Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD01

I got my Riot Read package a few days ago and cancelled today …. because I thought about it, and it’s too much to pay for what I’m actually getting. I’ll wait and see what book they release each month and then if I want that same book, I can buy it myself for less. I get two other book subscriptions as it is already (one of which is Book Riot).

A book store I love in San Francisco has set up a book of the month club that selects a book every month and ships them out across the country (3, 6, and 12months subscription).

Here is what they say:

Here’s how it works: We pore over stacks of soon-to-be-released fiction to find the paperback original we’re most excited about. The only guiding policy is that every book we pick will be new, fiction and what we think will be appealing to all types of readers. Why take the risk? Well, we’re hoping you might discover something you never would have picked up elsewhere. You can then look forward to getting a new book with a handwritten note about why we love it in the mail once a month. As publication dates vary, so will the delivery date — that’s part of the fun.

http://greenapplebooks.com/subscribe

Figured all you book lovers might like it!

I am also disappointed with this one. I was happy with the last Book Riot box and thought I would try out Riot Read. Wow, one book for $30.00, no extras or anything. I even thought that maybe it would be signed. I cancelled my subscription with them right away. I am now going to see what the new boxes contain and if they are of interest to me, then I will go out and buy the book for a fraction of the cost.

I haven’t heard of IndieSpensible before. Which do people prefer…Book Riot or IndieSpensible?

Thanks for the info about Powell’s. I hadn’t heard of that one before. I agree that $30 is high for one book, but keep in mind that Amazon does not offer the special features that BR does. Sure you can get books for a better price, but I appreciate the curated letter and the website. That doesn’t happen by itself, and it simply isn’t what Amazon is all about. I guess value us in the eyes of the beholder.

I subscribed to this, too (as well as BR’s other Quarterly box), and I’ll be cancelling it. I knew what I was getting into with the cost, but I could swear that BR said that the online content would be exclusive to subscribers. They published an FAQ on their site where they also explained that we would be getting just the one book, with no extras. When people questioned the cost, BR said that it would be the equivalent of ordering a full-price book from an indie, with shipping, but they touted the added value of the (exclusive???) online content.

I’m happy with the choice of book, because I’ve been dying to read Landline. In fact, I picked it up from the library yesterday, just hours before my book came in the mail.

I thought I would give this subscription one shot to see how wowed I was by their online content, which, when I believed it was exclusive, would have been about $15 of the total sub cost. Now that we know that it is not exclusive, there is absolutely no way to justify the cost when we could have bought Landline from Amazon or B&N for $15 and accessed the online content for free.

As others have mentioned, check out Powell’s Indiespensable. I’ve received 2 boxes so far. The featured books are signed and encased in a beautiful slipcover, and there are extras, like ARCs and other goodies. This sub is well worth the value. At $40, comparing to the $30 for Riot Read, Book Riot should be embarrassed.

I love the idea of getting a new book each month, but the price seems absolutely ridiculous to me and I would never be able to justify paying that much for a single book. I would rather just wait to see what books they send out each month through other people’s reviews and then buy the books on Amazon.

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors! I am glad she is getting more exposure 🙂

I love the quarterly box and plan on keeping that one, but I immediately cancelled after I looked the book up on Amazon. Complete rip-off. I’m better off waiting until they announce the book and buying it on my own. Then I can pretend like I’m subscribing :p

This is a nice idea but, unfortunately, it’s not going to ever be cheaper than it already is. I work for a book store and with them not charging shipping to make any money it would need to be sold at a higher price point.

Thanks for reviewing this subscription. I was on the fence, and now I am glad I didn’t subscribe. They released the link to the all the digital “extras” on their blog, which are rather cool, but if anyone can see those, then why get the subscription when the book can be purchased elsewhere for way cheaper.

I’ve been wanting to find a book subscription box and I thought this would be it but I don’t see the purpose in paying double for a book that I can buy for cheaper at a store/Amazon. If they sent another book, like a paperback or extras like a snack/sticker/journal/etc., then I would be much more inclined to be it. Are there any other book subscription boxes out there aside from the Book Riot Quartely box and the Powell box, that you know of/heard of?

I got an email from Amazon the week this book came out with an offer for $8.99 off the cover price, so I ordered it. The total I paid was $6.48 for the hardcover.

You need to subscribe to Book Riot- 50.00 Quarterly. YouTube will show you what is included. I received Box #3. I am way beyond happy. I would highly recommend Book Riot: 3 books, a pin, pouch, and a wreck it journal, plus a poster. Give this a shot.

I like the idea of this subscription as well, but it’s just too expensive. I’m all for going to the library and getting books for free.

I just don’t see this subscription box lasting long. As a Canadian, it would have cost me $40 for this. I just checked my bookstore – and it would cost me $15.94 to buy a copy, or $12.99 for the ebook (excluding taxes).

Glad that it is a book that you want to read. I don’t understand the subscription because the pricepoint isn’t there. Is the live chat part of the value of the box?

You’d probably be better off waiting to find out what the book is, then ordering it from Amazon in your choice of formats (Kindle, hardcover, or wait for paperback). But then, I don’t read a lot of popular stuff and my TBR pile is huge, plus I get free books from publishers to review a couple of times a month, so this sub probably isn’t my thing anyway.

I think that Powell’s Indiespensable is a better deal. Although you probably won’t get something already on your to-read list, you get a signed first edition of a book that very often becomes a huge hit, like With or Without You or The Night Circus. You also get a treat like a mug or another book. The price is $39.95 and comes every 6 weeks.

That’s really disappointing about the value–or complete lack thereof. For the sub to cost more than the actual book does is a bit silly, particularly considering it’s more expensive than the *retail* price, and they probably get a bajillion copies for dirt cheap wholesale prices. I would love a book subscription, but this will not be it. Now I can understand why some other book subs send autographed copies or things like that to help add value when you could otherwise get the book for dirt cheap elsewhere.

This would be a great subscription if they also send other gifts along with the book, like they should send a hardcover book along with a pack of pens, or little notebooks something to justify the cost of the $30. Cause I would really like to try it.

This sub is on my “I want it” list. I do understand convenience is a part of the price, but double is a bit much. What a disappointment. Also, I didn’t think about the books being hardcover. I prefer paperback which I know books aren’t released that way.