2020 has been a tough year; we have faced restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic, social unrest, and a bitterly contested and divisive Presidential election in the USA. Many of us have been separated from our family and friends. With so many lives disrupted, we wondered…how has all this impacted readers and particularly those in book clubs? So in October we launched a survey to find out! Within two weeks we had over 4,500 responses, including 3,400 from book club members.
Since then, the BookBrowse team has been working to analyze the responses (there was a lot of information!) to build a clearer picture of how book clubs are reacting to the challenges they've faced this year, and what this might mean for the long term. I want to thank all who took part in the survey, many with very detailed and well-considered comments, through which we've gained many insights that we're eager to share with you.
The "Book Clubs in Lockdown" report is just released and is available to you in full for free. Go to bookbrowse.com/wp/lockdown to download your copy and, when you have, please do share with others.
We're already receiving wonderfully positive comments from those who've read it, and the research is also the focus of this week's Publishers Weekly Soapbox column.
So what did we learn? The good news is that three-quarters of those who responded are in book clubs that have found ways to continue meeting – almost two-thirds of which are using Zoom, the remainder are meeting in person with the great majority taking safety precautions. Many tell us that they have experienced sickness, quarantines or even fatalities in their immediate circle, and they feel drained by current events; but they also feel supported by their book club and frequently say that they have a greater appreciation for their group. In fact, half say their book club is even more important to them than it was last year.
As you would expect, group experiences differ, with some adapting easily, others less so. Challenges abound, but book clubs have risen to these challenges. Over the coming months, we plan to publish a series of articles in this blog, drawing upon the research. If you would like to know when a new article publishes, I suggest you subscribe to this blog, or to one or more of our newsletters.
