Book Swim: A Bad Idea or Library Resource for the 21st Century?
Posted: March 5th, 2009 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Reviews, spending | Tags: Book Swim, Review | 6 Comments »I’ve seen ads for Book Swim, and frankly, I’ve always thought it was a pretty dumb idea. Then I thought about it a little more, and I’ve decide there is one scenario where it would be beneficial…
The whole idea behind Book Swim is that it is an online book rental club that advertises itself as Netflix® for books. The idea is simple. You create an account, request a book or two and they arrive in the mail within a couple of days for you to read at your leisure and you never have to pay late fees.
The frugal side of me thinks, “Hello… ever heard of a Library?” but alas, my library doesn’t often have new releases I want. I am content to wait until I can get the books I want through inter-library exchange, but I’m the first to admit that while I enjoy reading, I am not the kind who needs a new book every 3 days. I’m happy to get lost on the Internet for the time it takes to get a new book. My frugal side is just stronger than my book loving side.
They offer 4 plans:
Light Reader
This level costs $19.98 per month and lets you have up to 3 books at any given time for as long as you’d like.
Casual Reader
The casual reader costs $24.97 and lets you have 5 book out at a time.
Avid Reader
This level allows 7 books at a time and costs $29.96 per month.
Devout Reader
The big daddy level gets you 11 books out at any time for $39.94 per month.
YIKES!
Sorry. That was my frugal self again. But seriously, even the cheapest level is $20 a month!? I’d be hard pressed to be able to rationalize this one. And what’s with those odd dollar amounts: $19.98, $24.97, $29.96 and $39.94 ?? It must be some kind of code, but I digress…
Still, I know there are people out there for whom reading is like breathing, and so it may be a viable service in the end. I suppose much of the benefit rests in how poor your local library system is and just how addicted to reading you truly are. If you can’t get anything newer than a Gutenberg bible or it’s all encyclopedia’s from the Eisenhower years, this is probably the service for you. I’ll stick to my local library though.
Just for kicks, I checked their BBB (Better Business Bureau) info for complaints. They have a rating of A- with 2 complaints, both marked resolved. It doesn’t look like they’re a scam or shady business venture, you just need to decide if they’re worth the price.
If you’re interested in trying them out, head on over to the BookSwim website.
Hi, CMO of BookSwim here. We actually offer 6 plans giving a member more flexibility to switch to a reading style that fits. The plans differ by $4.99, hence the awkward pricing. Makes it easier to have a coherent message “get 2 more books for $4.99″.
Thanks for writing about us. It’s always fun to see our name in print
Wow, pretty cool that a Book Swim employee commented here. Go Book Swim. My opinion on this product falls in line with yours. My local library already provides delivery service of books to me in the mail. The only downside (which you pointed out) is that the libraries can take time to get the newer books in stock. But also like you, I can wait. It’s not worth paying the monthly fee for me. I’ll stick with my free local library. Sorry Book Swim. Maybe you can post here with more benefits that we are overlooking?
They probably should charge a little less. Kind of high compared to netflix which is for movies.
I think Bookswim is silly. I am a avid reader (at least 2 books per week) & my library in the south suburbs of Chicago is just fine for me and most importantly. . .FREE!! I understand not wanting to wait for the newest releases, but why not try checking online to see if your library has ordered the book before publication and put it on hold? I love new releases, but there’s so much more I can read in the meantime while I’m waiting. I just can’t imagine paying to read a book that you don’t get to keep. Sorry Bookswim, your idea makes me laugh.
I haven’t tried Bookswim yet, but I live in a very rural area and our local library is horrible. You may find the occassional new release, but it is near impossible to find the books I want to read. I’m still debating on whether to try it or not. I was just on their website and you can try your first month for $9.95 no matter which plan you get so I think I might check it out and then decide if it’s worth $24+ per month.
They need a West Coast warehouse. It’s fine if you live near their PA headquarters. The book rate via USPS is waaaay too slow, and the 3 book plan is too expensive. Definitely not Netflix for books. Netflix has distribution centers all over the place. While waiting for more books my library has already had several titles available in the meantime so I have removed several titles from my rental pool. Yeah, at the library you have 3 weeks to read them, but can always renew. Would be good if the local library loses more funding (always a possibility). But for now, nice idea, and they have good customer service, just dealing with the post office is not a good idea at all.