Scribbler is a monthly subscription box for writers—especially novelists and aspiring novelists—created by bestselling authors Victoria Scott and Lindsay Cummings. It’s filled with items to help novelists stay motivated while writing, improve their crafts, and connect with the right publishing professionals.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Scribbler
The Subscription Box: Scribbler
The Cost: $29.99/mo + shipping fees (varies by location)
The Products: A monthly writing theme, a new fiction release novel, a collectible “writing passport” from the featured author, curated writerly gifts, and an invitation to communicate with a publishing professional.
Ships to: U.S. for $8.49, Canada for $12.99, and worldwide for $18.99 (shipping not available to Mexico and Peru)
Scribbler March 2019 Volume 13 Review
Usually, there’s a writing exercise on the welcome card, but this time there’s a heartwarming thank you letter from the Scribbler team Victoria and Lindsay! It’s their one-year anniversary letter thank you and continuous support for their aspiring writer and writer subscribers. I’m proud to also be part of the journey (*´∀`*).
Scribbler lists the products you’ll receive on the back cover of the Publishing Process booklet.
Let’s jump into our products!
Exclusive Scribbler Motivational Poster – Retail Value $2.00
This exclusive poster features an inspirational quote—by reading books, our words will flow like water. One of the simplest, most classic truths of the benefits of reading!
Exclusive Scribbler Socks – Retail Value $10.00
My feet are always cold, so I welcomed these vibrant Scribbler custom socks! They’re well stitched, cozy, and long.
I think I’ll wear them over leggings with sandals during my fall trips to work in the library (the air conditioning is too cold). They’re the perfect length!
Exclusive Scribbler Pencil Bag – Estimated Value $10.00 (based on this canvas pouch)
This classic pencil bag brands us passionate bookworms as a ~writer~ the color of the bag is a nice dark gray, with satin inside and a small zipper. It stores a lot of pens and pencils—the vital instruments of a writer!
Pocket Eco-Note Keeper – Estimated Value $2.00 (based on this sample notebook)
This eco-friendly pocket notebook is a keeper on my bedside table! It’s the perfect size for quick idea notes. I think I’ll drop it in my bag when I go on walks in case I get ideas from the scenery! It comes with a small pen, with an included pen loop and book closing rubber strap to keep the papers dry and safe.
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarro – Retail Value $15.99 (found here for $10.99)
It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a book because of all the textbooks I’m reading, but wow, what a nice return to the pleasure reading world. Yarro’s work is beautifully written, starting bittersweet with characters molded and scarred with loss. As a disclaimer, I’m very emotional, and at many points of her book, my heart simply shattered. As I continued, I was comforted by the colorful throwbacks of the characters’ past, but with a turn of another page, it was destroyed again. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a book make me feel this way, just obliterating my heart and filling it with ephemeral hope.
The relationship between Ella and Beckett was not an easy path, but it was beautiful. It was deep, resonant with their past, and passionate—there was never any doubt while reading the story. They were meant for each other. And they were so, so well-developed, realistic and tangible. At the end, I was devastated and at loss for words, thoroughly impressed with the depth of Yarro’s storyline.
Here’s the back blurb:
“Beckett,
If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.
I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.
My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.
And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.
So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.
Please don’t make her go through it alone.
Ryan”
Scribbler dropped in a special autograph sticker from Yarro and a bookmark! I stuck mine on the back of the front cover.
Scribbler Writing Passport Volume 13 – Retail Value $5.00
This month’s passport theme was on writing romance. The first section of the passport starts by introducing the author’s perspective on the topic, as well as the career highlights of the author, and a special quote.
Yarro describes several ways of making a relationship between characters more exciting, deep, and tangled for an enjoyable reader’s ride. One example is finding a reason the two can’t be together—it’ll raise the stakes, but it’ll also have the reader hanging by the hook, waiting for the circumstances to change so the two can be together.
The passport always includes a special exercise for subscribers. This month’s assignment is to observe people around you, to be able to recreate their mannerism, dialogues, and tones in the most realistic way. These subtle traits add up to make the relationship even more tangible to the readers.
Publishing Process Inside Look The Last Letter
I really appreciate Scribbler’s inclusion of these publishing processes. Aspiring writers (myself included) may be unfamiliar with the process of planning out a book. This month’s process shows Yarro’s notes on her research, exhaustive timeline planning, and letter plots of the novel. Timelines are the backbone of any story and are a vital part of the novel writing procedure to create a richer reading experience.
This page is a scan of Yarro’s notes on a timeline for Beck’s letters. It shows the meticulous matching of a plot to an actual date, including the date, story, and chapter it appears in the book.
In Yarro’s novel, a timeline is essential to determining the stages and path of a disease, especially for David’s cancer. Her diligent research of cancer treatments and transplants is clearly shown in the detail she invests into her work.
Reading this process after her book just made me even more sure of the true brilliance of Yarro’s writing. The dedication, research, time, everything she invested in the book was so clear to me. It’s amazing how a book can yank your heart out and dump a flood of tears onto you.
Invitation to Author Conversation
Scribbler always includes an invitation to chat with a publishing professional. This month’s invitation is to chat with the Chief Executive Officer at Entangled, Serial Entrepreneur Liz Pelletier.
The back of the invitation card includes an introduction of the agent, her experience in her publishing career in London and her education background. Pelletier channeled her passion for romance fiction and co-founded Entangled Publishing, which has grown from a small start-up to a powerhouse romance publisher, with more than 2000 titles released to date!
The Verdict: I loved the book-themed bonus items that appear each month, but the book selection for this month was mind-blowingly stunning. Worth many rereads, an emotional rollercoaster with realistically beautiful and painful characters, The Last Letter is a bookworm favorite, and a Scribbler selection favorite.
I estimated a retail value (excluding the publishing process, author extras, and conversation invitation) of $44.99 which is little higher than the $38.48 cost of the box ($29.99 a month plus $8.49 US shipping).
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the May box. The last day to order a box is the 10th of every month unless sold out prior to that date (there are limited quantities). If you order after the 10th, it will be for the following month.
Value Breakdown: This box cost $29.99 + $8.49 shipping, which means that each of the 6 items in the box (not including the book-themed extras) has an average cost of $6.41.
Check out all of our Scribbler reviews and the best book subscription boxes of 2019!
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What did you think of March’s Scribbler box? Did you enjoy the suspense of the book?
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