Bookish Thoughts: Book Subscription Boxes

Do you subscribe to book subscription boxes, like Uppercase or OwlCrate? Have you been thinking about possibly subscribing to one? Well, I’ve subscribed to a few book subscription boxes over the last couple of years, and personally, I really enjoy getting them. Plus I’m the kind of person that enjoys getting snail mail! So here are my thoughts on what to consider when picking a book subscription box.

1. Do you often preorder a lot of books or buy a lot of books when the day it’s released? If you do, a book subscription box may not be for you. Book subscription boxes often are sent out towards the middle/end of the month and often contain a book released that month. So there’s a high possibility that you may end up with duplicate books if you tend to preorder or purchase a lot of books on release day.

2. What type of genre do you like and are how picky are you? This is particularly important. There are tons of book subscription boxes out there, and they’re often sorted by genre. So if you enjoy reading YA, you’ll want to go with a book subscription box that sends out YA books. If you like women’s fiction, go with a women’s fiction book subscription box. If you like multiple genres, you may want to go with something like My Book Box that sends out two books a month from two genres you pick. However, if you’re really picky, for example, I only read certain types of romance novels and not all romance novels, you may want to steer clear. I once subscribed to a romance book subscription box, but quickly realized that the theme each month didn’t always fit my reading preferences.

3. SHIPPING IS IMPORTANT! If you want to get your book subscription box in a timely manner or don’t want to spend a ton beyond the price of the book, considering shipping is important. Even if the book subscription box is shipped within your own country, consider the shipping method. For example, I love Uppercase because they ship in Priority Envelopes through USPS. I get my package in a timely manner and usually am not spoiled of the surprise through social media. My Book Box, however, is shipped as Media Mail through USPS. It’s a considerably cheaper shipping method, but means I often don’t get my box until the beginning of the following month, well after people have started posting their boxes on social media. Personally, I love the surprise, and waiting so long leaves me feeling a bit like Charlie Brown.

4. Do you care about book swag? Some book subscription boxes may offer two choices: book plus swag or book only. I know Uppercase does. Personally, I enjoy getting book swag because it’s difficult to come by in Hawaii. There are hardly any bookish events or signings here. However, I’m glad there’s always the option to get the book only if I’m ever strapped for money. I must say, though, during the winter months, often the book swag isn’t relevant for my needs… Bookish scarves are awesome and all, but I wouldn’t need it where I live.

5. Lastly, are you considering purchasing more than one book subscription box? Beware you may get multiple of the same book if the book subscription boxes are all the same genre. While it’d be amazing as a consumer to have book subscription boxes check and make sure that no other competitor is sending out the same book, it’s really not their job to and you can’t expect them to. Plus I hardly doubt as a business they’d share with each other what book they’re sending out to their competitors. So just beware that you may get a duplicate book. Some book subscription boxes offer a refund if you already own a book, but most don’t.

& That’s it. Those are all of my tips I have to share with you!

I’d love to know, what do you think of book subscription boxes? Are you for or against them? Also, if you’ve subscribed to one or several, which ones are your favorite? I’d love to know!