Subscriptions

“It’s with zero exaggeration that I say…. I think this is the most amazing gift idea ever. If I were Oprah, I’d put this on my list of favorite things and share with the world. Thanks for the cool, personalized gift that keeps giving.” - Chris Eastman, Westerville, OH

A book hand-picked just for you, delivered every month

What could be better than receiving a hand-picked book every month in the mail?

Yeah, we’re not sure, either.

Skylark’s reading subscription service is designed to deliver a little bit of bookish heaven every month. You won’t know the title of the book until you open the package – it’s like having Christmas every month (if Santa read a bit more.)

It’s important that the books we select for you suit your tastes, so every subscription starts with a simple questionnaire about what you like to read. (Or, if you live near enough to our shop, then you can pop in and chat with one of the Skylark team.) Once that’s done we’ll appoint one of our booksellers to be your bibliotherapist, who will hand-pick and mail a beautifully wrapped book at the beginning of each month, just for you. We mail books all over the world. Subscriptions can last for 3, 6 or 12 months. 

To set up a subscription for yourself or as a gift, please drop us a line at mail@skylarkbookshop.com and we’ll get the proverbial ball rolling.

Your questions answered

I’d like to give a Reading Subscription as a gift. What details will I need to give you?

At the time of purchase we’ll just need your name, your recipient’s name, and a couple of other details to price the subscription correctly (e.g., hardback or paperback, number of months, the country to which the books will be sent, etc.) 

You don’t need to give us any information about the recipient’s reading tastes – we’ll be in touch with a questionnaire about that (and to tell us the full address to which we should send the books) once you’ve let them know about the gift, and after the tears of gratitude have finally abated.

I’ve received a Reading Subscription. How do you choose books to suit my reading tastes?

We’ll send you an email with some questions about your reading tastes and preferences. Using the answers to these questions, we’ll establish the kind of books you enjoy, and then we’ll identify which of our team is best suited to be your bibliotherapist. He or she will then pick a new title for you each month. We aim to stay in touch with you throughout the subscription and ask you to let us know how you’re getting on with the books, so that we can continue to tailor our choices to your tastes.

When will I receive my books?

Once you have completed the Reading Subscription questionnaire, your first book should arrive around the beginning of the following month. We can’t give a specific day but if you live in the US and you haven’t yet received your book by the 10th of the month, please get in touch and we’ll check why it hasn’t yet arrived. For international Reading Subscriptions please allow an extra few days.

What happens if I’ve already read the book that you send me?

We offer a spoiler service that means that we can email you (or a friend/partner) in advance with a clue about the title that we’ve chosen for you (usually the author’s name) to avoid your receiving anything you’ve already read. We also try our best to pick new or unusual books that we think you might not have come across before. However, if you do receive a book that you’ve already read, please let us know and then you’re welcome to return it to us and we’ll send out a replacement.

What if my book tastes or contact details have changed since the questionnaire?

If you would like to update your preferences or change anything about the kind of books that we send you, please just give us a call or send us an email. Similarly, if you need to change the address to which we’re sending the books then let us know as soon as possible so that we don’t have any books going astray.