Hi everybody 🙂 In today’s article, we are going to be talking about book subscription boxes. In case you are not familiar with subscription boxes, they are basically goodie boxes curated to fit a theme. In the case of book boxes, the boxes can be curated according to specific books, genres or bookish themes. Depending on the book box company, the boxes can either be purchased as single purchases or through subscriptions.
For today’s article, I interviewed Fatima, the lovely lady behind the book box company Magic and Mischief. From curating boxes to sending them out to book lovers all over the world, Fatima shares with us all that goes into the making of a book box. Read on to find out more about Magic and Mischief, including a few sneak peeks at some their upcoming boxes 😀
Interview with Fatima, owner of Magic and Mischief
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: Hi all! My name is Fatima and I am the owner of Magic and Mischief book box- all the way from South Africa. I live in a super small town here. Apart from loving the outdoors and photography, I am also an avid bookworm.
Q: What inspired you to start your own book box business?
A: I’m going to be cliche and say my love of reading of course :p lol! When I discovered Bookstagram, I also discovered book boxes. Almost all the book boxes I fell in love with were based internationally – and at that time there weren’t many book boxes here in South Africa. I ordered my first book box and haven’t looked back since! Nothing explains the joy of opening a box filled with magic and some of your favourite fandoms – and best of all, a brand new book! I wanted to be able to spread and share this joy, both here in South Africa and worldwide, thus was inspired to open up my own book box business in the hopes of leaving little touches of magic everywhere 🙂
Q: What are your favorite fandoms to include in your boxes?
A: There are so many amazing fandoms out there!! Some of my favourite though are Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, and all books by Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare. Laini Taylor is quickly becoming a favourite too – I absolutely love how rich her writing is. In terms of my book boxes, I am hoping to include more diverse fandoms in the future.
Q: What can we expect in a Magic and Mischief box?
A: I usually have three types of boxes. A standard, which consists of a newly released YA book and around 5-6 fandom based bookish merch, a merch only box which excludes the book and just contains the 5-6 merch items, or a special edition box which consists of tons of merch of a specified fandom. We’ve included items such as t-shirts, totes, prints, book sleeves, candles and more! We also work with a lot of talented artists both locally and internationally, so expect to find some beautiful designs in the box ☺ We also try to include a letter from the author whenever we can.
Q: How do you come up with the themes and fandoms for your boxes?
A: After deciding on which book I think most suitable for my box (both which I have enjoyed and think readers will too), I then decide on the theme. It basically depends on the story, characters, setting etc that I will most likely use as inspiration for my theme name. I then decide which fandom/other books remind me of this theme. For example, I’ve chosen the theme Fierce Females before as the character from the book really reminded me of a fierce female! I then made a list of other fandoms/books which I thought had some pretty great female leads, and chose which I think would fit perfectly into the box.
Q: How do you curate the items for the box?
A: Can I say that I just wing it? Lol kidding!! I have to actually prep months before- I try to have all my items planned at least two-three months before as I still have to commission designs (which takes around a month) and have all the items made (which takes around another month). I have to also order the books from the publishers early, especially to request a letter from the author/ any additional items that come with the book.
Q: Do you have a favorite item that you love to add to your boxes ?
A: My favourite things to receive in a book box are mugs, cushion covers, prints (with quotes on them), and any big, useful items that can be used in everyday life. I try to include useful items and I also try to include some unique items too! I also love hearing customer suggestions and I try to include a suggestion each month.
Q: Is there an item that you’ve never put in a box before but that you’d love to include in future boxes?
A: So many of them! I’d love to include blankets, tapestries, wallets, clutches and more! We might have one of these in an upcoming box 😉
Q: What are some of your favorite boxes that you’ve created so far?
A: My favourite so far has to be Julys A Wizard’s Voyage box, inspired by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. To be honest, this box had tons of ups and downs in terms of getting all the items ready on time, but it all worked out and was worth the bumps! I try to put a lot of myself in the boxes and I think this box captured what Magic and Mischief is about the most. The customer response to these boxes were heart-warming too, so these are definitely my favourite ones so far!
Q: If someone missed out on a box that they would like to purchase, are restocks usually available or will the items from the box be available for purchase on your website?
A: If I haven’t sold out a box, I usually do list a very limited amount of boxes on the site. I also almost always have extras of the individual items listed (I usually order extras incase of things like breakages that need to be replaced etc).
Q: Do you pack and ship the boxes yourself? Can you tell us a bit about what this process is like?
A: I do pack the boxes and ship them myself- it is both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time! I basically pack each item in the box, individually wrap the books, fill out the tracking waybills, book the collections and send out tracking numbers to customers. I do have to start packing early and ensure I space out the packing so it doesn’t get too overwhelming. I love adding some personal touches to the boxes too such as ribbon and some tags.
Q: If a shop or artist would like to work with you on a future box, what’s the best way to get in touch with you?
A: I’m always looking for new shops and artists to work with! The best way would be to email me at magicandmischief2@gmail.com – I would love to hear from you guys!
Q: Any upcoming boxes or exciting projects you can tell us about?
A: I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m planning two more special edition boxes up to December this year. One is a November release (and a highly anticipated movie release), and the other is a highly anticipated December release (the third book in an incredible trilogy). Whoops, I probably did give too much away!
Shop now for Magic and Mischief’s current book box: Rattle the Stars
Click here to find out more about this Throne of Glass themed box
To find out more about Magic and Mischief, visit their online shop here or check out their Instagram here.
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