books being readily available to me as soon as release day rolls around. There are worse problems to have, that’s for sure.

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Natalya

Natalya is an Account Manager by day and an editor and author's assistant to passionate creatives by night. When she is not adding to her enormous book collection or stationery supply, she is catching up on her favorite television shows.

Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.

You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.