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In 2016, Penguin Random House performed a survey amongst readers (so the results aren’t statistically accurate across readers and non-readers), and of those self-reported readers, 63% are part of a book club (source: “The State of the Book Club, https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-state-of-the-book-club/).
Why I Joined a Book Club (and What It Was Like)
I’ve been part of one book club in my life, so I have limited knowledge of how different book clubs operate. The book club I was in was based in a church group, and anyone could join. The book was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. The format of this book club was such: Everyone read the book (or not, if you just wanted to socialize), meet once over refreshments, and then attend the movie together at a later date.
As someone who had never been in a book club and had limited availability to meet multiple times, I thought this sounded like a great way to test the water. I had already read the book a long time ago, but it had a resurgence since it was being turned into a movie. I love everything Francine Rivers writes, and it was nice to circle back to a book I hadn’t read in over a decade.
Like I said, this book club was part of a church group, but not my church, so I didn’t know anyone. I feel a bit socially awkward in new settings (and I’m an introvert), so I didn’t join in the conversation very much. But I enjoyed listening to other people talk about it and hearing their take on the book. I also attended the movie with the group. Overall, it was a positive experience, and I’m glad I did it. It’s good to get out of my comfort zone every once in a while.
Interesting Book Club Statistics from Penguin Random House
While writing this, I came across some interesting information in the same article I mentioned above that might be interesting to you as well. Below is a chart showing the different genres and their popularity in book clubs. I’m not surprised that Fiction is the leader at 80%.
I also thought it was interesting to see how people are influenced to join a book club:
- 71% Author familiarity
- 67% Friend recommendation
- 49% Interest in a certain topic/theme
- 47% People will be talking about it AKA “book buzz”
- 47% New bestseller
Cute Book Club T-Shirts for Fans
This is my Book Clubbin’ Shirt (use code “FREETEE” to get a free shirt with any purchase)
Have you ever joined a book club? Share your experience in the comments!
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