Welcome to FBE's newest reading club: 'Gems book club!
The focus of this club is reading great stories and creating a sense of community. This is the right club for you if you're looking to meet other readers and writers, discover great new books, and get feedback on yours (in time). The reading commitment is however many chapters you can read of two featured books each month, so it can be as light or intensive as you like.
If you are seeking a more read-for-read style club, our 'Flexible Book Exchange' club may be a better fit than Gems. And if you're checking this out as a current FBE member, you can certainly join and participate in both. The FBE and Gems comment deadlines will be 15 days apart.
How it works
Each month, two books will be featured, one from the selection of books in 'Read These Gems' and the other from an active club member. All active members will read however many chapters they can from both books, leave 3 or more comments of encouraging feedback for the author in each chapter read, and try to answer discussion questions in the monthly chapter provided by the author. Each month the books will change and you will have another month to complete the new readings.
How we select the books
One book is selected from a list of authors based on recommendations from our FBE community, so it is a book someone from the FBE community has read, loved, and promoted through the 'Read these Gems' book. The goal is to celebrate and uplift these writers, and we're appreciative for your help in doing so!
The second book is selected based on a draw from our active book club members. We also want to celebrate and uplift you as a thank you for engaging with this club. Please note our first book member book will be selected during our second month.
You earn points for each chapter you read and comment on, each discussion question you answer, and we'll ask each author to allocate 10 bonus points to the reader/readers whose comments they found the most helpful or insightful. Your total of those points will be multiplied by the number of months you have been active in the club. Don't worry, we'll take care of all the math. Just let us know which chapters you've read. Those points are used to determine how many entries you have into the draw for next month's book of the month.
During the month your book is featured as the club book, you will reset to zero months of activity to allow more authors who haven't been featured yet the chance to win BOTM, but it is also possible to be featured again if you continue to be an active member.
Breaks/Hiatus
If you need to take a break month or don't complete the readings, your previous active months still apply the next time you participate. Your break/inactive month will just not count as another as you were not active. If you want to let us know about the breaks in advance, we'll keep you off the tag list for that/those months and if you forget to let us know it's not a big deal.
Reading requirements
Each month, read at least one chapter from the two featured books (the more you read, the higher your chances of being selected as BOTM)
Leave at least 3 comments on each chapter you read. Comments should be at least 5 words long.
Optional: Answer the writer's discussion question(s) for bonus draw points
What type of books will be featured
- Incomplete and complete books
- All genres with a plot and enough content for readers to comment on. Even if the story isn't your preferred genre, we ask that you give it a chance.
- Some stories may be rated mature. If you are not comfortable with the mature content, you don't need to complete that reading. We will ask authors to be specific about the trigger warnings in the featured books.
- Books and writers featured may belong to the LGBTQIA+ community during some months. In an effort to maintain a safe and inclusive space, we ask that readers joining the Gems Book Club community are comfortable reading and commenting respectfully on stories featuring LGBTQIA+ characters.
How to join - Sign-up
1) Add this book to your private library to receive updates
2) Follow the FBE profile so you get notified when you're tagged
3) Introduce yourself by inline commenting here (We don't need a formal form, so have fun with your intro, tell us a bit about you, let us know what you like to read, and feel free to say hi and chat with the other club members too. If that seems like too much just tell us you want to join).
Optional: Join our discord (see the link in our profile)
Questions?
How do I get my book featured?
Participate in the club! The more active you are during your time here, the more entries you have in the book of the month draw to become the next book of the month.
Is there a guarantee my book will be featured?
No, unfortunately it will depend on the number of active members. Our other club Flexible Book Exchange offers opportunities to do reading exchanges on a monthly basis to get immediate feedback on your work if that's your goal.
How will I know if my book is featured?
I will either message you on Discord if you're on our server or on your Wattpad profile wall to let you know and ask for more information about your book to share with readers. If you don't want to be featured that month for whatever reason, you are free to decline or post-pone it.
Do authors of the Gems stories participate?
Authors of the book selected from 'Read these Gems' are not obligated to participate as this is part of our efforts to promote their books, but they are also more than welcome to join in to read the other book of the month, respond to readers and participate in future months if they would like or have the time.
What is the deadline for comments each month?
Comments must be completed by the end of the day on 15th of each month. All reading logs submitted on or before that date will counted towards the BOTM draw. Any late comments can be counted in the subsequent month.
Can I participate as a reader only?
Yes! Feel free to introduce yourself in the sign-up area.
Other questions? Ask them here :)
YOU ARE READING
Gems Book Club
RandomThis monthly book club is focused on celebrating great stories including those of our participants. Two books are featured each month and readers are asked to read and comment on however many chapters they can.
