Started an online book club with 30 members. 6 months later it's 5 people and we haven't actually finished a book in 3 months.

📚 Education & Studyby bookclub_fading · 3w ago

▸ What I did

Started a virtual book club for non-fiction / self-improvement books. Recruited 30 members from Reddit and Discord. Monthly format: vote on a book, everyone reads it, meet on Zoom for discussion. First meeting: 22 people showed up. Great energy, amazing discussion.

▸ What I expected

A thriving reading community. Monthly discussions that feel like intellectual salons. Maybe grow to 100+ members and start a podcast or newsletter around it.

▸ What actually happened

Month 1: 22 attendees, great discussion. Month 2: 14 attendees, decent discussion, a few people clearly hadn't read the book. Month 3: 9 attendees, half hadn't finished. Month 4: 7 attendees. Month 5: 5 attendees (the same 5 every time). Month 6: 5 attendees, but we spent 40 minutes chatting about life and 10 minutes on the book. Nobody is reading. But the 5 people who keep showing up seem to really enjoy... the Zoom hangout? I started this as a book club and it's become a weekly therapy session with strangers.

▸ What I've tried so far

Tried shorter books. Tried letting people vote on genres. Tried accountability check-ins mid-month. Tried switching from Zoom to async discussion in Discord (nobody posted). Tried "you don't have to finish the book, just read 3 chapters." The 25 people who left all said some version of "I meant to read it but didn't have time." The 5 who stayed admit they barely read either. They just like the hangout.

Progress Updates (1)

Had a realization after our last session where we spent the entire hour talking about career stuff and never mentioned the book. Asked the 5 regulars: "honest question — if I removed the book requirement entirely and this was just a weekly hangout for people interested in self-improvement, would you still come?" All 5 said yes. One person said "honestly the book is just the excuse to show up. The real value is talking to people going through similar stuff." OK so I might pivot this from a "book club" to a "weekly mastermind group." The books were the hook, but the community is the product.

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2 Replies

buildinpublic_jo · 1w ago✓ the fix

Every online book club I've joined has died the same way. The pattern is universal: high enthusiasm at launch, steady decline, core group of 3-5 who stay for the community not the books. You've accidentally discovered something way more valuable than a book club — you've found 5 people who crave regular intellectual connection. That's a mastermind group and people pay $50-500/month for good ones. Don't mourn the book club. Evolve it.

startup_therapist · 1w ago

The 30 -> 5 drop is normal and healthy. You didn't LOSE 25 members — you FILTERED to 5 committed ones. Most community builders panic at declining numbers. But 5 engaged people who show up every week is infinitely more valuable than 30 people who showed up once. Build for the 5. Deepen the relationship. The growth comes from those 5 each inviting one friend who actually sticks. Slow, organic, sticky growth > big launch, fast decay.

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