MNN - Mother Nature Network

It’s taken me almost a year to make my Kindle Fire a part of my day-to-day life. My husband gave it to me as a birthday present last March, and I was skeptical that I would ever be able to enjoy reading books on a screen instead of holding an actual book in my hands.

 

I’ve realized that my Kindle is a useful way to make my cookbook collection larger. I have two shelves on my bookshelf dedicated to cookbooks, and my rule for a while has been that if I bring in a new cookbook, an old one has to go. With the Kindle, I can have as many cookbooks as I can afford.

 

I’ve also realized that if I pay close attention, I can get Kindle cookbooks at some great prices. In the past month, I bought three well-reviewed slow cooker cookbooks for my Kindle (I’m on a slow cooker kick), that I paid $14.98 for in total. If I purchased those same cookbooks today, I’d pay $30.97.

 

Why the difference? I bought two of the three cookbooks when they were on quick sales. I’ve learned that many cookbooks (and other books) can be offered for a short period of time for free or at a deep discount. The discounts seem to run for about a day, and then the price can go up significantly.

 

How do I know when the books go on sale? I follow several Facebook pages of websites that gather the information about discounted and free books. Since I check my Facebook frequently, the sale prices are usually still good if I decide to click on the information.

 

Some of these websites also have information about free and discounted Kindle apps. I haven’t done much with apps yet on my Kindle so I’m not sure how useful the information is.

 

There are also other sources of information about daily discounts and free books.

 

The biggest tip I have is to be diligent. A book that’s deeply discounted or free right now might not be an hour from now. I usually like to think about a purchase for a day before I make it, but when snapping up deeply discounted e-reader cookbooks and other books, that’s usually not an option. If I wait a day, the price usually is higher.

 

The discounted cookbooks you’ll find for the Kindle usually won’t be the hottest celebrity cookbooks (although "How to Eat by Nigella Lawson" is $3.47 right now), but you’ll find an interesting variety. Read the reviews and look at the previews before purchasing. If the cookbook was free, you’re not risking anything by downloading it. If the book costs a few dollars, you always have the option of returning it for a refund if you find it's not useful.

 

Have you gotten any great cookbook deals for your Kindle or e-reader? Do you have any additional tips for knowing when a quick sale is happening?