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Charge a Membership Fee for Your Book Club: Setup Just Got a Lot Easier

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Blog

Author

Zoe Epstein

You pick the books, plan the meetings, moderate the discussion, and keep your club running month after month. If you're a Pro Plus club leader, you don't have to do all of that for free. 

Get paid for your work as a book club leader

Paid membership isn't one-size-fits-all. You choose the model that fits your club:

  • A one-time join fee, so members pay once to get in
  • Monthly or annual dues, billed automatically on the anniversary of when someone joined, so you get reliable, recurring income instead of chasing payments
  • Multiple tiers, like a "Community" tier and a "Supporter" tier, so your most dedicated members can pay more if they want to

Bookclubs handles the payment processing through Stripe and takes a 3% cut on top of standard Stripe fees, well below what most creator platforms charge for the same thing. The rest goes straight to you.

And now, it takes minutes to set up

Here's the part that changed: getting paid membership running used to mean filling out a form and waiting for our team to configure everything by hand. That's gone. Now you set it up yourself, right in Club Settings → Paid Membership, and it can go live the same day.

You choose your payment type and currency, name and price your tiers, write the description members see on the join page, and decide whether existing members get grandfathered in for free or start seeing the paywall. Connect Stripe, preview exactly what your join page will look like before you launch, and you're done. 

Already running a paid club? The same section lets you edit your description, add a new tier, or pause paid memberships whenever you want. (Changing the price of an existing tier still goes through Bookclubs Help, since it involves moving current subscribers in Stripe, but everything else is yours to manage.)

How to find it

Go to your club's Settings → Paid Membership on the Bookclubs.com website. If your club isn't on Pro Plus yet, you'll see how to upgrade right there.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to process payments?
Stripe charges its standard processing fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), and Bookclubs adds an additional 3% fee.

When are members charged?
When they join, then again on the anniversary of their join date, for as long as they stay in your club.

What happens if a member leaves?
Leaving the club cancels their subscription. There are no pro-rated refunds for the current billing period.

Is there a minimum I can charge?
Yes, $3 or the equivalent in your club's currency.

What billing cadences are supported?
Monthly, annual, or one-time.

What currencies can I use?
USD, CAD, and GBP.

Start charging for your club today. 📚

Not a Bookclubs member yet? Join Bookclubs and find or start a book club today.

 

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