Amount paid for the first book is $17.
Amount paid for the second book is 0.75 x 8 = $6
Total amount paid = $17 + $6 = $23
Total full cost of the two books = $17 + $8 = $25
Amount of discount = $25 - $23 = $2
% reduction =

Therefore, the
percent of the total cost of the two books reduced during the sale is 8%