Photographers Book Club

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Dave S. - 19 Jun 2007 21:02 GMT

Nearly every time I buy a mag, a leaflet for the Photographers Book Club
(Readers Union group)drops out of it. The opening offer looks quite good,
and I know all about buying commitments etc.

What I can't seem to find out is once you've joined, what's the selction of
books on offer like - quality, subject, and price-wise. They won't let you
see what's in their selection until you''ve agreed to join.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's used this club.

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ian - 24 Jun 2007 11:36 GMT

> What I can't seem to find out is once you've joined, what's the selction
> of books on offer like - quality, subject, and price-wise. They won't
> let you see what's in their selection until you''ve agreed to join.

And you still want to join ? from google they dont have a website amd you
have to buy 5 books per year. Most of these clubs work on the principle
that you get one or two items cheaply, then everthing else is full price.

Get your local library to get them for you the buy from amazon if you
want your own copy.

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Dave S. - 24 Jun 2007 12:50 GMT

> And you still want to join ?
> from google they dont have a website

Don't you just love people who think they know it all.
Readers Union DOES have a website (and I found it via Google).

http://www.readersunion.co.uk/public/Photographers_-_Book_Club.html

> amd you have to buy 5 books per year.

Don't you just love people who don't read the original message properly?

Quote - "The opening offer looks quite good,
and I know all about buying commitments etc".

> Most of these clubs work on the principle
> that you get one or two items cheaply, then everthing
> else is full price.

The leaflet states that everything is reduced, and I see that since I last
looked, the website does now show a copy of the current catalogue, showing
all the prices reduced from the cover prices.

> Get your local library to get them for you

You obviously don't know much about our library!

> buy from amazon if you want your own copy.

You on commission, then?

And finally, back to " Don't you just love people who don't read the
original message properly?"

Quote - "I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's used this club" . . . .

. . . and not really interested in hearing from somebody who obviously
hasn't used the club, and who can't read (or understand, perhaps)
straightforward messages.

That off my chest, I shall now browse the current catalogue and decide what
to do - but without your rather useless "help", thank you Ian

Dave S.

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Liz Leyden - 25 Jun 2007 22:41 GMT

> Nearly every time I buy a mag, a leaflet for the Photographers Book Club
> (Readers Union group)drops out of it. The opening offer looks quite good,
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's used this club.

I've used three of their clubs, over several years, (the last one
'given' to me as a present), and noticed a pattern:
You join one particular club, IMC first a cookery one, then a photo
one then a travel one.
At the beginning, for a few months, the selection is wide, and the
prices fair enough.
But they don't seem to add new books in your subject very often, so
that after only a few months, there aren't any that you want.
Even their 'book selection' isn't always in your chosen topic.
It's more hassle than it's worth, IMO.

Also, with one of them, when I signed up, there was apparently an
extra 5% off after so many months, 10% off after so many more, but
when I reached these times, the offers had died out - did they ever
exist?

Caveat emptor, I prefer amazon, YMMV.

Slainte

Liz

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http://www.v-liz.com - Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Galapagos

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Duncan - 27 Jun 2007 07:22 GMT

They are a nightmare IME

The original deals are too good to be true and they peter out very quickly.
They don't have many books and once you've seen what they have that's it.
New books are rare and sometimes non existent, just going out of stock or
unavailable and just removed from the invoice without any further notice.

They are part of a much larger book club that has been know for the miss
management and poor service and make mistakes on the orders and their
invoices as I have had experience of. I even had Trading Standards deal with
them at one point. They have also been featured on many of the Watchdog type
programmes on TV.

Steer well clear of them as there are better alternatives that don't tie you
into a contract.

The only reason they are falling out of the magazines is because the
magazines get paid per 1,000 to distribute them. It's not an endorsement.

Duncan

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Tony Polson - 27 Jun 2007 11:51 GMT

>They are a nightmare IME
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>The only reason they are falling out of the magazines is because the
>magazines get paid per 1,000 to distribute them. It's not an endorsement.

Well said.

It is also worth pointing out that "book club editions" are usually
printed more cheaply on inferior paper. Perhaps that doesn't matter
so much if you are reading a novel, but the reproduction of
photographs can be markedly inferior to the original "publisher's
edition".

The longevity of the paper/ink combination is also likely to be lower.

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Alex Monro - 27 Jun 2007 14:26 GMT

> It is also worth pointing out that "book club editions" are usually
> printed more cheaply on inferior paper. Perhaps that doesn't matter
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> The longevity of the paper/ink combination is also likely to be lower.

I'm actually fairly happy with the Photographers Book Club - I've been
using them for about a year. What Tony says about quality may apply to
some book clubs, but all the books I've had from PBC have been standard
editions printed to the same quality as you could buy in a bookshop - if
the shop had them in stock.

The prices aren't that wonderful after you've added the postage costs,
and I've never actually wanted the "editor's choice", but ordering a
replacement title is easy. If there's ever a catalogue with nothing I'm
interested in, I'll cancel my membership, but at the moment they give
me a fairly easy way to build a photography reference library. Peter
Watson's "Light in the Landscape" and Michael Freeman's "The
Photographer's Eye" have been the best I've found so far.

Their occasional special offers on other products, such as a Lowepro
Orion Trekker bag for 10 quid, are nice too.

Alex

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Georgie Charles - 27 Jun 2007 16:13 GMT

>> It is also worth pointing out that "book club editions" are usually
>> printed more cheaply on inferior paper. Perhaps that doesn't matter
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Alex

Nice when someone actually answers the original poster! I'm also
currently a member, the original offer was attractive, I've ordered
more. They are always high quality original editions. The prices are OK,
not great including postage, but so far I've found customer service
fine. I will soon reach the point where I may not want more books for a
while (though there is a decent choice each time), and will have to find
out whether they'll let me take a holiday - or maybe leave and rejoin
and benefit from another opening offer (I've met the minimum
requirement). There IS a website though it ain't much good.
Georgie

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Dave S. - 28 Jun 2007 22:53 GMT

Thanks for all your help, folks. Good to hear from people who've actually
used this club !!!

My experience of other book clubs hasn't been too bad, and now these people
show a magazine in .pdf form on their website, I've got a better idea of
what they offer.

The only problem about joining that I can see now is where to put some more
bookshelves!

Dave

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