5 Reasons to Join a Book Club

Welcome to The Modern Editor Podcast, where we talk about all things editing and what it’s like to run an editorial business in today’s world. I’m your host, Tara Whitaker. Let’s get to it.

Hello there. Welcome to today’s episode. So today’s topic is inspired by something I saw at ACES VCON a couple of months ago about book clubs.

And particularly the huge interest there seemed to be in them. And side note, if you didn’t already know, I host a monthly book club inside the Freelance Editors Club. And I’ve been a part of multiple book clubs throughout the years. So I know firsthand how fun, but also sometimes not so fun, they can be.

So I wanted to chat with you about my top five reasons to join a book club. And then I wanted to share some pointers on how to choose the right book club for you, because there is a matching game there with finding what works for you. So these aren’t in any particular order, but we’re just going to dive right in.

First reason is for education, and this can mean a few different things, right? So if you’re in a book club purely to read “fun” books, it might not apply as much as if you’re in a book club for, you know, say editors or professional development. But I am going to go out on a limb here and say that you’re going to learn something with every new book you read.

No matter what that book is, what its purpose is. You’re always going to learn something, which I know I’m probably preaching to the choir a little bit here, but it’s always good to read books and to learn from them. And if you’re reading books about editing or writing, obviously those are super invaluable to us as editors.

Business books can teach us about the business side of things, which we can all learn more about too. And then professional development books can help us improve in a ton of different ways as humans and business owners. So the education portion is always going to be there no matter what type of book you read.

All right, number two, community and connection. I know, huge shock, right? If you know me or have been listening to the podcast at all, you know that community is kind of my jam. And book clubs are incredible places to find your community and connect with others. Of course you can connect over the book, but if you have any experience in book clubs, the convos in a book club tend to stray away from the book at times, either a lot or a little, and you just never know what you might find out you have in common with someone else.

It could be a mutual love or dislike of the book. It could be something completely random that has nothing to do with the book, which I find to be super fun because when book club conversations stray away from the topic—you know, there are obviously some people like that and some people don’t like it as much.

I love it because I find out so many random things about other people and it just makes it more fun for me. But we’re going to talk about that in a little bit in terms of finding a club that works for you. But, with editing and reading, they’re solo endeavors, right? Which is lovely, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes we just have to talk to people about what we read.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read a book and I’m like, oh, I just want to talk about this one sentence or this one chapter or this one character with someone. And a book club has those built-in reading buddies for you to talk about the book with, which I find super fun.

All right, number three is accountability. So I’m calling myself out here, but I have a bajillion books on my shelf that I need to read. And without accountability, they’ll likely sit there for even longer. So for me, I need accountability. That helps me kind of bump those books up the list and makes me actually read them.

As editors, we can get super busy with the editing side of things, right? And a lot of other things get pushed off, you know, business-y things, professional development and furthering our education. And a book club is a great way to stay current with things happening in the industry. You know, keeping our skills fresh, but it’s not a huge commitment, like say a course.

Obviously, a course is great, too. We all love us some courses and webinars and all of those types of different learning tools. But a book is far less time intensive and still beneficial in a big way. So I love me some accountability.

A book club can also help us read outside of our usual choices. You know, it can be very easy to stick to our favorite genres or authors. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, let me be very clear. But if you’re looking to read outside of your normal choices, a book club can be a really safe space to do so.

So, if you’re anything like me, I have anxiety. So there’s comfort in choosing, like, books and TV shows that we’re either confident we know we’ll like, or we know how the book or show turns out or ends. I think there’s an actual term for that. I should have looked it up before this. But there’s something with that. And I’m not saying make yourself more anxious, but if you are in a headspace to branch out, again, that book club can be a safe space to do so. That way you’ll have other people to talk to while you’re reading the book that can help alleviate the anxiety of not knowing what happens. Again, community, community, community.

All right, and my fifth reason is to hear new perspectives. Every single person on the face of this earth needs to hear other perspectives. Reading a book alone is great, but hearing what other people thought about it, how they interpreted things, it just makes the reading experience even that much richer.

Everyone reads a book with their own backgrounds and experiences, and no two people have the same exact perspective. And as someone who’s hosted a book club for four years, and has been a participant in many, I cannot tell you how invaluable it is to hear those different perspectives about the same exact book.

It just broadens the way you think, it makes you more empathetic. There’s nothing bad about it. And, you know, when you get like me and you’re reading the same books and you’re not talking to anybody about it, you can kind of just get in your own bubble. And when possible, bursting out of that bubble can only benefit you, right?

All right, those were my quick-and-dirty top five reasons to join a book club. Now here are some pointers on how to find a book club that works for you, which can be a little tricky, I’ll be very honest, I know a lot of people who have joined and then left book clubs for a variety of reasons, but I want to give you some of the main things to look out for.

So here are some pointers on finding a book club. And for this point, this is the most important in my opinion, and that is finding a safe space. It has to be a safe space. It has to be a place. where everyone’s opinions and perspectives and thoughts are taken into consideration and listened to. As long as they’re not harmful.

Hopefully I don’t have to say that, but I’m going to just in case. Obviously we’re not going for things that are gross and icky and harmful. Just different perspectives. You have to be able to share your thoughts. It can be a little tough to gauge this without actually being in the book club to begin with, but you can do a little sleuthing, a little background checking, look into the host, whether it’s a person or an organization or something. Do they have rules or guidelines posted somewhere, are their values anywhere, like on their website, what do they stand for, what does their social media look like.

And if you can’t find anything, ask. Ask the host or, you know, the company or whoever. Ask current participants if you know of people that are in the book club. And kind of just do a little bit of background check. Because usually you’ll at least get some sense of what the club is about from other people and what you can read online. But then of course, the best way to gauge is to be in the book club, which I know can, you know, I know people who have joined a book club and then have been harmed, which is unfortunate and gross, but doing the most background checking you can is going to help at least make it a little less of a possibility.

Okay, and then make sure you check the format of the book club. These days, you know, they can be virtual, they can be in-person or a hybrid. You know, pick one that works for you and your schedule and your preferences, and check out the frequency. Typically, I see monthly book clubs, but if you want to read more or less, you know, you might have to dig a little bit more, but I’m sure there are some out there.

I feel like I saw something on some social media platform that they wanted to read a book a week, which for some people that totally works. Rock on. For me, I can barely read a book a month, so I wouldn’t be their target audience, which is okay. Some people read a book every other month. Whatever the case may be, just find a format that works for you.

And just to let you know a little bit of a different option, the book club inside the Freelance Editors Club, we have virtual weekly check-ins. And then we have a live virtual discussion at the end of the month. So it’s a little bit different than what I’ve seen normally out there.

Also, check the books that the book club reads. If you can’t find it, again, you can ask the host or other members. But you definitely want to join a book club where they’re reading what you’re interested in and reading what might stretch you a bit, if that’s your goal. You know, if you’re looking for a purely fantasy book club, you’re not going to want to find something that’s reading books about professional development, you know, for the most part. I’m sure there’s maybe some that offer a little bit of different genres and types of books, but check out what they’ve read in the past and see if that fits with your goals.

And last but not least, the people. If you’re going to be spending time with a group of people, whether it’s virtually or in person, you know. See as much as you can that they’re people you actually want to hang out with, right? Your criteria is going to be different than mine, but I look for kindness, true listening, respectfulness, and I love a devil’s advocate, or more than one.

Now that last one might be a little odd, but I like when people disagree with me. I want to hear different opinions and perspectives. I don’t want to be in my own bubble. I want to hear what other people think and what they’ve experienced while reading the book and how something landed with them because it’s always going to be different than me and I want to hear that.

“Devil’s advocate” probably isn’t the best word for that now that I’m explaining it. So let’s delete devil’s advocate. But I want to hear different perspectives, always. And again, your criteria might be different, but whatever it is, make sure you keep it in mind before you look for a book club so that you know what you’re looking for, right?

And if all else fails, and you can’t find a book club that works for you, you can always create your own. You can make it as easy or in-depth as you like, just know there is some work involved. But it can be so, so worth it. It can be free, it can be paid, it can be whatever frequency, it can be whatever you want it to be.

As long as there’s other people out there that want the same thing. I don’t think there will ever be enough book clubs out there. So If you can’t find one that works for you, make one yourself. 

Okay, there you have it. Those are my top reasons why editors and everyone, honestly, should join a book club. And if you can find the right space for you, or create that right space, it’s such an incredible way to spend your time, elevate your business, make connections, and just feel a real sense of community.

And last, I know I’ve mentioned this, but in the Freelance Editors Club, we read all sorts of books, but they mostly center around editing and craft, writing craft, business building, and professional development. And then every December we read a fun fiction book, because it’s the end of the year and we need a little bit of a break.

So if you want to learn more about our book club, go to TaraWhitaker.com/Club and you can check it out. But either way, I’m a big fan of book clubs, whether it’s my book club or your book club or someone else’s book club.

As long as they are a safe space for you and their members, rock on. I love it. So until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep reading those books.

Thank you so much for tuning in to today’s episode. If you enjoy The Modern Editor podcast, I would be so grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes. And as always, you can head to TaraWhitaker.com to connect with me and stay in touch. We’ll chat again soon.