The genre book clubs
Six clubs, 11 scheduled reads, one moderator and a sign-up box powered by Yahoo Groups.
For a few months in late 2003 and early 2004 every community on the network ran a book club. The format was the same everywhere: a featured book each month, a short description, a box where you typed your email to join the group, and a schedule that more often than not read "to be announced". Authors could reserve a month for a new release. Membership was free and, the pages warned, limited to readers 18 and over.
The clubs were moderated by Tara Green, co-founder and partner of Romance Designs, whose biography mentioned three years as assistant program manager for the Kids Only channel on AOL and a long stint as a message board moderator. She signed off the moderator page by saying she looked forward to everyone's participation, which, judging from the number of months marked "to be announced", was the hard part.
the schedules
Contemporary Romance Writers Book Club
- October 2003 · in progress
Paradise by Judith McNaught - November 2003 · feature
Keeper of the Light by Diane Chamberlain
The November pick opens in an emergency room: a doctor operates on a gunshot victim and learns mid-surgery that the patient is the woman her husband is infatuated with. The club page warned that the subject matter was mature and limited sign-ups to readers 18 and over.
Historical Romance Writers Book Club
- October 2003 · in progress
To Marry the Duke by Julianne MacLean - November 2003 · feature
Shotgun Bride by Linda Lael Miller - February 2004 · upcoming
An Affair Most Wicked by Julianne MacLean - March 2004 · upcoming
A Will of Her Own by Winnie Griggs
Shotgun Bride is a McKettrick book: a newly appointed marshal with five mail-order brides camped at the local hotel, and a "Sister" Mandy who is plainly not a nun. Along with the fantasy club, it was one of only two with picks already booked into 2004.
Fantasy Romance Writers Book Club
- October 2003 · in progress
The Legend MacKinnon by Donna Kauffman - May 2004 · upcoming
The Wizard's Ward by Deborah Hale
Readers were told to "be prepared, order now" for the May 2004 title, which tells you something about how hard fantasy romance was to find on a shelf at the time.
Paranormal Romance Writers Book Club
- October 2003 · in progress
Haunted by Heather Graham
The archived paranormal page misspelled its own heading as "Paranoraml". We kept the pick and dropped the typo.
Suspense Romance Writers Book Club
- December 2003 · in progress
Flash Point by Metsy Hingle
The suspense club ran a month behind the others and was already advertising a January 2004 feature when the December read was under way.
Time Travel Romance Writers Book Club
- October 2003 · in progress
A Garden in the Rain by Lynn Kurland
Lynn Kurland wrote linked family books that move between medieval and modern settings, which made her an obvious first pick for a time travel group.
running a club like this now
The mechanics have changed more than the appetite. Email groups gave way to forums, then to social media groups and reading apps, but the questions people bring to a romance club are much the same as in 2003: did the conflict hold up, did the ending feel earned, would you read the next one? If you are picking titles for a group, the subject index is a good way to choose by theme rather than by bestseller list, and the Writers' Desk piece on studying romance has discussion questions that work just as well around a kitchen table.
Readers who want the other end of the shelf, the publisher-chosen picks, can browse the featured books of October 2005.
Questions readers ask
How did the book clubs work?
Each genre community had a monthly pick discussed by email through a Yahoo group. Members signed up with an email address, read along and posted in the group. Joining was free.
Why was there an age limit?
The club pages said that, because of mature subject matter, members had to be 18 or older.
Who moderated the clubs?
Tara Green, a co-founder of Romance Designs. Her bio mentioned three years as an assistant program manager for AOL's Kids Only channel and work as a message board moderator.
Can authors still book a club slot?
No. The clubs belong to 2003 and 2004 and the Yahoo groups that hosted them no longer exist. This page keeps the reading lists.