Why Join a Bookclub?

Here's the story. My husband and I met many years back (hey, let's be honest). At the time we liked to go out and have fun, but we also liked talking about ideas and reading about ideas. We got into the habit of joining book clubs for fun and figured out it was a good way to save money too. We don't pinch every penny until it cries, buy why waste money? We also liked the convenience of catalog shopping (remember that, when book clubs weren't online? :) ). So over the years we've joined a ton of book clubs and here's a place for us to share what we learned.

You can save big money on books with a bookclub:

- When joining a book club, check the number of books in the intro offer.
- The best offers have fewer books but you get to choose from all of the club's books, instead of just the books they show you.
- With some clubs you don't get to pick books, but you get the latest books in a genre or series.
- Most book clubs let you "bill me later", so you can pick books without a credit card.
- Membership terms are key. How many books will you have to buy over how long? None for some bookclubs, but many clubs have a specific number.
- Many book clubs are related to each other and you can pick from all the book clubs in the network. Score!
- Check book club benefits: Some have free shipping, some clubs just send selections in your favorite genre, etc.

After you join a bookclub and your free books arrive in the mail, you'll get the newsletters or emails. Watch the calendar: Look out for the automatic selections that might be sent unless you tell the book club in time that you don't want the book. Most book clubs will mail books and charge you unless you say no. Note: You can actually cancel the featured monthly book selections online too (not just by mail.) The monthly newsletter may have deals like "free shipping over $20" or "buy-one-get-one-free."

You can also buy all the books you are required to quickly then cancel your book club membership. You can always join the club again later with a new introductory offer. Bookmark this site and come back when you want to join another book club!

My husband and I also sat down and calculated the cost per book for some book clubs we were considering. You add the intro books and initial shipping, then if you bought all the required books when you got enrolled, what it would cost to buy those and ship those--maybe with buy one get one free. Then divide by the total number of books, and there you go! A good price is a great answer to "Why join a bookclub" :)

Top book clubs:

- Doubleday Book Club
- Black Expressions Book Club
- Book-of-the-Month Club
- Literary Guild Book Club
- Children's Book of the Month Club


* http://www.doubledaybookclub.com/

Tags: books, book clubs, bookclubs, book+club, doubleday