We're expanding!
By which I mostly mean, my belly is expanding... a new junior member will be joining Team NovelTea in August. I've been busy behind the scenes this year preparing as best I can for NovelTea subscriptions to be able to continue while I take maternity leave once the new little one arrives, but there will be some changes over the next couple of months to ensure things can keep running smoothly in my temporary absence.
The TL;DR version - Current subscriptions will be unaffected. However, there will be a cap on the number of new subscriptions available each month and international subscriptions will not be offered for the rest of 2020. Read on for more details.
As you may or may not be aware, 'Team NovelTea' is primarily a one-woman operation. My friends and family are sometimes roped in to assist with parts of the wrapping and packing process, in exchange for chocolate and many cups of tea, but there are no other business partners or employees to take over entirely, even temporarily.
The best way that I can prepare then, is to have as much done ahead of time for September - November as possible. While I usually plan several months in advance, I do the actual ordering etc less than a month out so as to have the best possible idea of the number of subscribers for a given month. To be able to organise parcels more than a month ahead, and to ensure everything will be ready to pack and ship as smoothly as possible, I am implementing the following changes:
Continuing the suspension of international orders
International orders are currently suspended due to the lengthy delays in international shipping. Hopefully, these delays will begin to ease before the end of this year, but I have decided that I will not accept any new international orders before the end of this year.
Capping subscription numbers
Capping the number of subscriptions each month will allow me to order books and parcel items ahead of time, with certainty that I have ordered enough stock. This will in turn allow me to get a head start on wrapping and packing, well ahead of shipping schedule.
I have therefore set a maximum number of subscribers for Classic and Minimalist parcels for each month from July to November. If this number is reached before the cut off for that month (ie the 20th of the previous month), I will remove the option to subscribe to that parcel until the 21st, when subscriptions will re-open for the following month.
For example, if we reach the maximum number of Minimalist subscribers for August before July 20th, it will not be possible to subscribe (or purchase a gift subscription) to the Minimalist parcel until July 21st, when subscriptions will open for September (as per the usual monthly subscription cycle).
I will have a wait list available, as occasionally additional parcels might become available if a current subscriber chooses to skip or cancel their subscription.
Again, for those in Australia who already subscribe; there is no change! Your parcels will arrive as normal. For others I appreciate your understanding during maternity leave as we get use to life as a family of 4.