Love books? Wish Amazon would take us seriously? A great alternative!

Kossacks are bookloving people. We not only read books, we write books, we are members of book clubs and we review books!

As a bookish person myself, I am a frequent vistor and purchaser of books at amazon.com.  According to the poll in this diary, 90% of us, like me, shop at amazon.com.  I was dismayed to read the recent diary by volvodrivingliberal about Amazon's inadequate response to our concerns about their support of Ann Coulter.  

I really don't want to give up Amazon, because I find great books there, and I don't want to pay a premium to go elsewhere. So I was thrilled to find an alternative.

In a comment in volvodrivingliberal's diary, Ivan mentioned a great resource: www.bookfinder.com .  Anyone who like me cannot give up their book habit, and is also concerned about cost, could start using this site immediately instead of amazon.com for book purchases... until amazon stops promoting Ann Coulter and her hate speech by discontinuing her Amazon affiliate status.

See these comments for a discussion of how Coulter is violating amazon's affiliate agreement.

Here is some more information about Bookfinder

BookFinder.com is an one-stop ecommerce search engine that searches over 125 million books for sale—new, used, rare, out-of-print, and textbooks. We save you time and money by searching every major catalog online, and letting you know which booksellers are offering the best prices and selection. When you find a book you like, you can buy it directly from the original seller; we never charge a markup.

How cool is that?

Here is a sample search of a book that a friend of mine just wrote. I was surprised to find out that powell's books was $5 cheaper than amazon!

So bookmark www.bookfinder.com and happy reading!

•  now how do I hold myself back

  from buying too many books?
  I am a sucker for a bargain, and for a book. Bargain books are a double whammy!

  by biscobosco on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:25:05 PM PDT

  •  Visit your local library

    Make a pilgrimage to your local library every couple weeks.  If you're like me, a stack of unread library books is a great way to avoid buying new ones.

    by silence on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:36:57 PM PDT

    •  Yea libraries!!!

      What a commie pinko concept!

      ;-)

      (snark thank you very much)

      by thepdxbikerboy on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:39:02 PM PDT

    •  ha!

      I live at my local library.
      But sadly I am so bad at returning books on time, that I may as well buy them.

      by biscobosco on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:57:34 PM PDT

  •  By the way here is an update

    then I gotta go cause I'm late for dinner.
    used up my diary for the day. I just got an email back from amazon. Here is my reply. (and their message below)

    Hi - I have read the Amazon.com agreement with associates.

    http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/...

    According to that agreement, amazon.com

    • can terminate the agreement at any time.
    • does not have associates agreements with websites which advocate violence or discrimination.

    It is not a question of endorsing a political view. It is a question of following your own stated rules for affiliate behavior. Either you need to enforce those rules, or change them to reflect the fact that you don't care at all about calls for violence or  for discrimination against minorities. It is a question of corporate image and responsibility.  If you don't mind being associated with people who use derogatory insults against minorities, and publish hate speech which openly advocates killing and torture - So be it - it is certainly your right - Then change your rules, and remove that wording. Otherwise it looks like you are making an exception for Coulter.

    I agree with you completely in Ann Coulter's right to publish advocacy of violent acts - Or violent overthrow of nations. Likewise white supremacist organizations, or neo nazis.  However, it makes me question my allegiance to Amazon.com when I see that you endorse someone who  as an affiliate.  I will seriously, and with regret,  consider taking my business elsewhere until further notice.

    I am cc'ing a representative of amazon.com. Geoff Adams ,Online Advertising Business Development.

    mazon.com Customer Service wrote:
    > Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com.
    >  
    > Ann Coulter's web site is actually just one of hundreds of thousands
    > of members of the Amazon.com Associates Program. Associates post links
    > to Amazon.com on their sites in exchange for a small percentage of the
    > sales that result when their visitors follow these special links to
    > place an order with us.
    >  
    > Please note that we do not endorse the point of view of any of our
    > Associates, nor would we consider ourselves sponsors of their web
    > sites.  In fact, our Associates include prominent web sites
    > representing all sides of nearly every important political and social
    > issue of our time.
    >  
    > Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  We appreciate your
    > interest in Amazon.com.
    >
    >
    > Sincerely,
    >
    > Customer Service
    > Amazon.com
    > http://www.amazon.com/
    >
    > Please note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only address
    > that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this
    > message.

    by biscobosco on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:01:58 PM PDT

•  What a great idea!

  Saved to favorites.

  by sheddhead on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:26:42 PM PDT

•  Today I just picked up a book

  from a local  mom and pop bookstore that I ordered from them Monday. I got a discount because I'm a member there, and I paid no shipping.

  I found the book on Amazon.com, and ordered it from my bookstore.

  Go find a small bookstore near you. They'll be happy to get a book for you, and you'll get it in the same amount of time for less money.

  by The Gryffin on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:27:04 PM PDT

  •  A good place to start...

    BookSense...

    by Hardhat Democrat on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:31:08 PM PDT

  •  The Book Store in Lenox, MA

    is progressive, independent, 30 years old and a real lifesaver.  I wish everybody could have a bookstore like this nearby.  These independent bookstores really need our support.  Otherwise, amazon and b&n will drive them into closing.

    Also, what you see in these stores on the shelves got there because the store decided they should go there.     That's unlike borders or barnes and noble, where those "prime locations" on the shelves are sold to the highest bidders.

    by davidseth on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:14:53 PM PDT

•  Another great alternative

  is BookMooch, which is a used book-swapping site.

  by sbdenmon on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:37:15 PM PDT

•  I find more than enough books at the library...

  to keep me from buying any in stores.

  by Diaries on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:38:08 PM PDT

•  amazon's been bad for years

  This is nothing new.  Use Powell's or Abe's Books for online book-buying.

  Or Bookfinder.  Sounds good!

  by dday on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:50:41 PM PDT

  •  bookfinder

    appears to be affilated with abe's books.

    by biscobosco on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:58:18 PM PDT

•  Then Amazon shd advertize in DailyKos

  and the liberal blogosphere and Air America--to prove they are bipartisan.

  by timber on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 05:53:17 PM PDT

•  Do you know about abebooks.com?

  This is my favorite one.  They have dozens of sources for used books.  Often the shipping is more expensive than the book itself, so you end up buying a lot of books from the same source.  An incredible bargain.  And wonderful book recycling.

  I've been building a small library of latin american novels that have been translated into English.  Authors I love but, I bet, most Kossacks haven't read: Cabrera Infante, Donoso, Jose Lezama Lima, Alejo Carpentier, etc.  If it weren't for abebooks, I'd be broke.

  And I should add that these books aren't in my local library system.  

  by davidseth on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:11:31 PM PDT

•  Great Idea!

  thanks for the links here.

  by SisTwo on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:26:00 PM PDT

  •  you're welcome

    Perhaps we could share these with our families and friends.

    I know that most of my friends are big book purchasers.

    My sister-in-law buys books from amazon all of the time.

    by biscobosco on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:29:01 PM PDT

•  More online resources, and

  ALWAYS PATRONIZE LOCAL BOOKSTORES.

  bn.com for barnes and noble

  powellsunion.com for powell's and the labor union gets a wee percentage.

  abe.com is wonderful but sometimes alibris.com has things and/or search features that are good.

  In theory you could become a member of The New York Society Library and borrow books via snail mail if you aren't in NYC:
  http://www.nysoclib.org/...

  University libraries sometimes give alumni and 'scholars' access, too.

  by LNK on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 06:46:17 PM PDT

•  Anyone in Boston mind running into The Book

  Cellar and telling them to answer me?  Either ship In Search of Vedic India or give me my goddamned 40 bucks back.

  Caveat emptor on the book finder guys.

  by venatrix on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 07:52:01 PM PDT