By Megan Blakie of the Book Discussion Scheme
It’s not just businesses that like ‘word of mouth’ marketing… in our world of recreational book groups, person-to-person referrals outrank any other form of publicity.
That’s largely how the Book Discussion Scheme has grown from its humble beginnings in the 1970s to be a nationwide not-for-profit: the only New Zealand-wide organisation specialising in book groups. Most new members hear of us through a friend or family member.
Book groups are a fun way to meet other people who share a love of reading. Monthly (or bi-monthly) meetings can be hard-core literary discussions or a social occasion over a coffee or glass of wine, depending on the composition and inclination of your group!
What makes the Book Discussion Scheme popular is that we lend books to groups (a group selects a title they want to read and all members read it at the same time) and each group’s book selection is couriered to them wherever they’re located. Our current tally is 978 groups, with a spread from Invercargill to Ahipara in the Far North. We hope to celebrate the milestone of 1000 groups within the next few months.
Our collection consists of about 30,000 books and is made up of multiple copies of the 481 fiction and 217 non-fiction titles in this year’s catalogue. We hold classics as well as the latest page-turners, and select them for their potential to generate a fair amount of discussion. Groups tell us that divergent opinions about a book make for dynamic and rewarding meetings.
Book groups provide you with the perfect excuse to blob out and read after a stressful day and are a sociable way to appreciate books. You can join the scheme at any time and if you want one of those word-of-mouth recommendations, get in touch with book group member and BNI’s financial director Sue Redknap!
Tel: 03 365 6210 (Christchurch office, nationwide service)
