Our Mystery Book subscription is where it all began and is still our signature service. Each month, have one or two of our Mystery Books arrive at your door in our gorgeous gift box along with a note from your very own Pen Pal.
From £9.99/month
Each month, choose from our curated list of at least 5 of our Mystery Books across a range of genres. All are paperbacks and have been recently published. Use the four words and illustrations on the front of our hand wrapped books to choose the one (or two!) that most piques your interest!
Every order arrives packaged in our gorgeous gift box, complete with an exclusive bookmark featuring a quote by an inspirational female author. Enjoy the little treat of opening up a carefully prepared and personalised parcel, just for you, each month.
All subscribers are assigned their own personal Pen Pal to whom they can write to each month, using the enclosed notecard, to discuss their Mystery Books, life and everything in between! Your Pen Pal, one of the How Novel team, will then include a bespoke, handwritten response in your next box.
We believe businesses have a responsibility to use their skills and reach to help the world, as well as make a profit. That's why we support two fantastic charities, One Tree Planted and Book Aid International. Every gift subscription plants a tree and donates a book, allowing us to support climate change action and education across the world.
Sustainably
sourced
Minimal
plastic*
Fully
recyclable
Depending on your order, we may need to protect your order with a mailer bag. We are currently working on transitioning from a recycled, biodegradable plastic to a plant-based, compostable material for this.
Select a step for more information
On the 1st of each month, after your subscription renews, your will receive an email containing a link to our latest Mystery Book selection
For new subscribers, the 8th is our key cut off date. Anyone who signs up before then will receive their first box the same month, or the next if after
Once we have your selection, our team get to work on your box. All boxes are dispatched on the 15th of each month, straight to your door.
Boxes start to arrive from the 17th for UK customers. It takes a little longer for our international subscribers, depending on their location.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £12.99 every month until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £35.97 every 3 months until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £65.94 every 6 months until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £119.88 every 12 months until cancelled.
Pay monthly
Charged as €19.99 monthly until cancelled
Pay less by committing
Charged as €58.47 every 3 months until cancelled.
Most popular
Charged as €113.94 every 6 months until cancelled.
Best value
Charged as €215.88 every 12 months until cancelled
Pay monthly
Charged as $24.99 every month until cancelled
Perfect for trying us out
Charged as $71.97 every 3 months until cancelled.
Most popular
Charged as $137.94 every 6 months until cancelled
Best value
Charged as $263.88 every 12 months until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £22.99 every month until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £65.97 every 3 months until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £125.94 every 6 months until cancelled.
Delivered monthly
Charged as £239.88 every 12 months until cancelled.
Shipping is included to the location(s) indicated by the tabs or worldwide for our Rest of World plans.
You can pause or cancel anytime before your next renewal date and not be charged another penny.
No matter whether you go for the rolling or prepay plans, the box and Mystery Book options you get each month are the same.
We pride ourselves on doing everything we can to help our customers; don't just take our word for it, The Guardian agrees.
Yes, of course! In fact, our gift subscriptions are some of our most popular products!
All you need to do is head to this page, and select the appropriate option for your recipient and whether we should send them their gift card by post or email.
No! We hate long, hard to get out of contracts as much as you do.
That's why you can pause your subscription for as long as you like without being charged, or even cancel entirely, and why you can choose yourself how long to commit for.
To do so, all you need to do is reach out to our team before your next renewal date. and they will get everything processed for you.
After signing up, you will be emailed a link to our current Mystery Book choices so you can make your first selection. The team will then get to work on your box straight away, and it should be with you within a few days of making your selection.
For future months, you will be emailed the book choices on the 1st with all boxes being dispatched on the 15th of each month. The exact date for your box's arrival will depend on where you live. For example, in the UK, it's usually 2 days after dispatch.
Please feel free to reach out for estimates specific to your country!
Fret not, we've got you covered (though it happens much less than you might think)!
In the rare event that you do receive a Mystery Book that you have already own, or have read previously, all you need to do is send it back to us and we will swap it for a new one for you.
In practice, this means you will be able to choose an additional Mystery Book to be included in your next box.
Please note that we do not cover the cost of returning the book to us.
Yes! Despite the 'UK' in our domain name, we truly are an international company. USA, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Pakistan, Slovakia, Ireland, Serbia....the list goes on! We have a map in our office that we mark off every time we deliver to a new country, too!
There is an additional charge for international delivery, though we do heavily subsidise this.