Frequently asked questions about BookBrowse's Online Book Club.

What is the BookBrowse Book Club?
It's a place to discuss books online. You'll find it at bookbrowse.com/booktalk

How does it work?
Each month BookBrowse will moderate one or more book club discussions. About 6-8 weeks before the discussion opens, we will offer a limited number of copies of the book club selection to our members who, if they request and are selected, will receive the book free of charge on the understanding that they'll do their best to read it and take part in the discussion in an agreed time frame. Except in rare instances, members should have at least 4 weeks between the time they receive the book and when the discussion opens.

Do I have to discuss the book if I request it?/What if I don't like the book?
If you request a book, you are not obligated to discuss it in our Book Club forum, but we hope you will do if you enjoyed the book enough to finish it. However, a book club is supposed to be fun, not work, so if you find yourself not wanting to complete a book for any reason, e.g. you simply don't like it or some life event has got in the way, just email us and we'll mark you off the list so you won't be penalized when next you request. If you receive a book and don't either contribute to the discussion or contact us to opt out it's likely that your priority for receiving future books will be lower.

I've already read this book, do I need to request another copy in order to discuss it?
No! All visitors, whether members or not, to BookBrowse are welcome to join in discussions. In fact, we strongly encourage you not to request a copy of a book that you have already read, or have easy access to, because that frees up the limited number of copies we have to give away to other members!

How do I know where to go to discuss the book?
The discussions will be linked from our main menu and we'll send a note to all members when the discussion is open. Also, when a member who has been sent a copy of the book logs in, they will see a link at the top of the homepage reminding them that the discussion forum awaits their visit!

When will the discussion open?
We aim to open the discussion forum for each book about 4+ weeks after the free copies have been received. We think it best to do this rather than opening the discussion sooner, as while many members may have already read a particular book and be ready to discuss it immediately, it's more fun for those taking part if the majority of the conversation is concentrated over a relatively small period of time (e.g. a few weeks) and therefore we want to give those members who've received copies time to read it!

Do I need to create a login in order to discuss?
If you are a BookBrowse member you do not need to create a new login - in fact you should not do so - instead, login on the usual BookBrowse login page and then go to the discussion where you'll be recognized as a member and, the first time you visit, will be asked to choose a screen name. Visitors who are not BookBrowse members will need to create a login for the forums.

Do I have to visit the discussion forum at a particular time?
No, once the forum opens for discussion anyone can visit at anytime; but to stay in good standing to receive future copies we ask that, if you received a free copy of the book, you contribute to the discussion within a time frame of about 3 weeks of the discussion opening. In fact, what we would like most of all is for people to take part in the discussion a number of times, just as you would if you were sitting in your friend's house discussing a book!

I access BookBrowse through my library's subscription, can I take part in the book club?
Yes you can. Patrons of subscribing libraries are welcome to join in the discussion at anytime; but at this time it is not possible for you to request and receive books.

How many discussions will there be?
It's likely there will be one or two discussions each month.

How many copies of each book will there be?
We expect there to be 25-50 copies of each book club book available.

I am a member but live outside the USA; can I request books and take part?
We would love you to take part in the discussion but sadly, because of the cost and logistics, the U.S. based publishers who provide the books for the Book Club are not able to mail overseas.

If I request a book, will I receive it?
There are almost always more people requesting a book than there are copies to send, so it is likely that you will not receive a book every time you request. However, we do our best to make the allocation as fair as possible, giving priority to those who have not received a book for some time over somebody who has received one more recently.

How often am I likely to receive a book?
For the purposes of allocating books fairly, First Impressions and Book Club books are treated as a single pool of books. Most members who take part in our First Impressions program have tended to receive about 3-4 times a year. This is likely to be the same for the combined First Impressions and Book Club programs. In short, if you receive a book through First Impressions or Book Club, you'll drop back down the priority order to receive books from either program the next month. Please note that, just as with First Impressions, the number of books you request has no influence on your priority order, so it makes sense to only request books when you see something that really fits and when you know that you'll have time to read and discuss it!

Where do I go to request a book
Once a month we will post the book(s) for selection at bookbrowse.com/ar (look for the "First Impressions" option under "Free & Fun" in the menu).

How long will the form stay open for requests?
Usually about -5 days. It does not make a difference when you select within the time period so don't feel you have to rush off and sign up as soon as you receive our email!

How will I know if I've been selected?
You will receive an email from BookBrowse once the form has been closed. Shortly afterwards you should receive your book by mail from the publisher. 


May I select more than one book per month?
Yes, but you are unlikely to receive more than one book a month. We suggest you do not blanket a request for every book every month because it's simply not possible that all these books will be of equal appeal to you.

Can I prioritize which books I'd like to receive most?
Sorry, it is not possible to put in special requests.

I received an email saying I was going to get a copy of a book but it hasn't arrived. What do I do?
If a book does not arrive in a timely fashion, please contact us with your mailing address and we will check that the correct address is on file. Sadly, if a book does go missing in the mail it is unlikely that the publisher will be able to replace it as they usually have a limited number of copies available to send to our members. However, we will make a note that the book has not been received so you'll be in good shape to request again.

What about my privacy?
How you are identified in the forum is up to you. When you first access it as a member you'll be offered a suggested username consisting of your first name and initial of your last name. No other information about you will be visible unless you post it. As the forum is public we encourage you not to post personal information about yourself - and we will be monitoring the forums to delete inappropriate information.

If I receive a book, do I get to keep it after I've read it?
Yes, of course, it is yours to do with as you wish.

How do I become a member?
If you'd like to know more about membership click here.

I am a member, but I am having problems logging in/accessing the forums.
Please contact us with your login problems and we'll be glad to help.