How best to spread the word about a NYC Resistance book club?
May 14, 2018 9:46 AM Subscribe
What are the best ways to promote a monthly New York City book club that is reading books for the Resistance? Examples of the books we read are here.
What would be the most productive and efficient ways to spread the word about a NYC Resistance book club? Flyers in indie book stores? Flyers in libraries? Flyers in coffee shops?
Emails to other non-Resistance book clubs? Emails to Resistance organizations, like Indivisible? Emails to Democratic groups?
Social media?
Something else?
What would be the most productive and efficient ways to spread the word about a NYC Resistance book club? Flyers in indie book stores? Flyers in libraries? Flyers in coffee shops?
Emails to other non-Resistance book clubs? Emails to Resistance organizations, like Indivisible? Emails to Democratic groups?
Social media?
Something else?
My approach might be to *not* look for a domain/genre/interest match when promoting the club. My thinking is that people who are into that kind of reading are probably already deep into the scene — and perhaps don't need a book club — so you should be looking more to find people who are ripe to join the resistance than you are looking for people who are into reading about it. You're looking for those people who may have liberal guilt, even a little self-loathing, for not doing enough to fight the current situation.
For example, I'd hold some of the gatherings in young, liberal, hip bars rather than coffee shops. Think "fun" rather than "earnest." You're going to get a lot more interested conversation from non-members in a bar than you would in a coffee shop. Especially if it's your local. Eons ago we had a friends book club at Enid's in Greenpoint and people we knew joined or at least attended a few meetings because they were at the bar, anyway. I'd leave flyers in those bars, too, especially ones that you go to.
I'd also get your current members to post each week to their own social media about it, and make it something other than just "come join us." Perhaps a screen shot of an interesting passage. Perhaps their thoughts on what they've read. Something original and personal. And above all, always include something on the theme of "do more than talk about it on social media — take your defiance to the next level."
posted by Mo Nickels at 10:56 AM on May 14, 2018
For example, I'd hold some of the gatherings in young, liberal, hip bars rather than coffee shops. Think "fun" rather than "earnest." You're going to get a lot more interested conversation from non-members in a bar than you would in a coffee shop. Especially if it's your local. Eons ago we had a friends book club at Enid's in Greenpoint and people we knew joined or at least attended a few meetings because they were at the bar, anyway. I'd leave flyers in those bars, too, especially ones that you go to.
I'd also get your current members to post each week to their own social media about it, and make it something other than just "come join us." Perhaps a screen shot of an interesting passage. Perhaps their thoughts on what they've read. Something original and personal. And above all, always include something on the theme of "do more than talk about it on social media — take your defiance to the next level."
posted by Mo Nickels at 10:56 AM on May 14, 2018
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Actually, I would omit sending emails to other book clubs (many of them are specialized topic-wise), but the flyers, emails to resistance groups, social media, Meetup...those are all excellent ideas. And why not cast the widest possible net by doing all of them?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:47 AM on May 14, 2018