At Bookclubs, we’re always searching for ways to bring our communities of readers together — and continually improving our product to make it happen. In December, we launched Community Book Reviews! While users have always been able to write personal book reviews to share with their book clubs, it’s now possible to share your thoughts with the entire Bookclubs community! Read on to learn more about Community Book Reviews and how you can begin to share your reading reflections on bookclubs.com.
What are Community Book Reviews?
Community Book Reviews are book reviews written by Bookclubs members that are shared publicly on Bookclubs.com. Community Book Reviews will appear on any Book Details page for titles for which Bookclubs community members have written reviews. Don’t see a review for a title you’ve read? Get started and add your own now!
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How do I add my own review?
Adding your own book reviews is easy. Here are a few simple ways to share your thoughts on books you’ve read with the community.
From your Bookclubs profile, navigate to “Books I’ve Read” in the side navigation. Select a title and click “Write a review.” Add your review to the “Write a review” window that appears on your screen, make sure that “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” is checked, and hit “Save.” Your review will be shared on the Book Details page for the title.
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Similarly, from your book club’s profile page, navigate to “Books We’ve Read'' in the side navigation. Select a title and click “Write a review.” Add your review to the window that appears on your screen, make sure that “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” is checked, and hit “Save.” Your review will be shared with your club and on the Book Details page for the title.
From any Book Details page, select “Write a review…” Add your review to the window that appears on your screen, make sure that “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” is checked, and hit “Save.” Your review will be shared on the Book Details page for the title.
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In each of these instances, you’ll be prompted to create a Bookclubs username (if you haven’t already created one) before you can publicly post your review. Your username is what is associated with your account for any public posts on the Forum or Community Reviews. You can create or change your username in your profile under “Edit Profile.”
Do I need a username to share my book reviews?
Yes, to post publicly on the Forum or to share your Community Book Reviews, you must create a username.
Can I edit my reviews after they’ve been shared?
Yes. To edit a book review, navigate to the book on your profile or club page, and select the pencil icon at the end of your review to open the window and edit. From the Book Details page, simply click “Edit Review” and the window with your review will appear. You can make your edits and save.
What if I want to remove a review I’ve shared with the Bookclubs Community?
If you would like to remove a review you’ve already shared with the Bookclubs Community, follow the steps above to open the “Write a review” window and simply uncheck “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” before saving. Your book review will be removed from the Book Details page, but it will remain in your profile and, if applicable, will still be shared with your club.
Can I share reviews I’ve written in the past, before this feature was available?
Absolutely. If you have written reviews in the past, the next time you write a review, you will see a pop-up asking you to share your past reviews. Just click "Yes, share all of my past reviews!" You'll also see this option at the top of your Books I've Read bookshelf.
To share an individual review you’ve written in the past, navigate to the book on your profile or club page, and select the pencil icon at the end of your review to open the window. Make sure “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” is checked, and then hit “Save.” Your review will appear under Community Reviews on the Book Details page for that title. Or, from the Book Details page for a title, simply click “Write a review…” and the window with your existing [private] review will appear. Make sure “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” is checked, and then hit “Save.”
Any reviews written prior to this feature launch are not shared publicly unless a user elects to do so and goes through the above steps to share their book reviews.
If I choose not to share my review with the community, is it still shared with my club?
For books you’ve read that also appear on any of your book clubs’ “Books We’ve Read” pages, your reviews will continue to be shown within your club’s page, regardless of if you’ve written the review from your personal profile or from your club’s page. For books that are not listed on any of your clubs’ “Books We’ve Read” lists, your reviews will remain on your profile and will only be shared with your club(s) when that title has been added to “Books We’ve Read.” Reviews are not shared publicly with the Bookclubs Community unless you check “Share my review with the Bookclubs community” in the “Write a review” window.
What are flags and how do they work?
Flags exist for all Community Book Reviews on Book Details pages. If you feel that a review violates Bookclubs guidelines or contains harmful language or derogatory content, you can “flag” it. Flagging a review will hide it from the Book Details page for that title until a member of the Bookclubs team is able to examine it.
Exciting update: You can now add spoiler alerts to your book reviews to make sure you don't spoil the book for other readers. Click here to learn more.
We can’t wait to read your book reviews and learn more about what you’re reading and loving. Continue the conversation after your book club meeting and start sharing those reviews!
We are always eager for feedback on how we can improve the Bookclubs site and app. If there’s a feature you think is missing, or something that would help your club, reach out to us anytime. We incorporate user feedback into updates to the site and app frequently, and we’d love to learn more about how we can make Bookclubz even better.