(18 October 2016, Frankfurt, Germany) Publishers, authors and libraries have helped create a worldwide phenomenon by establishing more than 170 digital Book Clubs in 31 countries and on six continents in 2016. At the Frankfurt Book Fair (stand B7 in Hall 6.2), OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools worldwide, will present how these eBook clubs are increasing reach and engagement for publishers’ and authors’ works.
While the publishing world convenes in Frankfurt, over 20,000 libraries worldwide are participating in the largest eBook club, Big Library Read. Readers from Austria, South Africa, Turkey, Colombia, Malaysia, Germany and 25 other countries are reading the same eBook, This Is Where It Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp (Sourcebooks), and engaging in conversations about the book.
Book Clubs have long been a popular way for readers to share about a book of interest. Now, public libraries are taking advantage of the power of digital: simultaneous access to titles on the OverDrive platform via dozens of “City Reads” or “One Community/One Book” programs. Last month, over 700 libraries in Australia and New Zealand created Together We Read, a digital Book Club that connected readers across both countries with one eBook, World’s Apart, by Ber Carroll (Killard Publishing) offering simultaneous access over the two-week period. This year, Cityread London (UK) worked with Canongate to offer Ten Days by Gillian Slovo in eBook format (supporting the print version as well) to participating libraries throughout greater London. New York Public Library’s Gracie Book Club collaborated with authors to select six books to read and discuss with New Yorkers over the next year.
The rise of digital Book Clubs through public libraries has helped publishers increase sales and raise the profile of their authors. When publishers agree to give libraries simultaneous access to feature an eBook or audiobook in a digital Book Club, it’s like putting the book in the front window or on an end cap at a book store. While hundreds or even thousands of people may borrow the book, many more thousands see it or hear about it through the library, social media or their friends. This increased exposure and buzz has resulted in elevating sales rankings – as evidenced again and again before, during and after recent programs.
To find the nearest digital library collection, visit overdrive.com.
The announcement in full is here.
