A few weeks ago, my editor told me that a subscription box was interested in featuring A World Without You in their next shipment. The wonderful people at Quarterly had noticed the book, and wanted to make a box themed around it.
My reaction was not subtle:
Here's the thing. I have this list of secret things I really, really hope will happen. One of those things has already happened this year (but I can't talk about it yet). So I sort of figured my good luck for this year had already been cashed in. Because one of the other things that I have secretly really hoped would happen?
To be featured in a subscription box.
I subscribe to a few boxes (including Quarterly's!), and every time I see an unboxing online or get my own box, I wonder what it would be like to see my box inside a subscription box.
And this July, I get to find out.
Quarterly's YA Literature box is just amazing, you guys. I've loved seeing how these boxes develop, and when Quarterly says I've curated it, they really mean it. This was not a casual thing. Every. Single. Item in the book, from the other books to the extra goodies, was picked through a careful selection process. I spent days looking for exactly the right items, developing the theme, selecting the other books. I wanted to pick books that fit with the theme, but that also were maybe not a title everyone had already heard of.
I can't tell you what the other two books in the box are, but I can tell you that, like A World Without You, they are strange. Not everything is as it seems. There is sadness and hope and love and fear in all three books. They're not really science fiction, but they are weird. They each have a twist, or a new direction, or a surprise, or just something that's not quite right. And that's why I love them, and I think you will too.
And the products that are being included with the box...I'm so excited about them that I actually ordered my own box so I could get them! The Quarterly people were such a dream to work with--they were the ones who hunted down something that had a little extra detail of wonderful when I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
In additional to the goodies and the three books, I've worked hard with Quarterly to make A World Without You special for the box. There's a personal letter from me, describing the theme and why it means so much to me. The books will come with a signed bookplate, and--this is really amazing--they're all annotated with 15 handwritten notes detailing hidden allusions, connections within the story, background on characters and more.
It's basically like getting extras on a DVD. These annotations were my way of highlighting some of the most important scenes in the book, and pointing out stuff that is often ignored and hidden.
I am so, so grateful to Quarterly for making this possible. They've turned A World Without You from a book into an experience. And they've made sure that the boxes will ship on July 18th--so no one will have to wait and everyone will get the book when it's officially released!
If you'd like to sign up for the Literary YA Box, all you have to do is click here (before they're sold out!). Your subscription will start with this box, and it's easy to cancel any time if you choose to do so.
