Reader’s Circle

I had a very nice email the other day from Norman Hicks, CEO of Reader’s Circle. That’s an “all volunteer” operation that connects readers with books. Now that’s my idea of a worthwhile group.

Five Years Strong

Norman asked me to post a link on my websites to introduce others to Reader’s Circle. They were founded in 2004, and I’d discovered them around that time. I visited their website again and am impressed by how they’ve grown so I’m happy to tell readers and writers about them.

Meet Reader’s Circle

Reader’s Circle is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and they currently serve 85,000 inquiries for book clubs every year. If you’re an author with a book you want to get in front of readers, you can sign up, pay a small fee (that’s what keeps this organization going and growing and enables them to keep their site alive and live) and get listed to do a phone chat with readers.

The Way They Work

Norman told me the way the listings work. They put up new promotions Sunday nights, and reader groups respond to the listings directly if they find a book they’d like to read. Then book selections and phone chats are arranged independently.

Listings get placement on their homepage for one month and are then moved to the author database for a year. At the moment, they have 750+ groups who use the site to recruit members and arrange phone chats. On average, they get 41,000 page views per month. That’s darn good traffic if you’re an author looking at a way to connect with readers.

Arts Calendar

They also have an arts calendar where authors can post their entire book tour for free. If you want to get involved, they just need some basic information.

Details

The listing fee can be payed online through PayPal. Listings typically take two weeks to post. You receive an email to confirm as soon as listings are up. If you’d like to know more about this, email Norman: nhicks at readerscircle dot org.

Other Benefits

Authors, cruise their website, and you’ll be impressed by their commitment to promoting books. In a world where reading is declining, this organization is supporting and encouraging our favorite pastime. You can locate book clubs in your state with their handy locator page. Chances are there’s a group near you, and you’d probably enjoy making your presence known to them.

Takeaway Truth

The best kind of author promotion is the kind that connects authors with readers looking for good books.

Tags: author_promotion, Books, book_clubs, reader's_circle, readers, reader_clubs, writers