Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a

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-based

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service that offers a selection of five to seven 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 1926. Members can also discuss the books with fellow members in an online forum. In late 2015, 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 100,000 members, primarily

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

and Gen Z women, and the club's presence on social media grew to over 1.5 million

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

followers. Approximately 75% of the club's titles are by up-and-coming authors, and 80% of titles are fiction. The club has also worked with a series of celebrity guest judges who bring broader awareness to new titles, and continues producing its own versions of books that feature special endpapers and casings. In 2016, the club launched a Book of the Year award. In 2017, 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. In 1926 (its first year in operation), the Club's first selection was ''

Lolly Willowes ''Lolly Willowes; or The Loving Huntsman'' is a novel by English writer Sylvia Townsend Warner, her first, published in 1926. It has been described as an early feminist classic. It is a satirical social novel with fantastic elements, set in Eng ...

'' by

Sylvia Townsend Warner Sylvia Nora Townsend Warner (6 December 1893 – 1 May 1978) was an English novelist, poet and musicologist, known for works such as '' Lolly Willowes'', '' The Corner That Held Them'', and '' Kingdoms of Elfin''. Her paternal grandfather, The ...

. It also featured, but did not select,

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is the first novel by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, following his experimental novel-in-fragments '' In Our Time (short story collection)'' (1925). It portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Par ...

'' in the ''Book of the Month News''. In 1936, (its tenth year), the Club selected ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' by unknown author

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel that was published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel ''Gone With the Wind (novel), Gone ...

. Mitchell wrote: "I wanted to thank ook of the Monthfrom the bottom of my heart for selecting my book. It was quite the most exciting and unexpected thing that ever happened to me."

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

's ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

'' was selected the following year in 1937. In 1951 (its 25th year), the club distributed its 100 millionth book and selected

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger ( ; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel '' The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger published several short stories in '' Story'' magazine in 1940, before serving in World Wa ...

's ''

The Catcher in the Rye ''The Catcher in the Rye'' is the only novel by American author J. D. Salinger. It was partially published in serial form in 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its theme ...

'', which became both the most-censored and the most-taught book in America. In 1978, the Club selected '' By the Rivers of Babylon'', the first book by

Nelson DeMille Nelson Richard DeMille (August 23, 1943 – September 17, 2024) was an American author of Adventure fiction, action adventure and Thriller (genre), suspense novels. His novels include ''Plum Island (novel), Plum Island'', ''The Charm School (nov ...

, who later wrote: "I will be forever grateful to Book of the Month for ensuring that my first book, ''By the Rivers of Babylon'', was not my last. When the Club selected ''Babylon'' in 1978, it reached hundreds of thousands of additional readers and became an instant best-seller."

History

Harry Scherman Isaac Harry Scherman (February 1, 1887 – November 12, 1969) was an American publisher and economist, most notable as the co-founder of the Book of the Month Club. He also wrote four books on economics. Biography Early life and education Isaac ...

was a copywriter for the J. Walter Thompson

advertising agency An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generall ...

in 1916 when he set out to create the Little Leather Library. With his partners Max Sackheim, and Charles and

Albert Boni Albert Boni (October 21, 1892 – July 31, 1981) was co-founder of the publishing company Boni & Liveright and a pioneering publisher in paperbacks and book clubs. Biography Born in 1892 to a Jewish family in New York City, Albert Boni moved, at ...

, Scherman began a mail order service that offered "30 Great Books For $2.98" (miniature reprints "bound in limp Redcroft") and sold 40 million copies in its first five years."

," ''Current Biography'' 1943, pp 669–671 Sackheim and Scherman then founded their own ad agency devoted entirely to marketing books. The problems of building interest in a new book led Scherman to create, along with Sackheim and Robert Haas (son of

Kalman Haas Kalman Haas (1847–1920) was an American businessman, co-founder of the Haas Brothers and member of the Haas family. Biography Haas was born to a Jewish family in Reckendorf, Bavaria, one of nine children including brothers Charles A. (b. 1825 ...

), the Book-of-the-Month Club in 1926. As Scherman explained it, the club itself would be a "standard brand". "It establishes itself as a sound selector of good books and sells by means of its own prestige. Thus, the prestige of each new title need not be built up before becoming acceptable," he explained later. After starting with 4,000 subscribers, the club had more than 550,000 within twenty years. 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. Time Inc. (also referred to as Time & Life, Inc. later on, after their two onetime flagship magazine publications) was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New ...

in 1977; Time Inc. merged with

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner ...

in 1989. The original judges panel was eliminated in 1994. In 2000, the Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc. merged with Doubleday Direct, Inc. The resulting company,

Bookspan Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000. Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizo ...

, was a joint venture between

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...

and Bertelsmann until 2007 when Bertelsmann took over complete ownership. In 2008, Bertelsmann sold its US subscription business to the private equity firm Najafi Companies. In 2013, Najafi sold Bookspan to current parent company Pride Tree Holdings, Inc. After relaunching in 2015, under the leadership of CEO John Lippman, Book of the Month hit revenue of $10 million in 2017 and in 2024, industry sources estimated current revenue of $50 million.

Membership terms

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 12-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.

Book of the Year Award

In late 2016, the club announced its first annual Book of the Year Award, the finalists for which are chosen by the club's members. The award is called the "Lolly", in tribute to ''

'', the first book selected by the club back in 1926. ''Lolly'' ''Willowes'' was written by

, who later went on to become a prolific writer and even wrote short stories for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''. In 2017, the award added a $10,000 prize, and the winner was ''

The Heart's Invisible Furies ''The Heart's Invisible Furies'' is a social novel by Irish novelist John Boyne and published by Doubleday in 2017. The story revolves around the life of Cyril, who struggles with his sexuality, but it takes on a broad range of prejudice and ...

'' by Irish author

John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish author, novelist, and writer. He is the author of sixteen novels for adults, six novels for younger readers, two novellas, and one collection of short stories. Boyne's historical novel '' The Boy in ...

. In 2018, the members voted ''

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

'' by

Madeline Miller Madeline Miller (born July 24, 1978) is an American novelist, author of '' The Song of Achilles'' (2011) and ''Circe'' (2018). Miller spent ten years writing ''The Song of Achilles'' while she worked as a teacher of Latin and Greek. The novel tel ...

as best book of the year. In 2019, the members voted ''

Daisy Jones & The Six ''Daisy Jones & the Six'' is an American musical drama television miniseries developed by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set in the Los Angeles music scene of the 1970s ...

'' by

Taylor Jenkins Reid Taylor Jenkins Reid (born December 20, 1983) is an American author best known for her novels '' The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'', '' Daisy Jones & the Six'', ''One True Loves'', '' Malibu Rising'', ''Carrie Soto Is Back'', and ''Atmosphere''. ...

as best book of the year. In 2020, the members voted ''

The Vanishing Half ''The Vanishing Half'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Brit Bennett. It is her second novel and was published by Riverhead Books in 2020. The novel debuted at number one on ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list. HBO ...

'' by

Brit Bennett Brit Bennett is an American writer based in Los Angeles. Her debut novel '' The Mothers'' (2016) was a ''New York Times'' best-seller. Her second novel, ''The Vanishing Half'' (2020), was also a ''New York Times'' best-seller, and was chosen as a ...

as best book of the year.

Winners by Year

2016: Bryn Greenwood – '' All the Ugly and Wonderful Things'' *

Paul Kalanithi Paul Sudhir Arul Kalanithi (April 1, 1977 – March 9, 2015) was an American neurosurgeon and writer. His book '' When Breath Becomes Air'' is a memoir about his life and illness with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It was posthumously published ...

– ''

When Breath Becomes Air ''When Breath Becomes Air'' is a non-fiction autobiographical book written by American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi. It is a memoir about his life and battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It was posthumously published by Random House on Januar ...

'' *

Ruth Ware Ruth Warburton (born 1977), known by the alias Ruth Ware, is a British psychological thriller author. Her novels include ''In a Dark, Dark Wood'' (2015), ''The Woman in Cabin 10'' (2016), ''The Lying Game'' (2017), ''The Death of Mrs Westaway'' ( ...

– ''The Woman in Cabin 10'' *

Blake Crouch William Blake Crouch (born October 15, 1978) is an American author known for books such as ''Dark Matter'', ''Recursion'', ''Upgrade'', and his '' Wayward Pines Trilogy'', which was adapted into a television series in 2015. ''Dark Matter'' was ...

– ''

Dark Matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

'' *

Amor Towles Amor Towles (born 1964) is an American novelist. He is best known for his bestselling novels ''Rules of Civility'' (2011), ''A Gentleman in Moscow'' (2016), and '' The Lincoln Highway'' (2021). Towles began writing following a career in investmen ...

– ''

A Gentleman in Moscow ''A Gentleman in Moscow'' is a 2016 novel by Amor Towles. It is his second novel, published five years after ''Rules of Civility'' (2011). Background The protagonist is the fictional Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, born in Saint Petersburg, ...

'' 2017:

– ''

'' *

– ''

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ''The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'' is a historical drama novel by American novelist Taylor Jenkins Reid, and published by Atria Books in 2017. It tells the story of the fictional Old Hollywood star, Evelyn Hugo, who, at age 79, gives a fina ...

'' *

Jesmyn Ward Jesmyn Ward (born April 1, 1977) is an American novelist and a professor of English at Tulane University, where she holds the Andrew W. Mellon Professorship in the Humanities. She won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction for her second novel ...

– ''

Sing, Unburied, Sing ''Sing, Unburied, Sing'' is the third novel by the American author Jesmyn Ward and published by Scribner in 2017. It focuses on a family in the fictional town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. The novel received overwhelmingly positive reviews, an ...

'' *

Celeste Ng Celeste Ng ( ; zh, s=伍绮诗) (born July 30, 1980) is an American writer and novelist. She has released many short stories that have been published in a variety of literary journals. Ng's first novel, '' Everything I Never Told You'', releas ...

– '' Little Fires Everywhere'' * Ruth Emmie Lang – ''

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances Beast most often refers to: * Animal, a multicellular, eukaryotic organism in the biological kingdom Animalia * The Beast (Revelation), one of three beasts described in the Book of Revelation * Monster, a type of creature found in fiction, folklo ...

'' 2018:

– ''

'' *

Tayari Jones Tayari Jones (born November 30, 1970) is an American author and academic known for '' An American Marriage'', which was a 2018 Oprah's Book Club Selection and won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, the Un ...

– ''

An American Marriage ''An American Marriage'' is a novel by the American author Tayari Jones. It is her fourth novel and was published by Algonquin Books on February 6, 2018. In February 2018, the novel was chosen for Oprah's Book Club 2.0. The novel also won the 2 ...

'' *

Helen Hoang Helen Hoang (born 1982) is the pen name of an American romance novelist, best known for her best-selling debut novel ''The Kiss Quotient''. Career Prior to being published, Hoang wrote paranormal and fantasy romances with a martial arts bent ...

– ''

The Kiss Quotient ''The Kiss Quotient'' is a 2018 novel written by Helen Hoang. It follows Stella, an autistic woman who hires an escort in order to explore intimacy with other people. Development Hoang wrote the first draft of what would become ''The Kiss Qu ...

'' *

Kristin Hannah Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an Americans, American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', ''The Nightingale (Hannah novel), The Nightingale'', ''Firefly Lane (novel), Firefly Lane'', ''The Great Alone'', and ''T ...

– '' The Great Alone'' * A. J. Finn – '' The Woman in the Window'' 2019:

– ''

Daisy Jones & the Six ''Daisy Jones & the Six'' is an American musical drama television miniseries developed by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set in the Los Angeles music scene of the 1970s ...

'' *

– ''

Recursion Recursion occurs when the definition of a concept or process depends on a simpler or previous version of itself. Recursion is used in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics to logic. The most common application of recursion is in m ...

'' * Etaf Rum – '' A Woman is No Man'' *

William Kent Krueger William Kent Krueger (born November 16, 1950) is an American novelist and crime writer, best known for his series of novels featuring Cork O'Connor, which are set mainly in Minnesota. In 2005 and 2006, he won back-to-back Anthony Awards for best ...

– ''

This Tender Land ''This Tender Land'' is a book written by William Kent Krueger and published by Atria Books (now owned by Simon & Schuster) in September 2019. Krueger had written a companion novel to '' Ordinary Grace'', that was accepted and revised, but he pul ...

'' * Alex Michaelides – '' The Silent Patient'' 2020:

– ''

'' *

Abi Daré Abimbola "Abi" Daré is a Nigerian author and public speaker who now lives in Essex, England. In 2018, she won the Bath Novel Award, and was a finalist in the Literary Consultancy Pen Factor 2018. Her debut novel ''The Girl with the Louding Voic ...

– ''

The Girl with the Louding Voice ''The Girl with the Louding Voice'' is a 2020 coming of age novel and the debut novel of Nigerian writer Abi Daré. It tells the story of a teenage Nigerian girl called Adunni who becomes a maid and struggles with many things growing up, includ ...

'' * Lucy Foley – ''The Guest List'' *

Fredrik Backman Fredrik Backman (born 2 June 1981) is a Swedish author, blogger, and columnist. He wrote '' A Man Called Ove'' (2012), ''Things My Son Needs to Know about the World'' (2012), '' My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry'' (2013), '' Britt ...

– ''Anxious People'' * V. E. Schwab – ''

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ''The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'' is a fantasy novel by the American author V. E. Schwab. It was published by Tor Books on October 6, 2020. The story follows a young French woman in 1714 who makes a bargain with the Dark that makes her imm ...

'' 2021:

– ''

The Four Winds ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' *

– '' Malibu Rising'' * Emily Henry – ''

People We Meet on Vacation ''People We Meet on Vacation'' is a romance novel by Emily Henry, published May 11, 2021 by Berkley Books, known as ''You and Me on Vacation'' in the UK and Australia. The book is a ''New York Times'' best seller. Overview ''People We Meet ...

'' * S. A. Cosby – ''

Razorblade Tears ''Razorblade Tears: A Novel'' is a crime novel by S. A. Cosby, published in July 2021 by Flatiron Books. This novel debuted at number 10 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list. Jerry Bruckheimer's company has "optioned the story for Par ...

'' *

Sarah Penner Sarah Penner is an American author. Her debut novel, ''The Lost Apothecary'', is a The New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' best seller. Personal life Penner was born and raised in northeast Kansas. She attended the University o ...

– '' The Lost Apothecary'' 2022:

Gabrielle Zevin Gabrielle Zevin (born October 24, 1977) is an American author and screenwriter. Early life and education Zevin was born in New York City. Zevin's father, who is American-born, has Russian, Polish and Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. Her mother was b ...

– '' Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow'' *

Stacy Willingham Stacy or Stacey may refer to: Places In the United States: * Stacy, California, an unincorporated community * Stacy, Kentucky * Stacy, Minnesota, a city * Stacy, Virginia, a village People * Stacy (given name) * Stacy (Malaysian singer) ( ...

– ''A Flicker in the Dark'' * Charmaine Wilkerson – ''Black Cake'' *

– ''The Lincoln Highway'' * Ali Hazelwood – ''

The Love Hypothesis ''The Love Hypothesis'' is a romance novel by Ali Hazelwood, published September 14, 2021 by Berkley Books. Originally published online in 2018 as ''Head Over Feet'', a ''Star Wars'' fan fiction work about the " Reylo" ship between Rey and Kyl ...

'' 2023: Abby Jimenez - ''Yours Truly'' *

Lisa Jewell Lisa Jewell (born 19 July 1968) is a British author of popular fiction. Her books include ''Ralph's Party'', ''Thirtynothing'', ''After The Party'' (a sequel to ''Ralph's Party''), ''Then She Was Gone'', ''The Family Upstairs'', ''Invisible Girl ...

- ''None of this Is True'' *

Emily Habeck Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

- ''Shark Heart'' *

Emilia Hart Emilia Hart is a British-Australian novelist. Biography Hart was born in Sydney and educated at Barker College. She studied law and English at the University of New South Wales and became a lawyer. In her mid-20s, she moved to London. Her grandfat ...

- ''

Weyward ''Weyward'' is a 2023 novel by British-Australian writer Emilia Hart. The novel is historical fiction with elements of the supernatural. A story of female power and resilience, it has been called an example of feminist "witcherature."Crow, Sara ...

'' *

Meg Shaffer Meg is a feminine given name, often a short form of Margaret, Megan, Megumi (Japanese), etc. It may refer to: People *Meg (singer) (born 1980), Japanese singer *Meg Baird, American musician *Meg Bateman, Scottish writer * Meg Bellamy, British act ...

- ''The Wishing Game'' 2024 : Liz Moore - ''The God of the Woods'' *

Alison Espach Alison Espach (born September 26, 1984) is an American novelist. Espach is the author of three novels''The Adults'' (2011), ''Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance'' (2022), and ''The Wedding People'' (2024). She is an associate professor of English ...

- ''The Wedding People'' *

- ''The Women'' *

Marjan Kamali Marjan Kamali (born 1971) is an Iranian-American novelist and author. Her novels have been published in more than 20 languages and have received both national and international acclaim She is a 2022 NEA Literature Fellow. Biography Kamali was bor ...

- ''The Lion Women of Tehran'' * Kaylie Smith - ''Phantasma''

References

External links

* * Book-of-the-Month Club Records. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Book Of The Month Club Direct marketing Bertelsmann Publishing companies established in 1926 Book publishing companies of the United States Entertainment companies of the United States Book clubs 1923 establishments in the United States Monthly events

History

Membership terms

Book of the Year Award

Winners by Year

References

Further reading

External links