by Audry Fryer
Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, a book club kit download is a great way to provide extra content and fun experiences for your readers. And it can be an innovative marketing tool to help you reach a new audience and create a loyal fanbase.
Unlike a physical book kit, a download is easy to put together through any word processing program. Once you create the document, you can quickly deliver it to your readers. Also, you can update your download at any time to edit or add more content.
For my book, Until Next Sunday, I offer a book club kit as a free PDF download for signing up for my newsletter. My welcome email has a link to download the kit. I love sharing fun ideas and fascinating facts about my book. Even if the reader isn’t in a book club, the kit is a great way to enhance the reader’s experience.
What Should a Book Club Kit Download Include?
Your book club kit download should contain exciting and interactive content unique to your book. You’ll want to showcase to your readers and book clubs why they should be excited about reading and celebrating your book.
My book club kit download for Until Next Sunday includes a welcome letter from me plus a playlist, recipes, content about locations featured in the book, and custom discussion questions I created based on the story.
11 Ideas to Include in Your Book Club Kit
While you may not want to incorporate all 11 ideas in your book club kit download, choosing around five components is helpful. It’s easy and fun to create a download your readers and book clubs can enjoy.
Welcome Letter
A note from the author sets the tone for your book club kit. Don’t skip this opportunity to connect with your readers. In your letter, share a background story of how the book came to be, a personal story about your journey as an author, or any other behind-the-scenes tidbit.
Also, explain what you’ve included in the kit to entice your reader to enjoy the full download. You can add a table of contents as a quick reference and visual. And finally, thank your reader for choosing to interact with your book further.
Author Bio
Help your readers get to know you better. You can insert your official author bio. Or, even better, you can share background about yourself that readers won’t find anywhere else. Rather than a dull information dump, add a personal trivia section or a list of fun facts about you.
Interview or Author Q&A
Share fascinating content about you as the author and your book by including interviews posted on other platforms. Or add a section of frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers.
Discussion Questions
Book clubs love having ready-to-go discussion questions. Aside from eating, drinking, and socializing, the point of the book club is to talk about the book. In your kit, provide questions that directly relate to your book. Make sure you provide a variety of questions. Plus, offer topics that will spark lively conversations. If you need inspiration, check out my post on 77 Book Club Discussion Questions (For Any Book).
Extra Content about the Book
You can provide exclusive content in your book club kit. Readers and book clubs enjoy having access to items not available to everyone.
Get creative! There are so many opportunities to offer new and exciting pieces. For example, you could share a brief prequel or an unpublished epilogue to your book. You could feature a side story about a favorite character. Or you could reveal what happened to the characters or real-life people in your story after the book ends.
Featured Locations
Often settings involve real-life locations. Readers tend to be curious about where the story took place. Offer insights or interesting facts about the areas featured in your book. Or provide information about traveling to the locations in your book. You can include maps, photos, or other images to help the reader feel like they’re there.
Playlist
I love the idea of putting together a soundtrack to accompany your book. The songs you choose can enhance the theme and vibe of your story. Book clubs can then play the songs in the background as they meet.
For my book club kit, I created a list of songs with a romantic/Italian theme that matched a corresponding Spotify playlist. Readers can either look up the songs on their music platform or access the more extended playlist I created on Spotify.
Recipes
Recipes for food or drinks can be a big hit with book clubs and individual readers. Choose recipes that relate to a food or drink featured in your story. Even if your book doesn’t mention food or beverages, you can still add a recipe that compliments your book’s theme.
In the Until Next Sunday book club kit download, I shared a family recipe for gnocchi that had been passed down from generation to generation. Also, I added a signature cocktail recipe for making Bellinis. While Bellinis weren’t directly mentioned in the book, they fit with the Italian theme. In the kit, I share a link for a video on Tik Tok I created on how to make Bellinis.
Activities
Does your book lend itself to a real-world activity or craft? If so, add instructions or information on how to make your book come to life. For example, Until Next Sunday features writing love letters. Although it’s not in the kit I offer, I could have provided a tutorial on the art of letter writing. What unique activity would your readers enjoy?
Images
Images are essential to your book club kit. They add interest and color to your download. Make sure you insert the cover of your book, your author photo, and any pictures to enhance your content. If you include a recipe, make sure you have images to accompany it. Or, if you discuss a featured location, add a picture of the place. Plus, you can add interesting photos of yourself or related historical photos.
Call-to-Action
Finally, make sure you add at least one call to action.Take advantage of this opportunity in which you have your readers’ attention. Since you’re marketing to book clubs, it’s a fantastic idea to make yourself accessible by offering to join a book club zoom.
Also, you can add social media links to entice your readers to share your book or the recipes/activities. Ask for book reviews and provide links to where you’d like the reviews posted. Add a form for signing up for your email list. Or, provide links for purchasing your other books. And finally, you can work with other authors to cross-promote their books by providing other book recommendations your readers may enjoy.
Final Thoughts for Creating a Book Club Kit Download
Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to create a book club kit download for your book. It’s an excellent marketing tool. And, it’s so fun to offer extra content to your readers in book clubs or even to your individual readers.
Audry Fryer is an author and professional freelance writer from Pennsylvania. Formerly a teacher, Audry wrote her first novel while her toddler son and twin babies napped. As her children have grown into teenagers, she has expanded her writing career. Audry lives with her family and two pugs in a quiet corner of Southeastern PA. To learn more about Audry, please visit her website at www.audryfryer.com.