The Death of LIVE Book Clubs: You Agree or Disagree & Signs Your Book Club is Going Kaput!
Hi All,
There has been a debate in the literary industry for a few years about LIVE book clubs versus online book clubs. Many think live book clubs are dead or are slowly dying. What is your opinion? Do you believe live book clubs are dead? If so, why? Do you believe they are still going strong? If so, why?
My opinion is that yes, they are dying slowly. I can go by the googlobs of book clubs we used to have in Houston, alone. We still have some but many have bitten the dust. I also know of national clubs that have called it a quits. There are also some book clubs that were live but now only meet online. I think it's a sign of the times. People are very busy these days and many don't have time to meet up at a book club. The economy sucks, and even though people are always reading books, they lack the desire to meet at a club for various reasons.
Reasons Live Book Clubs (might not be pulling through or pulling in a lot of members these days):
1) Time
As the world changes and becomes more and more hurried and fast paced, less and less people have the time to do much of anything extra, even if it means meeting with a book club once a month.
2) Working/Busy Women
I think this is one of the biggest reasons. Decades ago less women were working. Let's be honest, women were the driving force behind book clubs, heck we're the driving force behind the entire book industry! Women have a whole list of duties these days. Many are the sole breadwinner to their families now. Many are stay-at-home moms who just don't have the time to get to a meeting. Some have lost their jobs and their morale is low, and even if not, the last thing on their mind right now is a book club. Women are still reading, more than ever but these days some seem less incline to break from their busy schedules to get to a meeting.
3) Fees
Some book clubs charge fees or have started to charge fees and if you're struggling, even twenty dollars a week or every two weeks is something you might not be able to afford right now. Also, a lot of clubs who charge for membership charge way more than twenty bucks.
4) Lack of interest/ Problems with Club Owners
Some folks just lost their love for book clubs. This happens when your club members refuse to compromise and take different suggestions or when the club owner acts like Hitler, and thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. Many clubs have died because of the owner's ego, attitude or the fact that they just didn't know how to run a club. The book clubs have to be interesting. It has to get people out of their house and to that club on a regular basis. If a club owner can't do that, then it's over.
5)The Rise of Online Book Clubs
It's been the technology age for years and that's just the way it is. It's much eaiser to log onto an online club and discuss books. It's less time consuming, you can be in the comfort of your own home and you can decide how often you participate.
6) Too Commercial
Remember when book clubs used to be for fun and for the love of reading? Before the matching T-shirts, paid advertising, competion among clubs? Before book clubs started setting up tables at the BEA? Remember where book clubs were a meeting of a few women who met in each other's kitchens or the library? Remember when more book clubs cared about the quality of books and didn't only read certain type of books? This is one of the main reasons people have lost desire for clubs. Book clubs are no longer simply for discussing books. That seems to be secondary (or even of less importance) these days. A lot of book clubs have forgotten their purpose and why they were such an important outlet in the beginning. These days book clubs seem less concerned with readers and books and more concerned with how much attention they can attract from publishers, etc.
Signs Your Live Club is Going or Has Gone Kaput:
1) When your club starts going on haitus
2) When members stop participating (and apparently drop off the face of the earth)
3) When the owner acts like you're supposed to show up and doesn't do anything to make the club exciting or intriguing
4) When they start to get boring
5) When you look up and realize that your club no longer talks about books but everything else under the sun
6) When your book club starts charging fees or raising the fees
7) When the club owner suggests the club starts working online
8) When the club owner is looking for someone to take over the club
9) When the meetings go from once every two weeks to once a month to once every six months to once a year, to NEVER
10) When meetings are being called off for no reason
11) When Mable (who has been going for ten years) stops coming to the meetings, LOL!
So, what do you think? Are live book clubs dying or not? Could online book clubs end up being the norm? Are they already?
Best Wishes!
http://www.stacy-deanne.net
There has been a debate in the literary industry for a few years about LIVE book clubs versus online book clubs. Many think live book clubs are dead or are slowly dying. What is your opinion? Do you believe live book clubs are dead? If so, why? Do you believe they are still going strong? If so, why?
My opinion is that yes, they are dying slowly. I can go by the googlobs of book clubs we used to have in Houston, alone. We still have some but many have bitten the dust. I also know of national clubs that have called it a quits. There are also some book clubs that were live but now only meet online. I think it's a sign of the times. People are very busy these days and many don't have time to meet up at a book club. The economy sucks, and even though people are always reading books, they lack the desire to meet at a club for various reasons.
Reasons Live Book Clubs (might not be pulling through or pulling in a lot of members these days):
1) Time
As the world changes and becomes more and more hurried and fast paced, less and less people have the time to do much of anything extra, even if it means meeting with a book club once a month.
2) Working/Busy Women
I think this is one of the biggest reasons. Decades ago less women were working. Let's be honest, women were the driving force behind book clubs, heck we're the driving force behind the entire book industry! Women have a whole list of duties these days. Many are the sole breadwinner to their families now. Many are stay-at-home moms who just don't have the time to get to a meeting. Some have lost their jobs and their morale is low, and even if not, the last thing on their mind right now is a book club. Women are still reading, more than ever but these days some seem less incline to break from their busy schedules to get to a meeting.
3) Fees
Some book clubs charge fees or have started to charge fees and if you're struggling, even twenty dollars a week or every two weeks is something you might not be able to afford right now. Also, a lot of clubs who charge for membership charge way more than twenty bucks.
4) Lack of interest/ Problems with Club Owners
Some folks just lost their love for book clubs. This happens when your club members refuse to compromise and take different suggestions or when the club owner acts like Hitler, and thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. Many clubs have died because of the owner's ego, attitude or the fact that they just didn't know how to run a club. The book clubs have to be interesting. It has to get people out of their house and to that club on a regular basis. If a club owner can't do that, then it's over.
5)The Rise of Online Book Clubs
It's been the technology age for years and that's just the way it is. It's much eaiser to log onto an online club and discuss books. It's less time consuming, you can be in the comfort of your own home and you can decide how often you participate.
6) Too Commercial
Remember when book clubs used to be for fun and for the love of reading? Before the matching T-shirts, paid advertising, competion among clubs? Before book clubs started setting up tables at the BEA? Remember where book clubs were a meeting of a few women who met in each other's kitchens or the library? Remember when more book clubs cared about the quality of books and didn't only read certain type of books? This is one of the main reasons people have lost desire for clubs. Book clubs are no longer simply for discussing books. That seems to be secondary (or even of less importance) these days. A lot of book clubs have forgotten their purpose and why they were such an important outlet in the beginning. These days book clubs seem less concerned with readers and books and more concerned with how much attention they can attract from publishers, etc.
Signs Your Live Club is Going or Has Gone Kaput:
1) When your club starts going on haitus
2) When members stop participating (and apparently drop off the face of the earth)
3) When the owner acts like you're supposed to show up and doesn't do anything to make the club exciting or intriguing
4) When they start to get boring
5) When you look up and realize that your club no longer talks about books but everything else under the sun
6) When your book club starts charging fees or raising the fees
7) When the club owner suggests the club starts working online
8) When the club owner is looking for someone to take over the club
9) When the meetings go from once every two weeks to once a month to once every six months to once a year, to NEVER
10) When meetings are being called off for no reason
11) When Mable (who has been going for ten years) stops coming to the meetings, LOL!
So, what do you think? Are live book clubs dying or not? Could online book clubs end up being the norm? Are they already?
Best Wishes!
http://www.stacy-deanne.net
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jaime Huff on -
LOL!! Love it!
I am trying to start one but all of my friends are working single moms who also are in college full time! They are all bookworms but without enough time. I tried meetup.com but boy oh boy, some of the organizers are brutal and get upset if you don't RSVP 2 weeks ahead of time! LOL
-
Permalink Reply by Nikola S on -
I have never been a part of a book club, since it's not very widespread in Serbia. I wouldn't mind starting one, but how are people supposed to get all their books? The library does not have, like, 20 copies? How do you guys solve this problem?
And Jaime, best of luck with your club!
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by Tricia on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
