For many modern buyers, subscription boxes are an exciting way to discover new products. For those unfamiliar with subscription boxes, they are monthly shipments sent directly to your door that contain an array of curated products related to a specific interest. For example, each month I receive a box full of treats, accessories, and toys for my cats. The sky’s the limit with the different types of boxes. You can find subscription boxes related to camping, international snacks, pet accessories, and every book genre you can imagine. Book box subscriptions, in particular, have become very popular.

Book boxes have been rising in popularity thanks to the help of social media influencers on Instagram and TikTok. These days, there are hundreds of book boxes (both by subscription or pre-order) to choose from. Each box caters to a different genre, trope, or aesthetic. With book boxes, you can receive a constant supply of books in favorite genre or explore books from new genres. At Gorham Printing, we have worked with several different book box creators.

I recently had the privilege to sit down with the best-friend duo, Ashley and Becca, who run the book box, Final Score. They shared their experience about what led them to start Final Score and their journey in the first year of operating the company.

When the Idea of Final Score Came to Light

Both moms, Ashley and Becca met when their kids were part of the same soccer team. A fast friendship was formed as their love for sports and books was apparent. Final Score reflects that love, as it is a book box specializing in sports romance. When asked how the idea of running a book box started, they laughed, “Well COVID happened, which helped jump-start the idea.”

Quarantine led to new ways of finding entertainment and projects. One of those discoveries was the BookTok community on TikTok. The community is vast, with different sub-groups for genres, interests, and ever-growing trends to keep you up to date on which books are a popular read. Book boxes are also very present on social media, but they noticed that there was a lack of book boxes dedicated to sports romance, a genre that they both love to read. 

“I half-jokingly said to Becca that we should start our own book box,” says Ashley, “to which Becca simply said, ‘Well, let’s do it!’”

Gathering the Pieces for Final Score

A year prior to launching their box, Ashley and Becca reached out to all the indie authors and publishers that they wanted work with.

“This was our first lesson when it comes to book boxes,” says Becca, “as what book is trending now is likely not going to be a year from now.”

They wanted to showcase each of their books with something special. Many of their books incorporated premium cover features, like foil stamping and 3D Spot UV, as well as the author’s signature in the books.

To help with the design process, Ashley and Becca asked each of their indie authors and publishers what must or must not be included on their covers. For example, one of the authors did not want a dark cover at all. “One thing that makes our book box stand out from others is that we read all the books that we put in our pre-order,” the girls tell me, which they were shocked to find not many book box services do. They felt that this was an advantage, as they were able to really personalize each cover they had designed for each book, something that both authors and subscribers noticed and loved, “The covers have been a big hit!” The books are not the only thing included in a box, various items such as bookmarks and stickers unique to the book are included. “We also include ‘player cards’ of characters in the books, everyone loves them!”

Other things had to be decided before marketing their book box, such as the name of their book box, the design of their brand, and where to have their books printed. The first name they thought of for their book box was already taken, so they took some time bouncing name ideas off each other until they settled on Final Score. “We wanted a name that could be used for any sport.” The box itself that readers receive is pink which they laugh about as neither of them are partial to the color.

“We are tagged by our readers saying how excited they are seeing ‘the pink box’ arrive which is awesome to hear,” Ashley and Becca tell me. “But I guess our box is officially ‘the pink box’ now.”

Getting the Books for Final Score Made

When it came to printing the books, they were looking to print locally. Being a small business, they wanted to support other small businesses and loved the quality of Gorham Printing’s books and the premium features they offered. “You were the first printer we found on Google, but we kept looking as we thought you didn’t have the cover features we were looking for. Eventually, we circled back and realized that you guys do offer the features we were looking for! That’s when we reached out.”

While working to put Final Score together, another lesson they learned was how much the up-front cost was going to be. “Every little thing costs,” they told me, “Which we knew, when starting a business, was going to happen. It still surprised us how much that would apply to things you hadn’t considered!”

Ashley and Becca officially launched Final Score to the public April 17^th of 2023. Their first subscription box followed shortly after on August 1^st.

Final Score’s Future

With one year under their belt, I asked Ashley and Becca what their future goals and plans were for their business. This past year, they’ve had vendors set up at conventions in the states but would love to be able to go internationally. “Some of our readers are international like Canada, Australia, and the UK to name a few. It would be great to showcase our book box in those areas as well!” Ultimately, they told me that their goal is to reach a place of stability financially. “We do not want to be huge, but having a more stable finance would be nice!”

Book Boxes with Gorham

Working with Ashley and Becca this past year has been a blast, and I am more than ecstatic to hear that their business that they started together, almost on a whim, is doing well. Book boxes are still a fairly new concept, and getting to learn Ashley and Becca’s process for starting, designing, branding, and printing their books with Gorham Printing was a wonderful experience.

As a digital short-run printer, Gorham Printing is a great printer to work with if you run a book box service! With our multiple selection of high-quality binding options, premium features, and the flexibility for customization, we are a great source for any book boxer who is looking to print 25-5000 copies each month.

Order Your Final Score Book Box

If you love sports and romance or are interested in giving the genre a try, I highly recommend subscribing to Final Score. You can find their book box on their website www.finalscorebookbox.com as well as on their social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.