Book of the Month founded [2] is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members choose which book they would like to receive, similar to how the club originally operated when it began in Members can also discuss the books with fellow members in an online forum. In late , in concert with the club's 90th year, the club announced a relaunch into its current iteration.
Within two years, the club had grown its membership to more than , members, primarily millennial women, and the club's presence on social media grew to over , Instagram followers.
In , the club debuted its first ever television advertisement called "Monthly". The club has a tradition of focusing on debut and emerging writers, and is known for having helped launch the careers of some of the most acclaimed authors in American literary history. Today, the book remains the second favorite of American readers after the Bible.
Mitchell wrote: "I wanted to thank [Book of the Month] from the bottom of my heart for selecting my book. It was quite the most exciting and unexpected thing that ever happened to me. Salinger 's The Catcher in the Rye , which became both the most-censored and the most-taught book in America. When the Club selected Babylon in , it reached hundreds of thousands of additional readers and became an instant best-seller.
Harry Scherman was a copywriter for the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in when he set out to create the " Little Leather Library ". As Scherman explained it, the club itself would be a "standard brand".
Thus, the prestige of each new title need not be built up before becoming acceptable," he explained later. The size of the club did in fact create the Book of the Month Club as a brand. Being a "Book of the Month Club" selection was used to promote books to the general public.
Book of the Month Club was acquired by Time Inc. The resulting company, Bookspan , was a joint venture between Time Warner and Bertelsmann until when Bertelsmann took over complete ownership. The club operates a subscription program, similar to other box subscription services, where customers select a membership plan for a set period of time 3-months, 6-months or months and books are shipped to all members during the first seven days of the month.
Historically, when the club operated through mail-order catalogs, membership involved a "negative response" system whereby a member was shipped the monthly selection on a particular date if the selection was not declined before that date. Members had the option to respond by declining the selection or opting to order another book or merchandise instead. No response was deemed acceptance of the selection. In late , the club announced its first annual Book of the Year Award, the finalists for which are chosen by the club's members.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 5, Book of the Month. Retrieved 27 March One company is betting it comes between two covers". Washington Post. Retrieved The New York Times. Words at the Book-of-the-Month Club". Business Insider. Real Simple. Outline Category Portal. Categories : Direct marketing Bertelsmann Publishing companies established in Book publishing companies of the United States Entertainment companies of the United States Book clubs establishments in the United States.
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