The book club app that actually works

What a book club app should do

• Pick a book, set a schedule

  Choose the next read and a finish date. Members see the schedule on the club page.

• Track member progress

  See who's where in the book — without spoilers, without nagging.

• Threaded discussion

  Real threaded conversation, not a chronological wall of texts. Reply to specific points.

• Public or private

  Run a private friends-only club, or open it up to anyone with the link.

• Built around the book

  Discussion lives on the book's page in your club. Spoiler-aware sections by chapter.

• Permanent record

  Your club's reading history persists. Look back at what you read together over years.

Why this beats every common workaround

How real clubs use Literal

• Workplace book clubs

  Set a 4-week schedule, pick a book, members read at their own pace and check in weekly. Discussion stays in one place.

• Friends-only clubs

  Private club with five people who actually finish books. No randoms, no notifications spam.

• Public themed clubs

  "2026 Booker Prize longlist", "Dystopian fiction club", "First-novels club" — open clubs with hundreds of members.

• Couples reading together

  Two-person clubs work fine. Read the same book at the same pace, discuss in private.

• Author-led clubs

  Authors run clubs around their backlist or current release, with direct community engagement.

• Educational reading groups

  Reading lists for courses, with structured discussion per week.

Starting your first club

1. 1

   Create a free Literal account

   Email and password.
2. 2

   Tap "Create club" and name it

   Pick a name and decide public or private.
3. 3

   Invite members

   Share the club link. Or open it as public so anyone can join.
4. 4

   Pick the first book and set a schedule

   Search the book in our catalogue, choose a finish date. The schedule auto-divides.
5. 5

   Read together and discuss

   Discussion threads start populating as members hit milestones.

Frequently asked questions

Is the book club app really free?

Yes. Clubs of any size, public or private, are free. No premium gates.

Can the club be private?

Yes. Private clubs are invite-only and don't appear in public listings.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes — full club experience on iOS and Android, including discussion and progress tracking.

Can I run multiple clubs?

Yes. No limit on how many clubs you create or join.

Will the club survive a member churning?

Yes. Clubs persist regardless of individual membership.

Can I export discussion?

Not natively today. We're looking at this for the supporter tier.