On the sixth or seventh day of every month -- since February 2020 -- I find myself lingering around the apartment door, waiting for a soft thud from outside. Okay, I exaggerate, but it's a new day to receive a brand new book in the mail! Is it going to be a tantalizing thriller, a thought-provoking historical fiction or a soon-to-be New York Times bestseller? The best part is I get to choose whatever my bibliophile heart desires for that month.
Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box in the United States. Every month, it features five carefully-curated books, and members can choose a book (or more) out of five for $14.99 a month. It was founded in 1926 by Harry Scherman, a copywriter for an advertising agency in New York City, after trying out the mail order service format for books. The company went through a lot of changes throughout the years and then officially relaunched in 2015 to form the BOTM that we know now. In the past, it has featured renowned titles like Little Fires Everywhere (2017) which is now a Hulu show with Reese Witherspoon and Kelly Washington. It also presented Normal People (2018), now another show on Hulu, and Daisy Jones and the Six (2019), an upcoming Amazon Video series.
Pros:
The price point for BOTM is great! It’s cheaper than the retail price you would see for a hardcover on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, considering they’re new releases. $14.99 without tax and each add-on costs $9.99.
The featured titles have already gone through a panel of judges who carefully curate the best five books. The audience just have to choose one (or more) of the best five books instead of diving down the rabbit hole on the internet researching or browsing for a long time at Barnes & Noble.
There is good selection of fiction and sometimes non-fiction. BOTM highlights new or early releases with fresh perspectives, may it be controversial views or international experiences.
Their branding on social media is top-notch and I honestly would love to work in their marketing team! Their website is well-done and easy to navigate.
You are able to skip the month whenever, with no contracts and cancelling is quite easy too!
Cons:
If you’re a one-genre type of reader and don’t want to venture out of it, then this might not be for you. BOTM features four or five different genres per month, such as thriller, romance, historical fiction and contemporary fiction, but let’s say, if you only read thriller, then you only get one choice per month.
BOTM allows you to “add-on” up to two books per month in addition to the main selection, but for the older selections, you might get cheaper somewhere else like in a second hand store or Amazon.
Is BOTM worth it?
I think it is! If you are an avid reader and want to explore new books and early releases from well-known or up-and-coming authors, then this is definitely the subscription for you.
In addition, there is a community of BOTM members all over social media. On Facebook, there are several private groups with the most popular being “Book of the Month (BOTM) Members” at 10.1k members. BOTM also engages in high-quality content on Instagram, with posts nearly everyday and occasionally featuring authors on Instagram Live for analysis of the books. Overall it's a very good investment!
If you are interested, feel free to use my referral link!
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