I’ve been aware of the existence of Book of the Month Club my entire life. But I didn’t realize until just a few months ago that I could be a part of it.
I don’t know what I thought BOTM was. But being a “club”, I assumed it was exclusionary. And I guess it had never occurred to me that it might be incredibly easy to meet the requirements. (An inexpensive subscription fee–that’s literally it.) Then a few months ago, I saw a BOTM ad on my phone and clicked on it, just to see what it’s all about.
What is Book of the Month, anyway?
Turns out BOTM is a subscription service, like any other. Here’s how it works: Every month, the club selects five books from various genres. You choose one, and then for $15.99 (at the time of this writing) they send a brand-new hardback copy to your door. If you can’t choose just one, you can choose up to two add-ons for $9.99 each. That’s it. There’s absolutely no catch. Since I spend a little more than that on books each month already, it didn’t seem like it could hurt to at least try it out. Here’s what led me to take the plunge, and what I think now that I’ve been at it for a few months.
Why I Chose to Join
Good Value: Like I mentioned above, it’s very affordable, especially if you plan to resell the book when you’re done!
Good Choices: I quibbled at first over the idea of someone else choosing books for me. But realistically, there’s almost always going to be something I want to read on the list, and likely more than one. And looking through the archives, I spotted several books that I’d already been wanting to read. You can see the contents of my most recent box here.
Easy to Cancel: I haven’t had to try yet, but the website promises that they make the cancellation process easy and that they do answer their phone.
More Books to Share: Lately I’ve really been trying to clean off my shelves and not hang onto quite so many books after reading them. If a book isn’t difficult to replace, I simply write a review in StoryGraph so I remember that I read it and can look it up easily when need be, then pass it on. With BOTM, for a very low monthly cost, I get brand-new books in great condition that I can give as gifts, trade with a friend, resell to a used bookstore, or swap with another book in one of the Little Free Libraries around the neighborhood.
Early Releases: One of the perks of being a BOTM member is that you sometimes get early access to new releases! I’m reading one right now by a new author that I am loving so far.
Rewards: The more you read, the more you’re rewarded. I love that BOTM encourages me to spend a portion of my free time reading. There are several different challenges, such as reading 12 books per year or reading a certain number of genres, that result in free books.
Easy to Skip: If you’re just not feeling any of the books that month or need to save your extra dollars, you can skip as often as you need to. They won’t bill you or send you a book you didn’t choose, and you’ll still get your email the following month with the new books in it and continue as before.
Results
I’m a few months in, and I am loving Book of the Month. So far I’ve read 11 of the books in their archives, and I have liked one, loved seven, and only disliked three. I find myself eagerly anticipating their email at the beginning of each month to see what the newest selections are, and then waiting for that blue package to arrive at my door (with free shipping, BTW).
If you’ve read this far and would like to join BOTM, you can use my referral link to get your first book for only $5. Full disclosure: I will get one free book if you sign up using my link, so…y’know…I won’t be upset or anything if you do.
Have you tried Book of the Month? What’s your experience been like?
I joined a day before you posted this and went to fill my February box with some add ons and they want to charge me $15.99 per each one, not the $9.99 I see advertised everywhere. Apparently new subscribers don’t receive that price which was one of the reasons I signed up in the first place. From what I’ve seen from others it’s hit or miss if you get $9.99, $10.99, or $15.99 and when you call customer service they change their reasoning why you are being charged differently. Just something I think your readers should be aware of and I wish that BOTM would actually address.
Thank you; that will take some looking into! I believe they run different promotions, which could be why you’re seeing different numbers. I joined on what was actually (if I recall correctly) a $5.99 promotion, whereas my monthly fee is $15.99 for the first book, plus $9.99 per add-on. Next month I’ll have to check to see if the numbers are still the same as they were when I signed up. That’s good input, though. Appreciate it!
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