DETERMINING YOUR FIRST BOOK (i.e. THE FUN PART)
Though there are a few steps before you get here, determining your first book is the fun part of the process! While we do accept custom book club selection requests under certain circumstances, which you can read more about below, for your first reading period, we will provide you with a list of selections from the PBC Guru Library. We have created content and moderated discussions for over 250 titles. Your Onboarding Specialist and Book Club Operations Manager will provide you with a curated shortlist of books based on conversations you’ve had with our Partnerships Team about your program goals. If you are looking for a longer list of titles, you can view our entire First Book Recommendations list culled from our readers’ favorite books and top performers on our platform.
HOW DOES PBC GURU SELECT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS?
Broadly, our books are selected based on the interests of participants and the community at large. We look for a mix of titles that cover fiction, general non-fiction/lifelong learning, professional development, social justice, health/wellness, and STEM each reading period. Books that cover multiple categories are of particular interest because they can be offered to exponentially more book clubs and often appeal to a wider range of readers within specific book clubs.
All titles must meet our PBC Guru criteria:
• At Least 100 Reviews on Goodreads or Amazon
• At Least a 4.0 Star Rating on Goodreads or Amazon
• Must be available as an eBook and an audiobook, preferably also in hardcover and paperback
• Must have been published no less than 6 months before the start of the suggested reading period
Exceptions may arise, but we strive to ensure all selections follow these four criteria. As of 2023, Google asserts that 158,464,880 books are in print! We need to narrow down our list somehow, so these few measures help guide us.
AUTHOR TALK SERIES
PBC Guru’s Author Talk Series are “fireside chats” with the authors of our current reading period’s selections and usually conclude our reading periods. Your members will gain exclusive access along with other PBC Guru book clubs to submit questions for the author via a live stream event coordinated and moderated by PBC Guru. Author Talks become available to your book club for their second book, following the inaugural reading period. For the first book, we rely on our engagement data to find subsequent book options for your community to vote on that speak as broadly as possible.
CUSTOM BOOKS
As mentioned above, PBC Guru does accept custom book requests outside of its Author Talk and standard recommendations. We do not, however, take custom requests for the first reading period. In exceptional circumstances, we encourage you to reach out to your Onboarding Specialist and Manager with queries related to custom requests for your book club.
To request a custom book for future reading periods, you must submit your request to your book club manager via email at the beginning of the previous reading period. This means if you would like to read a custom book for your second reading period, be prepared to share the desired title when your book club begins its first reading period. You can continue to read more about custom book selections here.
ADVICE TO KEEP IN MIND
Many of our primary contacts at partner institutions are avid readers (you might be one, too!). When deciding on your first book, however, it’s important to keep in mind that you aren’t just picking a book for yourself or a small group to read. You’re trying to cast a wide net, so here are a few pieces of advice to give you peace of mind as you work to find the best first book for your club:
• You don’t have to like the book personally
• Not every book club member is going to like the book
• You will have plenty of future reading periods to read a wide variety of books
Deciding on the first book can be understandably difficult for some, which is why we take the guesswork out of it for you with our data-driven First Book Recommendations. So, don’t be shy, peruse your options!