Frequently asked questions

A sealed envelope, posted to your address, with a letter inside written in character. Most letters also carry an inclusion: a pressed flower, a torn map, a feather. The paper is heavy stock and the envelope is closed with a wax seal you break to open. You can see the full description on the home page.

2 letters a month, spaced a couple of weeks apart, for 12 months. That is 24 letters in total across The Phoenix Letters. Letters mail on the Friday of the second and fourth weeks of each month. Order cut-offs are the 1st and the 15th — order before the 15th and you're in that month's second mailing; order after the 15th and you're in the first mailing of the month after.

Everyone starts at Letter 1. It's a story, not a magazine — whenever you join, you begin at the beginning. It is the question we are asked most, so it is worth saying plainly.

No. It is a story told in letters, and you read it in the order the post brings it. There is no spine, no chapter list and no way to skip to the end. Some people describe it as a novel you cannot binge, which is close enough.

Nothing is missed and nothing is caught up on. Your first envelope is Letter 1, mailed on the next mailing date after you join, and the rest follow on the usual rhythm from there. The plans are on plans and pricing.

We don't mail outside the United States yet. Join the list and you'll be the first to know when we do.

Yes. The $14.95 monthly plan does not commit you to the full 12 months, and the prepaid plans are single purchases with nothing recurring to stop. Cancel any time. Changes made by the 1st or the 15th apply to that mailing. If you're not happy with the story within 30 days, we'll refund you in full — and you keep any letters that have already arrived. After 30 days, monthly payments already taken aren't refunded, but the letters they cover still come. Prepaid subscriptions are prorated for up to 60 days.

Yes, as one of the two prepaid plans: $155 for the full series, or $199 for the Keepsake Edition. Both are a single payment for the complete 24 letters, so a gift never renews and never needs cancelling. The monthly plan is not giftable, because a recurring charge on your card would break that. Enter your recipient's address as the shipping address and your own for billing. Nothing is sent to your recipient automatically — the surprise stays yours to give. Their first letter arrives at the next mailing date. Full terms are on the gift page.

All twenty-four letters are written before the first one is mailed. The story is finished; you're just receiving it slowly. The Phoenix Letters is a complete 24 letter arc with an ending, not an open-ended series that runs until subscriptions dry up.

$14.95 a month for 2 letters, which is $7.48 a letter. The full series prepaid is $155, or $6.46 a letter. The Keepsake Edition is $199: the same prepaid year plus a lidded box for the letters, a wax seal stamp and a printed map. All three are broken down on plans and pricing.