Are you getting your money's worth out of that expensive book you just bought?

If you're like me, you look at the price of a book and say, "Yikes! That's a lotta money!"

It really is--unless you can squeeze some easy "extra" value out of it. I'll show you 3 ways to bring that cost waaay down as opposed to the benefits you'll get from it.

Let's do some math.

If your book costs $25.00 (this is about average for a novel--for nonfiction, it can be much more), how much does it end up being worth to you? Let's say it's about 75,000 words long and you read at an average speed of 250 words per minute.

That means it will take you 5 hours to read that book; you're paying $5 per hour for the "privilege" of reading it.
If it was terrific, you're happy with the purchase--if it was mediocre, you're probably trying to justify why you shelled out your hard-earned cash. If it was terrible, and you couldn't plow your way through it, you're most likely shying away from buying another book for a while.

When you go to the movies, 2 hours in the dark for $10 averages out to the same $5/hour as your book, which is good. The advantage a movie has is the initial outlay of cash is less than a book--unless you bought something at the refreshment stand--which zoomed the price of the outing out of sight!

How do you wring some added sweetness from that book?--I'll show you 3 ways:

1. Lend it out.

2. Write a review.

3. Read it again.

Most of us buy a book, read it, and throw it into a pile somewhere. That pile may be under a bed, in a corner, on the nightstand, or on a shelf. No matter where it is--the book becomes invisible to you for the rest of your ownership of it.

It's dead--inert--transferred from the "asset" column to the "clutter" column.

Try this instead: when you've finished that expensive book, pass it on to someone you think will enjoy it. But, don't leave it at that.

When you lend it, tell your friend, "After you finish this, let's talk." Now you can use this for conversation and maybe grab another hour of social interaction entertainment from it.

Maybe your offer will lead to others lending their books back to you. There! Free books waiting for you!

The second way to increase your book's value is to write a review for it. Do this for your local paper or online.

Your name will get out there, your reputation increases, and you'll initiate a dialogue with your readers. Again, that initial investment of $25 is starting to show profits.

Who knows where increased visibility will lead. It could enhance your professional reputation, draw people to your website, cause referrals, dig up sales leads--you get the picture. The very minimum it will do is get you some attention. All good.

The last thing you can do is read the book again and savor what you found interesting and valuable once more. This time through, you meet old friends in it and enjoy the anticipation of the characters and plot. If it's nonfiction (they say repetition is the beginning of all learning), you'll gain a greater understanding, and pick up knowledge you missed the first time through.

If you use any one of these methods, you brought the cost of your book down in relation to its worth to you.

If you use all 3--your book just became a BIG bargain!