Tuma's Books
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
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Frequently Asked Questions
Review the answers to common questions and concerns or contact us.
What is the Monthly Diverse Reads service?
Each month, choose from a carefully handpicked selection of books by diverse authors that you likely haven't heard of before, intended to broaden your horizons and expand your perspectives with diverse reads! Let Tuma do the hard work of finding you the best reads to diversify your reading list.
Each shipment includes: the book(s) of your choice, packed with branded freebies, bookmarks, and a personalized note handwritten from Tuma.
There is a one time, subscribe, pre-pay, and Mystery book club options to suit everyone.
What are Bargain Books? Can you share more about Used Books?
Bargain Books are unsold books returned to publishers from big box stories like Target, BJs, or Costco. They are marked as "reminders" with a dot or slash across the pages.
These books can then be repurchased by indie bookstores, like Tuma's Books, at huge discounts that can be passed onto their customers, like you!
There may be stickers or light scuff marks. However, Bargain Books are generally in great to like-new condition. Any minor defects do not take away from the reading experience. If a book is available on audio on Libro.fm, I'll cover up store stickers with a Libro.fm "audiobook pick" sticker (while available). Books are also carefully dusted/ wiped/ disinfected because sometimes they arrive a little dusty having been sitting on shelves for a while.
It's an affordable way to diversify your reading that I'm happy to offer.
Quantities for Bargain Books are very limited. Grab the titles you want most as soon as you see them listed, as books may or may not be restocked quickly at that price. It depends on what's available from the publishers.
If you have additional questions about Bargain Books, please email me at info@tumasbooks.com.
Used Books are sold from Tuma's personal book collection. Often bought new and gently read once. They may have post-it tabs or light underlining in pencil.
Any books that are in less than great condition will be marked down even more and noted, so you can shop confidently. If you have ANY concerns about the condition of a book, please email, text, or DM me for additional photos.
Bargain and Used Books are final sale. No returns, refunds, or exchanges.
Do you offer free shipping and returns?
Yes! I want to make shopping with me as easy and worry-free as possible. Shipping is free for members (join today) and all orders over $50 to the US (free over $100 for international shipping). While we hope you love all of our items, we are happy to email you a return label free of charge. See our full policy for more details.
Do you offer international shipping?
As a very small business, I don't have the monthly shipping volume required by carriers to get the best discounts that could be passed onto customers. What that means is that shipping worldwide is expensive for customers. If you are able to pay the shipping costs, I am happy to ship your book. You will see the calculated costs when you are checking out. I do offer free shipping on orders over $100.
Where do books ship from?
Since I don't have a physical location, my main in-house inventory are monthly book club titles, Bargain Books, and Blind Date with a Book. In order to bring you a wider selection of diverse books, I've partnered with Bookshop.org to fulfill orders.
Books from the distributor typically ship in 1-3 business days in brown packaging and arrive within 2-9 business days via USPS Media Mail, unless you select Priority Shipping, which is 1-3 business days. Books usually arrive much faster than these estimates.
If I have a book in-house, I will ship it within 3-5 business days, in a purple bubble mailer. If you have questions, please reach out to me at info@tumasbooks.com or 347-470-0085 (text).
I've tracked my order, but it says, "Shipping label created, USPS awaiting item." What does this mean?
It can mean a few things. One, that I've prepared your package and purchased postage but haven't taken a trip to my local post office yet.
Or two, I've dropped off your package, but my local post office hasn't scanned it yet. Sometimes, when there are too many packages, 1-2 might not be scanned before being loaded onto delivery trucks. Typically, it may scan at a later delivery point in a few days or sometimes not until it's been delivered.
Or three, it's been lost in the mail. USPS is generally reliable (in terms of getting our mail to us...eventually) so this is often not the case. Packages are usually delayed and not lost. However, if you have not received your package within 12 business days, please email me at info@tumasbooks.com and I will investigate. If needed, rest assured that you will receive an immediate refund or replacement if I find that the package has been likely lost in the mail.
I entered the wrong shipping address. Can you help?
I can change the shipping address as long as the order hasn't been shipped. I work fast to get your items to you quickly, so hurry! Send me an email as soon as you can at info@TumasBooks.com. Once the order has been shipped, it's unfortunately out of my hands. You can contact your local post office/delivery service for help.
Where's the rest of my order?!
I conduct my business out of my home office. So, I don't have all older monthly book club titles readily in stock. Most books ship from a fulfillment warehouse and store merch & gifts ship directly from the supplier or a warehouse. That is why ou will receive your order in separate packages. Just keep your eye on the tracking numbers, or reach out to me at any time.
Can I add gift wrap or a gift note?
For online bookstore orders, yes! Leave a note during checkout. For bookstore merch and gifts, I ship items directly from the suppliers and am unable to provide special gift notes or wrapping. However, you can send us a message to request a special shout-out for the gift recipient on our Facebook or Instagram page.
What if my items never arrive or arrive damaged?
I want my book lovers to be happy! So, we make returns super easy. If your items arrive damaged or never arrives based on tracking information (or it's been more than 30 business days), send me an email at info@TumasBooks.com or use the contact form and let me know. I will happily help you return the product to us and offer a refund. Read our full return/refund policy for more details.
Are there any current sales or promotions?
You can be the first to learn about our sales and promotions by signing up for my newsletters.
How do I leave an order note for my monthly subscription or pre-paid orders?
Log into your account to see your subscriptions. Click "see more details" button. You're now able to see your current, upcoming, past shipments. Here, you can also update your order note to let me know which title you'd like next.
I have a question that hasn't been answered.
Please reach out to me. I'll be happy to hear from you. You can email me at info@TumasBooks.com. You can visit the contact page to send a message. Lastly, you can shoot me a text at 347-470-0085. I'll get back to you within 24 hours or less.