8 Book Club Success Stories [2024]
A book club consists of several people who read and talk about the books based on the topic or an agreed reading list.
Setting up your book club can be a great way to enjoy books and meet new people.
More importantly, a book club is a well-paying side hustle idea. Therefore, figure out who you invite to your book club and define the purpose.
Do you want to learn something new, or do you just want to bond with other book lovers? Having a defined purpose helps you reach like-minded people to keep the book club close-knit.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a book club:
1. Rebel Book Club ($156K/year)
Ben Keene and Ben Saul-Garner came up with the idea for Rebel Book Club after realizing they both had a habit of buying books and not finishing them. They decided to create a book club where members would commit to reading one book a month, attending a meetup, and enjoying a custom cocktail inspired by the book. The club quickly grew, and now has 570 subscribing members and generates £10,500 in monthly recurring revenue.
How much they make: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 0
Two friends started an online book club that now has 570 members and generates £10,500 MRR, by addressing the problem of 'Tsundoku,' charging a monthly subscription fee for one non-fiction book, one inspiring meetup, and one custom cocktail, inspiring conversation and community.
2. Book Club Chat ($48K/year)
Heather Caliendo, a journalist with a passion for reading, turned her love for books into a profitable business with Book Club Chat. Despite the saturation of the book blogging market, Heather stood out by creating a beautifully designed website and focusing on providing book club questions tailored to novels. With over 5,000 visitors a day and earning $4,000/month in ad revenue, Book Club Chat has become a go-to resource for book clubs around the world.
How much they make: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 0
Book Club Chat founder Heather Caliendo started a website dedicated to book club questions, reviews, and book lists with no upfront costs by dedicating a lot of time to reading and writing high-quality content that attracts over 5,000 daily visitors and has made $4,000 per month in ad revenue alone by focusing on organic search, SEO, and Mediavine.
So... can you actually make money with a book club?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. BiblioCommons
BiblioCommons builds software that transforms the public library's essential online services—your website, your catalog, your events calendar—from functional to magical.
Where they're located: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Website traffic: 15.3M/month
So... can you actually make money with a book club?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Online Book Club
OnlineBookClub.org is an awesome site for readers. We have international book discussions, virtual bookshelves to track what you have read, original book reviews and much more!
Where they're located: Ninove, Flanders, Belgium
Website traffic: 370K/month
8. Book Outlet
Bargain Books at read-iculously low prices. Buy cheap kids books, fiction, cooking, young adult novels, & so much more! FREE shipping on orders over $35.
Where they're located: Fresno, California, USA
Website traffic: 830K/month
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
