MENLO PARK, CA,--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building on its innovative approach to reinventing book selling, Kepler’s Books today announced new partnerships for its GiftLit subscription service with Books for Kids, a national children’s literacy organization, and Fierce Reads, the young adult division of Macmillan Publishers. Kepler’s GiftLit subscription service makes it easy for customers to gift high-quality books from curated collections for readers of all ages and interests.
The Books for Kids Foundation is a New York-based nonprofit that promotes literacy among low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and implements programs to develop critical early literacy skills for young children to be successful later in life. Books for Kids has partnered with Kepler’s to create a unique One-for-One initiative with four new GiftLit collections, curated by Books for Kids. When customers purchase one of these collections, Kepler’s donates 10 percent of the subscription box price and one book for every book purchased, One-for-One, to an at-risk child through Books for Kids.
“GiftLit is helping us invest in children who need our help,” said Amanda Hirsh, executive director of Books for Kids. “When GiftLit promotes and sells our curated collections, it also increases awareness of our program among a wider audience of readers who can identify with our mission. It’s a win-win for all of us.”
Fierce Reads, a marketing division of Macmillan Publishers, promotes new books for young adults, conducts nationwide authors’ tours, and sponsors special events. The partnership with Kepler’s offers subscription boxes based on the group’s hottest titles.
“These partnerships validate the importance of innovation to the bookstore industry,” said Praveen Madan, Kepler’s CEO. “Kepler’s GiftLit service has tapped into an exciting consumer trend of subscription box services. We’re watching consumers embrace subscription boxes for the quality products and convenience they offer. Our curated book collections and ability to carry any book currently in print sets Kepler’s GiftLit service apart.”
Kepler’s GiftLit
GiftLit makes it easy for anyone to select and send the very best books in any category to friends, family, and colleagues. Recipients receive one book per month through a three, six, or twelve-month subscription. Each book is gift-wrapped and accompanied by a personal note from the giver.
Kepler’s GiftLit subscription service taps into a growing trend in specialty retailing. According to a recent article in the New York Times, shoppers love the convenience and surprise that accompanies regular subscription box deliveries. And the Times noted that venture capital firms have recently invested millions in promising subscription box startup companies.
Kepler’s sales bear this out. During the 2015 holiday gift-giving season, GiftLit shipped twice as many books as it did during the 2014 holiday gift-giving season. GiftLit is on track to repeat that performance in 2016.
To meet growing demand, GiftLit continues to add new book collections for readers of all ages and types—from an exclusive Dr. Seuss collection for toddlers to a collection of stunning coffee table books for the reader who has everything. For more information about GiftLit, visit www.GiftLit.org.
About Kepler’s Books
Founded in 1955, Kepler's Books is recognized as an intellectual and cultural hub for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is known for its outstanding literary events, knowledgeable staff, broad selection of books and magazines, and for its deep ties to the community. In late 2012, Kepler’s was re-organized into a mission-oriented bookstore with an allied non-profit Arts & Lecture series that has brought noted authors and speakers such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Michio Kaku, Kazuo Ishiguro, Dave Barry, David McCullough and many others to the community. Kepler’s and its non-profit partner collaborate closely to serve their common mission of using the power of books to enrich lives. For more information about Kepler’s, visit www.keplers.com.
