What’s the easiest way to run a book club?
A book club is a group of friends with homework. Someone has to pick the book, set the date, find out who actually finished it and remember who’s bringing wine. Here’s how that runs on Fellow.
Second Chapter Book Club
November MeetupHosted by @secondchapterThu 7:30 PMMaya’s place
+Let the app do the admin. Fellow is free for book clubs: vote on the next book with a poll, post each month’s meetup with RSVPs, keep a chat for each book so spoilers stay put, and share who’s bringing what, all in your club’s circle.
The admin nobody signed up for
Book clubs usually live in a group text, a shared note and a Goodreads list nobody updates. Picking the next book takes a week of messages. Half the club forgets the date.
A good app for a book club does the admin quietly: one place to vote on the book, one event with the date and the address, and a chat that doesn’t spoil the ending for the people still on chapter six.
Pick the next book with a poll
Put the shortlist to a poll in the club’s line. Everyone votes in a tap, the counts update live, and the winner is obvious by Sunday. No 40-message thread.
Monthly meetups people remember
Post each meetup as an event with the date, the place and the book. Members RSVP, and you pick when they get a reminder, like a week before so there’s still time to finish. If you meet at a bookstore or a bar with limited seats, set a cap and the waitlist does the rest.
A chat for each book
Start a line for each book so the spoilers stay in one place. The club’s main line stays for everything else: dates, recs, the movie adaptation everyone has opinions about.
Spoilers: November12 fellowsWho’s bringing what
Post a table to the chat with what the night needs, like wine, snacks and dessert, and members put their name next to what they’re bringing. Everyone can see what’s covered.
Your Fellow Friend, Page, can welcome new members, remind them which book you’re on and answer “where are we meeting?” so you don’t have to.
What to keep using
Fellow doesn't ask you to give up the tools that already work. Here's how it fits next to them.
Goodreads
Keep your reading log there. Fellow is for the club itself: picking the book, the meetups and the chat.
The group text
Your club moves into its line on Fellow, with polls, events and RSVPs next to the chat.
Your bookstore
Meeting at one? Put it on the event, and link the book so members can buy it there.
What it costs
Fellow is free to start, with unlimited members and events, and members never pay to use it. Fellow only earns when you sell something through it: 5% on tickets and Shop and 10% on paid memberships on the Free plan, less on paid plans, plus card processing. See pricing
Getting started
- 1Create your book club’s circleAdd a name, a cover and what kind of books you read.
- 2Run the first pollPut three books to a vote in the club’s line.
- 3Post the meetupSet the date, the place and a reminder a week before.
Questions
Fellow is built for it and free to start: polls to pick the next book, events with RSVPs and reminders for each meetup, a chat for each book and a table for who’s bringing what, all in one circle.
Yes. The Free plan has unlimited members and events, and members never pay to use the app. Fellow only earns when you sell something through it: 5% on tickets and Shop and 10% on paid memberships on Free, down to 1% and 3% on Fellow Brand, plus card processing.
Yes. Post a poll in your club’s line with the shortlist. Members vote in a tap and see the counts update.
Yes. Start a line for each book. The club’s main line stays spoiler-free for dates and recs.
No. Goodreads is great for tracking what you read. Fellow is where the club meets: the poll, the meetup, the chat and the RSVPs.
Yes. A bookstore can run several clubs from its circle, with each club’s meetups as events and its own line for each book.
Second Chapter Book Club is an example made up for this article. Names and numbers in the figures are illustrative.
