Book clubs, also known as reading  groups, are a collection of readers who participate in the regular discussion of books, usually pre-decided by the group or the group leader. Traditionally, a book club consists of several members who meet in person each month to talk about a specific work.

In addition to discussion-oriented book clubs described above, many book clubs also facilitate  purchase books. Referred to as discount book clubs, they offer great deals to members who purchase books through them.  With the advent of the Internet, book clubs have been able to manage their community through their online communities.  Regardless of whether it is an offline community or an online community, the idea is to get people together and discuss books and promote reading.

Advantage of Traditional book clubs:

1.       Personal interaction:

a.       has  the benefit of having all members in the same room.  This creates an environment where people  know each other.

b.      Verbal and non-verbal communication allows for better inter action among the group members.

2.       Usually these on-site book clubs are small in size. The intimacy also allows more control to individuals to select books to read.  It also depends on the rules set by the book club to determine how the books are selected for reading.

Disadvantage:

1.       Due to the fact the members must actually physically meet it is more difficult organize and maintain an on-site book club. 

2.       Because members are  recruited from with-in a  limited geographic location, quality members may be difficult to find.

3.       The  small size could limit the diversity of views and perspectives that enter into the discussion.

Online book clubs:

Advantages of Online book clubs:

1.       Due to the vastness of the web and the variety of book clubs available, readers who turn to the Internet to find a book club enjoy a much wider selection of clubs.  You can also select clubs that are  dedicated to a specialized interest or genre.

2.        Online  book clubs are more convenient, as many of them are available at 24x7.

Disadvantages of online book clubs. T

1.       The  intimacy of a personal discussion is lost, along with the social interaction that is often a part of the traditional book club experience.

Celebrity Book Clubs: eg are Oprah's Book Club. Books  are recommended on a regular basis by the popular talk show host. Oprah's Book Club more for recommendations and not for any discussion purpose. The power of these online  book clubs has grown tremendously, to the extent that authors are made popular over night by such recommendations.

Hybrid Book Clubs:

There is definitely room for hybrid type of book club that has both the on-site and the on-line component to it.  With technologies like video conferencing and conference calls, members can meet in groups in small pockets and also get joined together by the wider world wide network – the internet.