BP Book Club Prep: Where to Obtain Books

[Leonard L.]

Hey everyone, 

Tomorrow at around 12 PM PST, I'm going to launch our first book club discussion. We will be covering the Introduction of Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I don't know if this is useful, but I thought I'd share some different ways of obtaining and accessing books/audiobooks. Perhaps this can save you all some money.

Buy It: This is self-explanatory. You can buy a hard copy of the book at Barnes and Noble or off Amazon. If you use digital devices, you can buy and download eBooks from a variety of sources, such as Amazon (Kindle),  Apple (iBooks), Barnes and Noble (Nook), etc... If you're into audiobooks, a site like Audible is popular.

Borrow It: When I can, I prefer to borrow instead of buy. A library card is a powerful thing. Some of you may not know this, but in many cases, your library card will also let you check out digital books/audiobooks. How to do this depends on your library system. The library system in Montgomery County, MD, for example, will let you check out and read books on the Overdrive and 3M Cloud Library apps. It will also let you listen to audiobooks on the Overdrive and OneClickDigital apps. I've borrowed many books and audiobooks like this. Setup takes a little time to figure out, but it's worth it in my opinion. I'd check with your local library to find out more.

On Demand: My current preferred way of getting books is to use a Netflix-like on-demand service. The three big ones that I know of are Scribd, Kindle Unlimited, and Oyster. They all have their positives and negatives. I currently use Scribd because unlike Oyster, it also has audiobooks. In my opinion, it also has a better selection than Kindle Unlimited in terms of big publisher books, though Kindle Unlimited might have more real estate investing books (many of the $0.99 - $2.99 type). These services often offer free trials, and I know that Scribd has an offer where if you refer a friend using your referral code, your friend gets two free months, and you get an extra month added to your subscription. Strategically utilizing these free offers, I've been able to read/listen to 50+ books this year without paying a single penny out of pocket. As it pertains to our first book club book, Rich Dad Poor Dad is available on both Scribd and Oyster, as is Cashflow Quadrant and a number of the Rich Dad Advisors books.

Hope that helps.