How it Works

Using simple technology to bring people together in real time.

Step-by-Step Guide

Classics Book Club Online is an online book club.  Instead of meeting in person, all our meetings take place on Zoom, an easy-to-use web based tool (with no signup required).     

Just like a normal bookclub, we nominate books for discussion and set specific times for our members to meet.  Usually, there will be two nominated books every six weeks or so (typically 19th century and a 20th century classic) and two sessions will be scheduled for each book.

Once you become a member of the book club, you’ll receive details of the chosen books and dates, as well as links to RSVP to your selected book discussion(s).  You can also log into your account where our ‘member only’ page has all this  information in one place on a current calendar like this.

STEP 1

Join Classics Bookclub Online.

Signup by clicking on Join Now.  We offer a choice of a four month recurring membership or a three month one off membership, both for $A33 incl GST (which is Australian for sales tax)

The fourth month is a thankyou for saving us some admin work. You can cancel your renewal yourself by logging into the My Account section of the website and will receive an email

STEP 2

Look at our nominated books and select the book(s) you’ll read first

You can see our Upcoming Books with the dates scheduled listed to next to each book.  You’ll also get emails when new books are selected or dates scheduled, and can log into your account to see the current calendar at any time.

This isn’t school, so you can choose to read one or both or none of the monthly books, depending on your other commitments or mood that month. Many of our members prefer audio books which are another convenient way to read the classics.

You can also suggest books by emailing kate at classicsbookclub.online.  Some of our previous books from our Past Books might also be of interest, so email us and we may be able to schedule another discussion.

STEP 3

Sign up for a Book Discussion.

Once the dates are published on the website for new discussions, you’ll receive an email with details and time options.   You can also see the scheduled events at any time by logging into your account (via the My Account page). 

We try to schedule two sessions for each book with a range of times to suit the different members and their various time zones in Australia, the UK, Europe, the US, Canada,  India, the Middle East and beyond. 

There are no additional costs to attend our regular book discussions while your membership is active (ie. based on your expiry date depending on the type of membership you have).

HOW TO BOOK INTO A DISCUSSION

To book into the individual discussions (and get the zoom details which are unique for each session), click Book Now in the member email or log via the My Account option at the top of our website. You’ll see a list of dates and times with all times shown in Melbourne AEST (which is GMT/UTC +10) or AEDT  (which is GMT/UTC +11).

Click Book Now on the event and it prompt you with a green NEXT button which will ask you to enter your email and name.  Once you’ve clicked SUBMIT, you’ll see a green message telling you your booking has been successful and will receive an email with the zoom details and a calendar reminder link.

NB:  We do ask you to RSVP to your preferred time and there is an attendee limit for each session.  This is so our session leaders know who is attending and to make it easy for members to take part.

NB: Non-members or members with expired memberships are unable to book events. Please refer to your membership confirmation if you’re unable to log into your account.  You can also reset your password here Forgot Password

STEP 4

Read (or Listen) to the Book(s)

Now its time to read or listen to your chosen book.  If you haven’t read any classics for a while (or at all), you may need to allow some extra time to get used to the different style of the authors.

Try and start at least two weeks before the scheduled discussion – maybe earlier for longer books (three to four weeks is ideal).

You can join us if you haven’t finished the book, but be warned, there is a “SPOILERS allowed” rule allowed at our discussions so we can discuss the ending. 

STEP 5

Join your Session Leader in Zoom at the nominated time

The day of or day before your scheduled event,  you’ll receive an email reminder with details  for the Zoom meeting.   On the day, please try and log in on time, as we will start the discussion immediately.  

NB:  If you haven’t used Zoom before, please test your computer (or ipad) before hand (if you’ve not used zoom before, please reach out a few days before if you need help to set it up).  A larger screen is better so you can see all the other particiants at once.  There is no need to sign up to Zoom to participate. 

 

Four Months for the Price of Three

If you join for three months, we’ll give a month extra for no additional charge.  Our three month membership costs just $A33 incl GST (which is Australian for sales tax or VAT).  Thats A$8.25 per month (or approx $5.92 USD = €5.23)

STEP 6

Continue to Enjoy Your Book Club 

We’ll continue to select more books and schedule more sessions.  You’ll receive email updates plus at any time be able to log into the website with all the latest books and discussion times.

You can read as many or as few books as you like – although we do suggest you try and join a session ASAP after joining to get to meet the group.

You can also invite friends and family from all around the world to join too.  Please email kate at classicsbookclub.online if you refer a friend who joins and you will both receive one month’s free membership added to the end of your plan.

STEP 7

Renew your Membership

Depending on what type of membership you have,  your membership will renew automatically or you’ll receive a notice approximately 14 days before your membership expires.   Recurring members also receive an email 7 days before the renewal is processed (and can also cancel the renewal at any time)

You’ll also able to earn free months by recommending friends to the Classics Book Club Online (please email kate at classicsbookclub dot online if you recommend a friend who joins and you’ll both receive one months additional membership added to the end of your membership or for the next month if you’re on a recurring membership)

 

Four Months for the Price of Three

If you join for three months, we’ll give a month extra for no additional charge.  Our three month membership costs just $A33 incl GST (which is Australian for sales tax or VAT).  Thats A$8.25 per month (or approx $5.92 USD = €5.23)