For fiction, members may discuss what role setting plays in the story, themes that run through the book, how characters evolve through the story or maybe what societal challenges presented themselves in the story.
For nonfiction, the members may discuss questions about how the information was presented: was is biased or fair, did the author adequately present the information in the book or were there unanswered questions, did the book change the readers opinion on the book's subject.
As an author, there are few opportunities better than getting your book before a book club. Not only will members of the club read the book, but they are usually great "word-of-mouth" marketers for books they enjoy. Here are some tips at making your book "club friendly."
- Prepare a list of discussion questions- By preparing a list of discussion questions and posting them on your website, you can help spark interest in your book while providing a resource specifically tailored to clubs.
- Offer to hold a Q&A for the club- What a wonderful time to be an author! You can literally visit book clubs around the world from the comfort of your home. Teleconferences and webinars are commonplace technologies that require almost no tech skills to use. It's a real treat for book clubs to be able to speak to the actual author of the book they are reading.
- Get your publisher involved- Many publishers will set up a resource page for book clubs on their site that includes anything from PDF discussion questions to special discounts for club members. If your publisher does not currently offer that resource, bring it up to them. If they believe it will help sell books, you may be surprised what they will do for you.
- Contact book clubs directly- Prepare an e-mail to the club contact introducing yourself, including a link to your book club resource page, and your willingness to make yourself available to address the club or to hold a Q&A session. Start with Google to find a list of clubs or go to MeetUp.com for local groups. It returned over 10,000 results for the term Book Club.
Also, as you are checking things out, remember that "reading groups" are often used interchangeably for "book clubs", but "book clubs" can also refer to the buyers clubs that people join where they purchase 6 books over 3 years (ie, Oprah's Book Club, Double Day Book Club, etc...)
Tony Eldridge
6 comments:
Very timely advice, thanks Tony. I've been considering approaching book clubs but didn't think about offering myself as a guest speaker. Great way to feel like a bona fide author!
Thanks for your comment, Dean. I've had the best time speaking to these clubs, especially with the Q&A. They love authors and make you feel like royalty.
Great advice and I'm retweeting it! But I assume it only applies to those authors published by"legacy publishers"...Indies are cut out of thiskind of thing, right?
Hi Claude. Thanks for your comment and question.
Not at all! I am an Indie and I have spoken to book clubs. You have a great audience with these book lovers. In my situation, I spoke to them on the process of writing my book while sharing the ups and downs. The members seemed to really enjoy it. They also loved the idea of having an author in their own back yard.
In my experience, the more "local" you are, the better an Indie's chances are at speaking at these clubs.
Great advice, thank you for the article :)
I'm an indy writer, too - and I have done a fair number of library talks and book-club meetings within driving distance of my home. There has always been a certain amount of local interest as three of my books are historicals set in the Texas Hill Country. The previous commenter was correct - the more local, the better the chances.
It was absolutely great to talk to a group of people who had read and really appreciated what I had written about.
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