We admit it: we’re lame. You send us a form that says “return this or else we’ll send you books” and we don’t return the form. And then we get books. But not always the books we want. Yeah, the Internet has helped, but we still, uh, accidentally forget to follow through and end up with way too many books on low-carb cooking, and not enough books we want to read (the former being books we probably should read).
And while new members will still get to choose five books for $1, with an obligation to buy four more, the club is hoping to rebuild its ranks with a new program, Smart Reader Rewards, that was introduced last week. Smart Reader further tailors offerings to members within five subject categories – mystery and suspense; history and biography; fiction; nonfiction and current affairs; or home and health – letting members choose in which category they want to receive their monthly main selections.
Okay, we don’t want to come off as partisan (heaven forbid!), but isn’t there something missing here? Like, oh, the biggest share of the market? Seriously, why can’t the books-of-the-month clubs offer greater diversity in general? We read across the board, and get frustrated when our options are limited (love Bill Bryson, tolerate [barely] Annie Proulx, hello, where are the mainstream or genre authors?). If you want to introduce diversity into your list — and we think a little of what we know you’d like with a little of what we think you should read is a great combination…but nobody seems to ask us — actually think about your audience. We promise you that they’re not who you think they are…and this is a really, really good thing for all fiction.
