Independent Bookstore Book Subscription Boxes

Let a bookstore choose your next book for you

Hi readers,

When Covid shut down the US and the world in March 2020, many independent bookstores weren’t sure they would survive. Some already had a robust online presence and were able to expand it to meet the needs of their customers. Others without that online presence had to figure out how to pivot online in a matter of days. Bloggers, book clubs, and other bookish online communities did everything they could to promote the bookstores and help drive traffic from the big box stores to the local stores to help them survive.

Many independent book stores offer book subscription boxes in addition to in-store and online sales. The bookstores listed below are just a sampling of several that I know of with book subscription boxes. I’ve subscribed to a few of these in the past, although I am not currently because I do most of my reading on my iPad or Kindle. Some subscriptions are very basic and contain just books. Others may have a few non-book items included, and there are even e-book and audiobook subscriptions available, all to help independent bookstores flourish. I’m excited to share these with you, so let’s jump right in.

• The Bookshelf, a Thomasville Bookstore - Annie B. Jones has owned The Bookshelf since 2013 and is the creator of the wonderfully popular weekly podcast, From the Front Porch. Shelf Subscription, a book-a-month club, features five subscriptions from different genres, including a “surprise me” option. There is a shelf subscription for “kids + kids at heart,” offering board books to YA books; you choose the age range at purchase. And for those who want more than just a book, the “Treat Yo’ Shelf” subscription includes a book and a bookish gift from the bookstore shelves. The subscription lengths offered are 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and the prices are based on the subscription type and length chosen.

• Read, Romance, Repeat, The Ripped Bodice - This all romance bookstore was a lifelong dream of sisters Bea & Leah, and it began after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The monthly Read, Romance, Repeat subscription features surprise romance books (there is a “spoil me” link if you can’t stand to wait) along with a bookish gift such as a candle, notebook, or keychain. The subscription lengths offered are month to month, 6 and 12 months, and the price is based on the subscription length chosen.

• Trust Fall, The Book People - Locally owned since 1970, this large independent bookstore is in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. Trust Fall, the quarterly book subscription box, features debut or break-out books the curators love and think you will love too. Each quarterly box contains one book, and at least one thank you gift; a thank you for trusting them to choose a book you will love. If you don’t love it, you can return the book for a full refund and keep any extras from the box. You can buy stand-alone boxes of the prior month’s selections until they sell out. There are also subscription boxes for kids, blind date with a book for teens, and signed first editions for adults.

• The Book Drop, Bethany Beach Books - This charming and unique bookstore finds itself just steps from the boardwalk in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Its current owner purchased the bookstore in 2010 and started the monthly subscription service in 2015. The Book Drop, the monthly book subscription, features twelve different adult subscription options, including a large print option, five children through YA options, and two Jigsaw puzzle options. All subscriptions include the monthly hand-wrapped book, a note why the bookstore likes the book, along with an Indie Next brochure. It may include a letter from the author, and the book may also be signed by the author. The subscription lengths offered are 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and the prices are based on the subscription type and length chosen.

  

• The Book Hookup, Strand Book Store - The famous Strand Book Store on Broadway in NY City, offers The Book Hookup its quarterly book subscription box. It offers nine genres to choose from, such as fiction, YA, mystery, sci-fi, little readers, and more. Depending on the genre selected, each box will contain a new book (in some genres, a signed first edition), an additional book, Strand merchandise, and items from featured partners. There is a single purchase option, a monthly recurring subscription, and a yearly subscription available, and the prices are based on the genre and length chosen. You can see a “spoiler” to learn the featured book, but the remaining items in the box will always be a surprise.

• Just the Right Book, RJ Julia Booksellers - Roxanne Coady has owned RJ Julia’s since 1989 and is the creator of the top-rated podcast that shares the name of the book subscription box, Just the Right Book. Offering subscriptions for adults, teens, and children in paperback, hardback, or a mixture of the two, the subscriber fills out a reading preference form with information on favorite authors, books, genres, and more. The staff chooses your monthly book based on those preferences. The subscription lengths offered are 4, 6, and 12 months and you have to option to pay in installments since there is no month-to-month subscription option.

• First Editions Club, Parnassus Book - Novelist Ann Patchett and her business partner opened Parnassus Books in 2011, and it has become the beloved bookstore of Nashville. First Editions Club offers three different book subscriptions for adults, teens, and middle-grade in a monthly subscription or 3, 6, and 12-month prepaid subscriptions. These are all first editions, signed by the authors (occasionally signed for middle-grade) and carefully selected by the book experts at Parnassus. An author letter for each book is included in the middle-grade subscription. All books are returnable within two weeks if you don’t like the book you received. Prices are based on subscription type and length.

• Page 1 Book Subscription, Page 1 Books - This independent bookstore has an interesting origin story. It began in 2017 as a book subscription service operating out of founder Brandy O’Briant’s spare bedroom. It opened as a brick-and-mortar bookstore in 2019, and current owner Michelle recently purchased Page 1 Books, calling it her fantasy business. The Page 1 Book Subscription offers a mix of hardcover and paperback books; you can upgrade for hardcover only and large print only. When ordering, you provide information based on books and authors you enjoy and those you don’t. You can provide the link to your Goodreads and Storygraph accounts and any other information you think would be helpful when choosing your book. Also offered are e-book and audiobook subscriptions, which is unique as none of the above offer those yet. The only downside is the Kindle is not a supported device for the e-books; you can read which devices are supported here. Prices are based on the type and length of the subscription chosen.

Most of the above subscriptions offer a discount when you choose a multi-month subscription length, and most allow you to purchase a gift subscription for a reader in your life.

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When you subscribe to a book subscription box from an independent bookstore, you are not just receiving one or more great books. You are supporting the independent bookstores and authors that have provided readers with so much enjoyment in the past. These bookstores gave authors a way to sell their books when in-person store events stopped in March 2020 by offering many virtual events that readers needed so desperately needed during this time. Unfortunately, some bookstores didn’t survive, but many others did and will continue to survive because of readers like us.

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There are many more bookstores that offer book subscriptions boxes; these are just a few I’ve chosen to highlight in this issue. The world of book subscription boxes is vast, far more extensive than I realized when I started this post. I initially thought I’d highlight a few of each type, but the further I researched, the more I realized that each type deserves its own newsletter issue. Watch for book subscription box newsletters related to author subscriptions, specific genre subscriptions, children/teen subscriptions, and my favorite, the book subscription box with gifts and other bookish items to enjoy along with the book.

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Have you ever purchased a book subscription box from your local indie or a commercial company? Which subscription box did you buy, and what did you think of it? You can tell me in the comments below.

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It could snow here in North Texas by Wednesday night and into Thursday and Friday. It will start as rain, and unfortunately, it turns to ice overnight. I don’t mind the snow too much, but I hate the ice. The bright side is if it’s bad enough, I might get a day off from work. Thank you for being here and reading. Stay dry and warm, and I hope you have a great week. Happy reading!