Book subscription boxes are the new, cool way of reading. They feed the reader in you with books and the fangirl (fanboy?) in you with lots of goodies. There are so many established book box businesses in the world, but most of these boxes are US based including the famous Book of the Month that has been around for ninety years (!!) and the newer ones like Owl Crate(YA), Boxwallah (World fiction) , My Lit Box (Books by writers of colour) and Moth Box (UK based; Books from Independent publishers), to name a few. Sadly for the readers in India, this meant a huge dent in the wallet due to the hefty shipping charges. And now? Now it is time to rejoice! Many new small businesses based in India are making a mark in the subscription box industry. Cheers to more surprises every month.
What is a Book Subscription box?
This is not an uncommon term for the present day reader. In simple words, a book subscription box is a gift to the book lover in you. The box would include one book (or more) and several bookish merchandise (bookmarks, notepads, stationery items etc) and sometimes even snacks to munch on while you read. The boxes are often themed and the whole package sticks to the theme of the month. The books are usually not announced beforehand, so it is exactly like opening a surprise gift to yourself when you unbox one of them.
Here are the shining examples of book subscription services in India in no particular order. Some are genre-specific and some are region-specific.
UPDATE : As of March 2022, many of the book boxes listed below are no longer active. The Big Book Box, Kaffeinated Konversations and Influence box are the book box services still in existence.
1. The Bookling’s Crate
Genre : YA fantasy
Type : Monthly subscription service
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 899. They have a Half Ticket subscription plan for Rs.595.
What to expect : One YA paperback plus bookish goodies.
For more pictures of the goodies and books included in the boxes from previous months, check out my unboxings. The January box was themed ‘Dream of Hearts’, the February box was themed ‘Ready for Anything’ and the March box (my favourite among the three) was themed ‘Unleash Yourself’.
Where to find them? – The Bookling’s Crate | Instagram
2. Books N Beyond
Type : Monthly subscription service
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 1260. They have a Pocket-Friendly plan for Rs. 899
What to expect : One paperback plus bookish goodies
You can check out my unboxing of Books N Beyond boxes for more pictures. The February box had a ‘Sci-fic’ theme and the March box (my favourite) was all about ‘Sherlocked’.
Where to find them? – Books N Beyond | Instagram
3. Book o Box
Type : Monthly subscription service
Genre : Fiction from around the world. Each month focusses on a different country. YA boxes and Kids boxes on the cards and out soon.
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 750
What to expect : One paperback plus bookish goodies
Where to find them? – Book o Box | Instagram
4. The Big Book Box
Type : Monthly subscription service
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 999
What to expect : One paperback plus bookish goodies every month and two books every alternate month. They have many subscription plans in a variety of combinations that provide upto three hardcover books + one paperback every month.
Check the unboxing review here
Where to find them? – The Big Book Box | Instagram
5. Kaffeinated Conversations
Type : Monthly subscription service
Genre : Fiction by authors from Indian subcontinent, South East Asia and Africa
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 800
What to expect : Two paperbacks and bookish goodies.
Where to find them? – Kaffeinated Konversations
6. Story Trunk
Type : Bi-monthly subscription service
Genre : Young Adult
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 1399
What to expect : 1-2 paperbacks plus bookish goodies. They have subscription plans for 2-3 paperbacks per box too.
Where to find them? – Story Trunk | Instagram
7. Aurora
Type : Monthly subscription service
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 900
What to expect : One paperback plus bookish goodies. They have subscription plans for two paperbacks per box as well.
Where to find them? – Aurora – The box of dreams
8. The Biblio Box
Type : Monthly subscription service
Pricing : Boxes are priced from Rs. 1350
What to expect : Two paperbacks plus bookish goodies.
Where to find them? – The Biblio Box Facebook | Instagram
9. Enchantico
Type : Monthly subscription service
Genre : Children’s books
What to expect : Books and goodies for children of different age groups
Where to find them? – Enchantico | Instagram
10. Influence
Type : Monthly subscription service
Genre : Non fiction
What to expect : Books about personal development and growth
Where to find them? – Influence box
Did I just make your budget sway a little with these tempting book boxes? Be sure to check them out as many of the services have book add-ons and merchandise add-ons at different rates. Happy shopping and happy reading.
Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post and The Book Satchel holds no responsibility for the validity of the information. Please visit the respective websites and confirm their policies and payment before getting a box.
It’s the bookish goodies that out me off because more often than not they go straight into the bin for me. Unless they’re not specific book or author related. Brilliant compilation Resh. This’ll be perfect when I want to treat myself a bit.
Thanks Vicky. I hope you find a few useful ones. I saw in some websites that you can cut down the goodies and have an extra book. I am not sure which one of the above. Maybe you can choose one like that when you treat yourself. 🙂
We have a wonderful YA subscription box in Australia but unfortunately the shipping costs on all the overseas based boxes work out to me more than the contents themselves. I think one is almost $100 per month with shipping. The Biblo Box sounds like pretty good value for money. Going to check a few out and work out the exchange rate <3
Oh! That would be cool. I was surprised to find so many bookish services in India when I started doing research for the post. I knew only a few. I am glad so many are taking the business to the next level. And we face the same problem as you- hefty shipping charges
Great Compilation Resh! I am afraid to check out a book box because I think the merch wouldn’t be very useful for me. But the Book o box sounds good! And someday, I would like to treat myself to an owlcrate or fairyloot box!
That is great news! I am glad you found the box that best suits you. Hope you will love it if you decide to buy one. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, Bitasta.
So happy to see that subscription boxes are starting up all over the world and becoming available to more and more people! Living in the U.S., I often take it for granted that I have access to affordable books and books subscription boxes. Thanks for putting this together! I’ll make sure to share it 🙂
Thanks Amanda. I hope this list is useful to many Indians out there who are yearning for a book subscription box
AHHHH. This is so exciting, I had no idea there were book subscription boxes in India??? I could totally subscribe and get them sent to my Aunt’s place. Of course, then getting them over to Southeast Asia would be a little tricky… Still! Thanks for this list, I am definitely going to do a little research and hopefully subscribe for one of them.
I want to treat myself to one and this post is coming in handy! thank you so much, resh!
I am so glad to hear that. Hope this helps you in choosing the best book box for you. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, Ayustika
I’ve been meaning to check your blog for some time now… It is so great! <3
This is a great post. I wanted to try a bookish subscription box for some time now and this is a great list to choose from.. Thank you so much for sharing this Resh!!
I recently found out your blog and I’m glad I did. 🙂
I am glad you found this useful. And I hope you got the right one that fits you.
Thanks a lot for stopping by.
Can vouch for Books N Beyond and their service. Tried and tested. Loved it. Recommended.
How can i order ?