Intro

Buying a book at the suggested retail price might be a bigger mistake than judging it by its cover.

Flat sales, savvier readers and the emergence of new players in the retail and online marketplace are keeping the pressure on sellers to offer more books at a discount.

Book sales have held steady over the past year. Consumers spent roughly $2 billion on books in August 2009, about the same as August of last year, according to the National Retail Federation, which tracks sales.

And shoppers are hunting for bargain (and often secondhand) reads, while retailers are dropping prices even on new titles to make sales, says Daniel Butler, the NRF s vice president of merchandising and retail operations.

Last week, Wal-Mart started an online bookseller battle when it announced it would offer 10 bestsellers for $10 each on its web site. Amazon.com promptly matched that deal. And by late Friday, both retailers had dropped their prices again, Wal-Mart to $8.99 and Amazon to $9.

Target joined the fray Monday, offering the same selection for $8.99 on its site. For two books on the list, Sarah Palin s Going Rogue ($29) and Stephen King s Under the Dome ($35), the online price cut amounts to discounts of 69% and 74% respectively.

Wal-Mart is so huge they can afford to lose money on a few books, says Larry Witt, an analyst with Morningstar who covers online commerce. The retail giant needs the attention of extreme specials to bulk up its online business, which is woefully behind that of competitors Amazon and Target, Witt says. (Wal-Mart will not be offering the same deals in stores.)

Booksellers are also betting customers will buy more than one deeply discounted bestseller, says Scott Testa, an assistant professor of business administration at Calibri College in Radnor, Pa. Retailers know consumers hate to pay for shipping, he says. A customer who buys Amazon s $9 copy of Dean Koontz s Breathless might be tempted to spend another $16 on other items during that transaction to get free shipping on the whole order.

Don t fret if your reading list doesn t match your retailer s short list of discount bestsellers. Try these six ways to snag your next book for less:

Join a Loyalty Club

Many bookstores send coupons to members of their reward programs. Joining a free program can yield savings for even occasional buyers. But don t buy into a pay-for club unless you re a true bibliophile. Barnes & Noble (BKS) members would need to buy $250 in paperbacks -- which are sold at a 10% discount through the club -- just to break even on the $25 membership fee.

Here s what some big chains offer:

* Barnes & Noble Membership ($25/year): Members receive a 40% discount on hardcover bestsellers (determined by store sales), a 20% discount on adult hardcover books and a 10% discount on most other items in the store. Members also receive regular emails with coupons and other offers.

* Books-A-Million Millionaire s Club ($20/year): Members receive an additional 10% discount on purchases. Members also receive regular emails with coupons and other offers.

* Borders Rewards (FREE): Earn $5 in rewards for every $150 in qualifying purchases at the store. Members also receive regular emails with coupons and other offers.

2. Hunt for coupon codes

Booksellers of all sizes routinely offer coupon codes for free shipping or a discount of 10% or so, says Mike Allen, the founder of deal tracking site Shopping-Bargains.comAlso try RetailMeNot.com and Savings.com For example, Barnes & Noble is offering 20% off one item through Nov. 11 for new customers who use code C3X7J9K at checkout. At eCampus.com, save $2 on most ebooks through Dec. 31 with code EBOOKBUCKS.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can also turn up coupons. For sellers, those networks offer a way to reel in new customers and reward loyal ones, says Xavier Helgesen, a co-founder of BetterWorldBooks.comFor more on how social-networking sites can save you money, read our story

Visit the Library

It s old news, but local libraries still offer an opportunity to read your favorite titles for free. And you may not have to wait as long as you think; many libraries have programs in place to get bestsellers in your hands faster. Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Ind., has a Bestseller Express program, which allows borrowing for seven days with no renewals. (Put your name on the hold list to wait for a copy under the regular, two-week borrowing term.)

Many libraries are expanding their digital shelves, too, with free e-books you can download to your computer or electronic reader for a few weeks. (Libraries pay per title, so there may still be a wait.) Readers can try Sony s Library Finder to find e-book titles at local libraries.

4. Buy used

Used copies -- even for brand-new bestsellers are typically sold at bargain prices, says Allen. Borders.com charges $17.47 for a new copy of Dan Brown s The Lost Symbol. At second-hand site Half.com, the cheapest like new used copy is $11.99 -- 31% cheaper. Hunt for your favorite titles there, and at Alibris.com and CheapestBookPrice.com.

Check for more used book sales at your local library, says Francine Trevens, a former chairwoman of The Greater New York Independent Book Publishers Association, a trade group. She also likes the selection at thrift stores. Very often whole libraries are for sale, Trevens says.

5. Check with the publisher

Many will make you a deal on a direct sale, especially if it s a smaller company or an older title, says Trevens. At Scholastic, the publisher of the "Harry Potter" series, get 10% off and free shipping on orders of $20 or more through Oct. 31 when you use coupon code SSMSRB at checkout.

6. Trade your titles

Swap sites like PaperbackSwap.com, TitleTrader.com and Bookins.com let readers trade in titles on their bookshelves for others they d like to read. After listing a few titles, users will get credit for each one another member requests. (They ll also typically get a few credits for joining.) Credits can be redeemed for other books on the site. Depending on the site, users will pay shipping to send or receive a book, but not both.