A while back, I came across an article about starting a subscription box service. I’d never thought of that as an option before, but the idea is interesting.
One of the examples is Brave Roots Box, which sends religious items to kids and teens each month (the owner was cited in the article I read). Apparently, the subscription box business model is prevalent enough that there’s a service entrepreneurs can use, called CrateJoy. CrateJoy bills itself as the “All-in-One Ecommerce Platform for Subscription Box Businesses.”
I haven’t personally used the service, but you can use them to make sales and collect payments, customize your store’s webpage, and integrate with shipping and other services.
Another option is Company Box, which lets you customize your packaging materials. This route is a little more DIY. But there are many options in terms of package size, and whatever patterns or images you want to print on your packages. Then you can use a company like StickerMule to create custom stickers to add as part of your subscription box.
These are just ideas off the top of my head. There are all kinds of monthly subscription boxes available. On CrateJoy alone, there’s a whole “Books” section that includes young adults books, adult coloring books, fantasy and sci-fi books, children’s books, romance novels, and mystery, thriller, & horror. At a glance, prices range from $8 to $40 each month, and boxes include books as well as letters, bath soaps, and themed projects.
And there are tons of subscription box services for things other than books. MentalFloss has a list that includes nerdy pop culture items, socks, and baking recipes. And Urban Tastebud has an even long list that includes fandom items, candy, stickers, tea, and much more.
As an author, I could see there be subscription box services that tailor to a world, or maybe even a specific set of characters (could be notebooks, if the characters are also writers, or socks with quotes, or something else). It would involve a fair amount of work, but could be worthwhile. Anyone thinking of doing something like this (or already doing it?) If so, let me know about your experience in the comments!
