SubscribeAn online book company is following in the footsteps of home video delivery outlets like Netflix, by offering a book rental and delivery service.
The company called “BookSwim” allows readers to order books and have them delivered right to their door for a set fee each month. The subscription service sends between three and 11 books at a time to its customers, who can keep them for as long as they like with no late fees.
Once users are finished with at least two books, the reader sends them back to BookSwim in a pre-paid return bag that’s included with every shipment.
The company also offers gift subscriptions that can help expand the amount of reading you can give, without running up a big tab or cluttering up someone’s home with another stack of books.
Subscribers can choose from four different membership levels, with prices ranging from $19.98 per month for their “light reader” three-at-a-time plan to $39.94 per month for the “voracious reader” 11-at-a-time plan.
So far, the company’s most popular plan allows users to have up to 7 books at a time, costs $29.96 per month, with a $1.50 per month discount for a full year paid in advance. The company offers a half-price discount to new members for the first month.
After launching in May 2007, The Newark, N.J.-based company shipped its 100,000th book in early October, said marketing director Eric Ginsberg.
Ginsberg said BookSwim has customers from New York City to Alaska. He believes it appeals to city dwellers who like the convenience of having the books delivered and to rural residents with little access to public libraries or major bookstores.
“We thought when we started the service we would get a lot more rural than urban, but what we got was a good mix,” Ginsberg said. “People want conveniences, they want things to come to them.”
Ginsberg said users also have the option of buying a book they’ve ordered, with the price calculated based on the age of the book and the number of times it has been lent out. He said about one-third of the books sent out are new.
The company is now offering a trial membership for a specific plan for as short as one month, which may be best suited for a family of readers on your shopping list, since three books at $19.98 a month may be too steep for many readers.
However, Ginsberg said they do not offer a one-book rental plan, because it’s more cost efficient to ship multiple books.
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