Bibliofemme News

The small groups of enthusiastic readers who gather in pubs and homes and town halls up and down the country to discuss books they have read are becoming a redoubtable market force, changing the face of the books industry and creating new communities. Essex, contrary to its dumbed-down image, now boasts more reading groups than any other county. The tastes of these small, informal gatherings are hard to gauge, because they select such a wide range of books, but there is an enormous 'word-of-mouth' effect, with partners and friends often going on to read the lesser-known choices. For that reason, a figure such as Ross can make or break an author.

'It is has got to the position now where we actually send out lists to publishers, letting them know which books we are planning to mention in passing, because even that will have a big increase on sales and they need to be warned,' explained Ross, who first had the idea for the slot.

'I have been shocked by the effect of the show. When I first suggested we try it, there was some concern. Tea-time television really needs to get people going and it was thought it might be dull, but in fact it has always had the highest ratings for any section of the programme.'

The sales of a book traditionally peak following the publicity that surrounds publication date, and they might even peak once again if they are nominated for a major literary prize, such as the Whitbread, the Man Booker or the Orange. But it is only a discussion on Richard and Judy's 5pm weekday show that can flip them up into a spiralling swirl of 'word of mouth' sales, the kind of consumer trend that puts a satisfied smile on the lips of publishing executives and bookshop managers alike. The figures speak for themselves. The book Starter For Ten, by David Nicholls, received an astonishing 871 per cent sales uplift the week after it was featured on the Bookclub.

'Richard and Judy have a dramatic effect on book sales,' said Scott Pack, who is in charge of buying at Waterstones. 'What made it particularly good was that they did not like every book, so it gave their comments more credibility. The winner this year - The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold - has just sold 1 million copies and the second place book, Star of the Sea, by Joseph O'Connor, had sales multiply more than 20 times.'

At the Books Association conference in Brighton last week, association president Colin Marshall thanked Richard and Judy and the BBC's The Big Read campaign for helping the book business to survive. He said they had been an 'outstanding success in terms of sales and public relations'.

Book clubs also demand to be taken seriously as a social phenomenon as much as a commercial phenomenon because they are increasingly functioning as an equivalent to Rotary or Masonry for women. They are effectively Old Girls' networks, where important deals are done and job opportunities are discussed. They also provide support for women who might otherwise be isolated.

Ross and her team at Cactus TV are gearing up for Richard and Judy's Summer Reading Holiday Selection. She plans for the programme to highlight six paperback fiction titles, which will be chosen with an eye to emerging or first-time authors.

The list will be revealed in mid-May and publishers have long been sending contenders in for consideration. Members of the public will be filmed discussing the books before and after taking them on their holiday.

The top 10 word-of-mouth successes
1. His Dark Materials Philip Pullman
2. Bridget Jones's Diary Helen Fielding
3. Captain Corelli's Mandolin Louis de Bernières
4. Man and Boy Tony Parsons
5. The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold
6. Birdsong Sebastian Faulks
7. Life of Pi Yann Martel
8. Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
9. Chocolat Joanne Harris
10. The Alchemist Paulo Coelho

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