The world’s largest book chain is trying to create the world’s largest book club. Barnes & Noble has launched an interactive, online book club (at bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com), allowing readers to commingle—digitally, at least—with authors. Barnes & Noble Book Clubs, which launched this week with author Carl Hiaasen—his next book, Nature Girl, hits November 14—as one of its first featured authors available for questions and online chatter. B&N plans to host online talks with roughly 30 authors this fall and will also have discussions, hosted by bn.com online moderators, about classics and “noteworthy titles” in a variety of categories such as personal finance and health.
Marie Toulantis, CEO of bn.com, said the promotional opportunity for authors–which follows on the heels of the successful Barnes & Noble Recommends program, through which the giant retailer highlights one book a season to aggressively push in its stores–”meets the needs of authors who are eager to reach as broad an audience as possible.”
Read the Publisher’s Weekly article here.