First impressions of Bookperk: A deal site too far

Bookperk aims to be a Groupon or LivingSocial for book-related deals, but so far it's served me mostly as fodder for forwards. Free YA book with lip gloss! Sci-fi cats! Flask included with purchase! I did come mildly close to buying a ticket to this Shakespeare book party, but I was otherwise occupied (and also $20 is a bit steep when the book isn't included).

Here's what I think the site is missing: Deals. People don't just buy Groupons because they're fun, they buy them either to save money on something they already buy, or something they wouldn't otherwise have bought. They bought the record-breaking Gap Groupon because they needed pants, but they bought the kickboxing Groupon because they wanted a free pair of boxing gloves.

Bookperk seems to target obscure pockets of fans of certain books or authors, rather than people looking to save money and get some wingdings. It's hard to assume profitability with such odd niches. Is it that hard to make books exciting? Those of us who buy books in volume (pun not intended [just kidding, it totally was]) don't need the wingdings, but occasionally we like the wingdings. A book by Prince Charles is not a wingding in which I have interest.

Today's deal almost gets there, but the price is too high. I love A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, and after several fruitless searches at my parents' house have concluded that I will be buying another copy sooner rather than later.; List price ($14.95) is not a great deal, though, even with shipping included, and the paperweight doesn't add any value for me. (You know what makes a great paperweight? A coffee mug.) Yet it sold out, so what do I know? And no kidding, just as I was writing this I get an email about a signed book by Sammy Hagar. Sigh. Don't think so.