I don’t belong to a book club. I never have, but I have friends that do. Some even belong to more than one book club.
The book club is usually a group of people who meet to
discuss a select book or books they have read. The book is usually a work of
literary fiction. They may decide to choose new release titles, older books or
a mixture of the two. They are often on best-seller or recommended read lists. This
often means everyone buys a copy of the book. They meet regularly to discuss
the designated book and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. They may
meet in private homes, libraries, bookstores, pubs, cafes or restaurants over
meals or drinks.
They may be an opportunity for social contact or
general conversation as compared to those that engage in serious literary
analysis focused on the designated book.
If you can get a book club to read your book it could
amount to a few sale or finding new readers. I don’t belong to book clubs
because I prefer to choose my own books and I prefer fiction such as romance,
mystery, murder, or many other genres over the literary fiction.
One book club has some of these titles on their list;
Gold by Chris Cleave; Shelter by Francis Greenslade, The Uninvited Guest by
Sadie Jones and Tell It To The Trees. Yes, I read literary fiction occasionally
and I’m sure they’re well-written, but give me a J.D. Robb romantic suspense
any day.
What about you? Do you belong to a book club? What are
your thoughts on them?
I don't belong to a book club. Like you, I'm a hard person to find five friends or so who love the same book and have the time to sit and discuss a book with. My Mother-in-law has a book club and enjoys it. They like the social aspect of it I think more than the reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, Melissa. We appear to be of similar thought. And one of the things I did find, was people liked the social aspect - maybe not so much the books. :)
DeleteHi, Beverley: I do belong to a book club. I formed it long before I began writing. Some have read my work; however, I've never been featured. I have spoken to another book club and about 1/3 read the book. The rest just attended. I have spoken at several libraries as well. I would love to speak to more.
ReplyDeleteHey Vickie, thanks for sharing that information about books clubs from personal experience. It doesn't sound like it's a big advantage for the author - but it does get your name out and people may buy books later. Who is your audience when you speak at the libraries?
DeleteFor a few years I belonged to a book club. OMG! The choice of books plus the discussion made me cringe. I tried to be sociable to no avail. Finally I called it quits. I love being a guest writer with the opportunity to read a passage or two and listen to feedback. And book signing is definitely a joy. It doesn't happen nearly enough. Thanks for this interesting topic, Beverly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charmaine. I'm chuckling to myself at your description. I won't even ask about the books I can only imagine. Being a guest author sounds great. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteHi Beverley, I think book clubs are swell. I personally don't have time to do a lot of reading. I don't think a book club would be right for me. All the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne. I think that could be a problem too, finding the time to read the books in time - especially if they picked one that I had to drag my way through.
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