How
do book clubs work?
You
are offered a deal up front — the popular Doubleday Book Club, for example, offers seven hardcover bestsellers
for a total of 99 cents plus shipping — when you agree to
purchase a specified number of books with a certain amount of
time, typically a year or two. With most clubs, you will receive
a printed catalog every three or four weeks and a card that includes
the title of the featured selection. If you don't mail back the
card or go online and log-in to decline the selection, it will
be sent with an invoice. Other sites offer subscriptions in which
they send you a book — usually as part of a series or from
a specific genre — each month.
Which
are the most popular book clubs?
That
depends on what you like to read! The largest book club is Doubleday, which has
about 1.2 million members and specializes in popular fiction,
followed the Literary
Guild and Crossings
Christian Book Club with 1 million each and Book-of-the-Month
Club with 400,000. In recent
years, many specialty clubs such as Black
Expressions, the History
Guild and the Mystery
Guild, have been growing in popularity. All of the largest
discount book clubs are owned by a company called Bookspan, which
is a joint venture between Bertelsmann and Time Warner. There
are also clubs for residents of Canada
and the United Kingdom.
Why
do they make you return the card?
First, it forces you to consider the featured selection, and
you may decide you want it. Many people also forget to return
the cards and receive the book, and then pay for it because they
decide they want it, or because they don't want to hassle with
sending it back. This concept is known in the industry as "negative
option," and it's been around since at least the 1920s,
when it was introduced by the Book-of-the-Month Club. Mail-order
clubs love negative option because "human behavior is based
on inertia," as one marketer puts it. As long as you're
diligent about returning the card or going online to decline
the selection (or accept it), you won't have any problems. The
clubs also now allow you to log-on to your account online and
indicate your decision about the featured selection. But when
you join most clubs, you do have to make a commitment to do that
each month. In the past the clubs would send every member the
same monthly selection. Now the selection is more likely to reflect
your previous purchases and stated interests.
Are
club editions different from other books?
They're
the same books that you'd find in a bookstore — same words,
same covers, same authors, although in some cases they may be
printed on less expensive paper. They also might say Book Club
Edition on the inside flap. In other instances, such as with
some children's book clubs, they are special editions not available
in stores.
Are
club books less expensive?
In
most cases, they're much less expensive than the publisher's
suggested price for a book, also known as the list price. Of
course, no one pays that; most bookstores, such as Amazon and
Barnes & Noble,
offer discounts of up to 40 percent on top sellers. Still, the
clubs are able to offer better prices than booksellers because
they cut their own deals with publishers, and print their own
editions. In many cases, they pay a smaller royalty to the author
and/or publisher, or, at least in the case of CDs, nothing at
all on selections that are given away. The author and publisher
bank on the fact that the clubs will sell thousands of copies.
They figure they'll make up in volume what they lose in percentage.
Which
book clubs are the best deal?
If
you are looking strictly for bestsellers, either Doubleday
Book Club or Zooba
Book Club, which sells every book in its catalog for
$9.95 each including shipping with no minimum purchase requirement.
Some specialty clubs such as Quality
Paperback require you to buy only two books, and The History Guild has no purchase necessary.
The standard requirement among the major clubs is more typically
four books in two years. If you like audio books, the Audible Book Club
allows you to create an account and download your first three free.
Why
haven't I received my order?
If
it's been more than four weeks since you joined the club, contact
Customer Service.
How
do I contact Customer Service?
Each club has a customer service department that can assist you with finding lost orders, returning damaged or unwanted books, changing your address and other questions. When you contact a club, always provide your membership number, if you have one, for a faster
response. Contact information is listed with each club profile.
Why
don't the clubs have the book I want?
The
clubs offer hundreds of titles in a variety of genres, including
most current bestsellers, but they only stock titles on which
they've made a deal with the publisher to do a Club Edition.
However, they typically have many of the most popular books available
— they're selecting titles that they feel will have the
broadest appeal. The Internet has made it possible to choose
any book the club offers rather than simply the 100 or 200 titles
featured in its monthly print catalog. The clubs also have used
the Internet to help members make selections with features such
as author interviews, reviews and excerpts. If the clubs don't
carry a book you want, you may be able to find it at an online
bookstore such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. To find coupons
for online bookstores, visit Deal Dude.
How
long does it take for my order to arrive?
Your
introductory offer can take up to four weeks to arrive, although
some clubs offer express shipping for an additional charge. Member
orders usually take a week to 10 days to arrive.
Will
the clubs sell my name and address?
Unless
you tell them not to, the clubs will sell your information to
other companies to solicit you with similar offers. You can tell
the clubs not to sell your name and address by contacting Customer
Service (the address for any of the Doubleday clubs is Member
Service Center, 6550 East 30th Street, P.O. Box 6300, Indianapolis,
IN 42606-6300 and the address for the Book-of-the-Month clubs
is Member Service Center, 6550 East 30th Street, P.O. Box 6400,
Indianapolis, IN 42606-6400). Most clubs also have privacy policies
posted on their sites that explain exactly how they'll use your
membership information.
Can
I join if I'm not a U.S. resident?
Residents
of Canada should visit Book
Clubs Canada. Residents of the United Kingdom should
visit Book Clubs UK.
Why
happens if I change my mind?
Most
clubs allow you to return any book within 10 days. They usually
even pay the return postage.
Is
it safe to give my credit card number?
This
is a common concern. Many of the clubs require that you provide
a credit card number when you join to pay for the cost of their
introductory offer; they won't charge you again until you order
additional books. Those that ask for a credit card provide encryption
security that keeps your card and personal information safe in
transit to their computers. In the unlikely event your card number
is stolen, the Fair Credit Billing Act allows credit card companies
to hold you responsible only for up to $50 in fraudulent charges
as long as you notify them in writing within 60 days of the date
the bill was mailed. Visa and MasterCard waive liability no matter
how much time has elapsed. The advantage of using your credit
card, if that option is offered, is that your books usually arrive
faster.
How
much is shipping?
Most
clubs charge $4 to $5 for the first book and about $2 for each
additional item in the same order. Others, such as the Scholastic children's clubs, charge $3 to $4 per shipment. Each profile includes information about standard shipping charges. Some clubs offer express shipping
for an additional fee (generally about $5 per order).
How
much is tax?
Every
club charges sales tax in many or most states, with the exception
of Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, which
don't have sales taxes. In some cases the clubs also are required
to collect tax on handling charges.
Can
I join more than one club?
Yes.
The clubs don't mind, as long as you pay your bills.
Can
I give a club membership as a gift?
Unfortunately,
with most clubs there isn't a way to have selections and catalogs
sent to one address but billed to another. However, the Bestsellers Monthly,
Simply Audiobooks
and a few other clubs
allow you to send books to family or friends. Some children's
clubs select a book each month based on the child's age and interests.
How
do I cancel my membership?
Once
they've fulfilled their membership requirements, many people
simply write "cancel membership" on one of the reply
cards and mail it back. But it's always better to compose and
mail a separate letter or email to the club, and get an acknowledgement in return. Be sure to include your membership
number, and keep a copy of the letter. To reach any of the Doubleday
clubs (Crossings, Doubleday, Literary Guild, Large Print,
Military, Mystery Guild, Outdoorsmans Edge, Science Fiction),
write Customer Service at P.O. Box 6325, Camp Hill, PA 17012.
To reach Doubleday Select clubs (Architects and Designers,
Behavioral Science, Computer Books Direct, Discovery Channel, Early Childhood Teaching, Equestrians Edge, Nurses Book Society, Primary Teachers, Scientific American, Library of Speech-Language Pathology or Reader's Subscription),
write P.O. Box 6301, Camp Hill, PA 17012. To reach Book-of-the-Month
clubs (BOMC, Children's BOMC, Crafter's Choice, Good Cook,
History, Insight Out, One Spirit, Quality Paperback, American
Compass, Black Expressions, Rhapsody, HomeStyle and Mosaico), write P.O. Box 6461, Camp Hill, PA 17012.
To reach Scholastic, write Customer Service, 2931
East McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
How
do I get the clubs to carry my book?
The
clubs don't carry self-published books. If a major publisher
is behind your book, your agent or the publisher should contact
the clubs directly.
I
have another question.
Your
best bet is to contact the Customer Service department of the
book club that you have joined (see "How to Contact Customer
Service," above, for information on how to get ahold of
each book club). For general questions about this site, email
the webmaster at feedback
[at] this domain.
Don't send questions to this address about missing books, orders
or payments, or requests to cancel a membership. Unfortunately we can't help
with that.
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