There are plenty of listicles out there with book subscription services that promise to make your bookish life better–but what if you are exclusively looking for nonfiction book subscription services? These are less common, but I know there are plenty of readers out there that can’t get enough of nonfiction books and would be grateful to receive a book or two every month.
Nonfiction book subscription services can take the pressure away from the consumer to always be up to date with the issue of the week, day or month–you’re literally hiring a service to keep you on top of your facts intake! Plus, if you’re an indecisive reader like me and someone who always wants to learn more, but has too many interests to actually choose a nonfiction book in under three to four hours (it’s a struggle every time, I swear!), these subscriptions will help you too!
So let’s get into it–I’m sure you will find your perfect subscription service match below.
1. Tailored Book Recommendations (TBR)
Since we are talking about a service that will deliver nonfiction books specifically, it would be strange if I did not mention Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations (TBR) service. As the name of the service implies, TBR will tailor the books you receive to you specifically–that’s kind of a dream come true for me. I just want someone who gets me to send me books, you know?
Here’s how it works: you’re paired with a professional book nerd who will curate three book recommendations according to your preferences and your reading habits every quarter. You can choose to just get recommendations sent to your email inbox, or to get your nonfiction books delivered to your home. TBR is above all customizable, so you can tell your bibliologist you are only interested in nonfiction books, and voilá! A personalized nonfiction book subscription services that will fulfil your wildest dreams.
The recommendation-only level (receive a recommendation letter by email) is $15 per quarter or $50 billed annually and perfect for library users, paperback, ebook, and audiobook readers who want help picking their next great read. The hardcover level (receive 3 books in the mail) is $79 + $4.79 shipping per quarter. Annual subscribers receive free shipping.
2. Call Number
Focused on curating Black literature, Call Number‘s service can be set to nonfiction books or fiction books. The service was created and founded by academic librarian and book lover Jamilah, who noticed difficulties in finding literature by Black authors in the book industry. This lack of diverse books caused Jamilah to create a service that focuses specifically on Black authors. This subscription is delivered quarterly, and the starter box features Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All be Feminists and some truly adorable swag! Previous nonfiction boxes have included: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo , Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing edited by Stephanie Stokes Oliver, and This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins. These subscriptions start at USD$35 and can go up to USD$136, depending on how many books you want a month.
3. The Book Hookup
Another quarterly subscription service that can be customized–and this one is by one of the most famous book stores in the world; the Strand in New York City. Though most of the options for this subscription service are fiction, there is a super enticing political nonfiction books option that has previously featured Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Centuryby Jessica Bruder, A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes, Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown by Lauren Hilgers, and One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson. These are all books that are currently in-line with the political and historical topics du jour–and, all books i’ve wanted to read. When you sign up, you get a signed first edition of a “highly anticipated title” every quarter, along with some literary swag. A single month of books is USD$50, a recurring subscription is USD$50 a month or you can snatch up a whole year for a single payment of USD$200.
4. The Beautiful Book Company
This service’s website has a whole tab dedicated to nonfiction book subscriptions, so it’s really up to what you’re looking within the nonfiction genre. Politics and History nonfiction? They’ve got you covered. Cookery books to enrich your kitchen life? Check! Have you been craving travel books for new holiday ideas? Yup, that’s an option too! They have also just launched a personalized book subscription box where you can select your preference for nonfiction when you order. These plans start at USD$35 and can cost up to USD$45.
5. My Book Box
Have you ever wanted a handwritten note by an awesome author along with your brand new book? And a mystery gift to go along with that? My Book Box has you covered, and they have a nonfiction subscription box option! This is a monthly subscription service that lets you choose your preferred genres. Previous nonfiction boxes have included Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker, Thinking Machines by Luke Dormehl and Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler. Sometimes, the mystery gift is some super fancy chocolate–how could you go wrong with that?! My Book Box gives you two books a month and starts at USD$39 per month, and can be a few dollars cheaper if you pay for three months in advance.
6. Used Books Monthly
I’m a big fan of used books and paying a little bit less for books that have been previously loved (as an aside, I love thinking about books I’ve donated and whose life they are enriching at the moment). This subscription box is a little bit cheaper than the rest on this list, and you can pick how many books you want to get a month (1 to 4, depending on how much reading time you’ve got!). You can choose what kind of books you will receive from a list of 20 genres (spoiled for options!) and the service will curate your books accordingly. Of course, because these books are “gently used”, they won’t be super topical or in-line with the current zeitgeist. However, this subscription service is “dedicated to finding new readers for used books” which is super neat! This service starts at USD$5.79 a month.