Top 10: Online Book Club platforms

September 26, 2024 | Author: Maria Lin
These online platforms allow readers to talk and share thought about books based on a particular topic. Some of the most popular online book club platforms are listed below.

See also: Top 10 Book Discovery Sites

2022. TikTok launches a new Book Club



Over the past few years, the TikTok hashtag #BookTok has sparked the interest of young people everywhere and has promoted reading. The TikTok Book Club will be accessible to everyone, similar to #BookTok, but with a more organized framework. Each month, a new book will be announced and community members can read along, encouraged to “share their experiences” and opinions. TikTok will also feature a special hub dedicated to the Book Club within the app, where the month’s new title will be highlighted. The TikTok Book Club will act as a virtual space for the TikTok community to discuss new titles together and the best part is that anyone can participate. So whether you’re an avid reader or searching for your next holiday book, TikTok has you covered!


2021. BookClub brings author-led book clubs to readers



The new platform BookClub offers authors the opportunity to host book groups, share exclusive video interviews and engage with reader questions. The startup is currently exploring two services to connect author-led discussions with readers. One service allows users to find a book and then watch videos as they advance through the text. For instance, during their recording with Emily Chang, author of “Brotopia,” BookClub produced eight to 12 hours of content, including Q&A sessions, readings and behind-the-scenes insights into writing the book. The other service is akin to Oprah’s Book Club, a longstanding discussion series where Oprah interviews different authors each month. BookClub’s version involves selecting an author to discuss their book and a series of related books in an interview-style format.


2021. Literati - online book club platform driven by celebrities



Literati is a new book club platform that enables celebrities to create their own book clubs. For instance, there are clubs curated by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, NBA star Stephen Curry, entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson and others. How does it work? You subscribe to Literati for $20 a month and choose a book club. Each Luminary selects books for their club and initiates discussions. You can switch book clubs at any time. Each month, you'll receive a new print book by mail along with a note from your Luminary. Through the connected app, you can participate in discussions and watch exclusive videos.


2015. Book club platform Entitle is discontinued



Book-club startup Entitle Books has announced on its website that it will be closing down. Launched in 2013 as eReatah, Entitle was a retailer offering a book-of-the-month club style subscription service. Subscribers paid monthly for 2-4 credits that could be used to purchase ebooks. The ebooks could be read in the Entitle apps for Android or iOS, or downloaded and transferred to devices compatible with Adobe DE DRM. This unfortunate event (and the recent closure of Librify) demonstrates that a book-of-the-month club business model struggles to succeed without sufficient scale. For instance, Bookspan operates several dozen different (paper) book-of-the-month clubs across various genres and categories, including both fiction and non-fiction.


2015. Scribd acquired social reading app Librify



Ebook subscription startup Scribd has acquired Librify, a social reading app, the companies announced today. In a brief press release, Scribd claims that Librify’s “emphasis on the social reading experience” made the acquisition worthwhile. The news comes at a competitive time for the publishing industry, as Amazon, Oyster and others vie to be the ultimate Netflix for books — all while offering remarkably similar products. Scribd intends to integrate the start-up’s social features to enhance its own platform with a more robust social e-reading experience. “We appreciate Librify’s focus on the social reading experience and the impressive work they’ve done within reading communities,” Scribd co-founder and CEO Trip Adler said in a statement today. “This acquisition is a natural extension of the existing Scribd product and something we and our readers, have been eager to explore further.”


2014. Bookspan to relaunch Book-of-the-Month club



Bookspan remains the largest collection of book clubs in the US. A few months ago, their “flagship” Book of the Month Club ceased as an independent club, merging BOMC members into the companion club, The Literary Guild. However, according to our sources, they are planning a “relaunch” of the Book of the Month Club. The revamped club will be a subscription service designed to offer members a focused, high-quality way to discover new books and authors. Bookspan intends to enlist “renowned and reliable ‘judges’ who will choose and highlight 3 to 5 new titles each month.” It’s clear they aim to reinvent the model where BOMC’s monthly picks played a significant role in spotlighting notable new releases and guiding readers on what to read next.

Author: Maria Lin
Maria Lin, is a seasoned content writer who has contributed to numerous tech portals, including Mashable and bookrunch, as a guest author. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of California, where her research predominantly concentrated on mobile apps, software, AI and cloud services. With a deep passion for reading, Maria is particularly drawn to the intersection of technology and books, making book tech a subject of great interest to her. During her leisure time, she indulges in her love for cooking and finds solace in a good night's sleep. You can contact Maria Lin via email maria@bookrunch.com