Skip to main content

Bookclub

ManagerShadow
@rocked03@bowgaming
Note

The details on this page refer to the Bookclub hosted from 2024-present. Not detailed are the previous iterations of the Bookclub that have been hosted in previous years since 2018.

For future docs contributors: if there's a new iteration of the Bookclub, turn this page into a category (folder) and have individual pages for each iteration.

We read comics in Bookclub, hosted in #bookclub! This is an activity that is hosted periodically, every couple weeks to couple months.

This Bookclub is centred around the concept of "Editions" - thematic topics that the chosen comic is related to. These editions are typically a recently-released film, show, game, comic event.

Schedule​

Bookclub does not have a strict schedule, rather, it is hosted when there is a reason for a new edition. This is most frequently the release of a new Marvel film, the debut of a new show, or occasionally a new significant comic event or the release of a new game.

This results in a roughly monthly schedule, but sometimes there can be multiple editions in a month, or sometimes there can be a couple months between editions. If there's a large gap, then a special edition can be hosted to fill the gap, such as the annual "Best of 20XX" edition. It's best when they're not too frequent - people can find it overwhelming and hard to keep up if it's too frequent.

There's no strict schedule for when an edition starts, but typically it's launched on a Friday or Saturday. The teaser and date for the next edition is typically announced at least a week prior if possible.

Planning​

Each edition requires a book to be chosen, a start date to be selected, and graphics to be made.

Book Selection​

The book should be related to the edition - it should preferably feature a character or event that's relevant to the focus of the edition.

This book should also be accessible - it should, at the least, be available on Marvel Unlimited (at least three months old). Even better if it's available physically in a collected format for people who like to read physically.

Select an appropriate number of issues. This will typically be somewhere between 5-7 issues, but can be more or less depending on the book chosen (some could be one-shots, or some could be longer miniseries). If the book is collected in a trade paperback, then it's good to match the number of issues to that collection.

Graphics​

Figma Link

The (private) Figma design file can be found here. Please contact Rocked03 for access. You need to download a font to use this file - Mona Sans, and the Figma Desktop app for the font to work.

There are two graphics that need to be made for each edition: the teaser and the announcement.

The teaser is an image that is attached to the Event listing.

Bookclub event listing Bookclub event listing image

tip

For easy copy-paste, here's the text for the event listing (not strict, but easy to use):

Copy-paste me!
Don't forget to get the Bookclub role in <id:customize> to get notified of any updates!

The announcement is a larger image that is posted in the Bookclub channel. This should be a more detailed image that includes the book title, issues selected, author, cover, and synopsis. This should also include the reading period date. Additionally, extra info is good to include, such as the reading order (if it's an event spanning multiple titles).

Bookclub announcement image

A few extra things:

  • Easiest way to make these is to copy a previous edition and edit the content. Make sure to update the date in the footer!
  • Not strictly necessary, but it's nice when the logo used is a transparent and matching the text colour. It's not always possible, but it looks nice when it works.
  • The style of the graphics is typically to have a light-dark colour gradient matching the theme. However, it's possible to sometimes be a little more creative, so feel free to experiment! (See the design file for examples - e.g. Best of 2024, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Fantastic Four: First Steps).

Hosting​

There are two phases to the Bookclub: the reading period and the discussion period.

Reading Period​

The reading period starts as soon as the edition is announced and lasts until the discussion period starts. The standard duration is one week, but this can be extended if the selected book is long. This can be shorted for shorter books, but the span of one week tends to give everyone ample time to read the book.

This is kicked off with an announcement message. The format is completely flexible, but it should include the following:

  • A welcome back to the Bookclub
  • Naming the edition
  • Detailing the book (title and year), issues selected, and author
    • Also include a link to the book on Marvel.com (for Marvel Unlimited)
    • Optionally a brief addendum for any interesting or relevant details (e.g., we chose Zdarsky's Daredevil as it was strong inspiration for the Daredevil: Born Again series via Mayor Fisk etc.)
  • Outline of the important dates/durations
  • Bookclub role ping
  • Optionally, a raffle for users who participate in the discussion
    • This is a small incentive to encourage people to read the book. It's typically a small prize like an avatar decoration. Only offer this if someone is willing to sponsor it! Make sure this is organised beforehand.

In a separate message, send the announcement image. This is in a separate so that it can then be pinged.

Also update the channel name and description.

Example
#bookclub-squirrel-girl
Reading Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1-8. See pins.

Discussion Period​

The discussion period starts immediately after the reading period. The assumption can be made that people have read the book by then and open discussion can be encouraged. This also lasts for around one week.

To encourage discussion, it's good to provide a few discussion prompts to get people started. These should be questions about the book - such as the story, art, characters, comparison to other adaptions, etc. It's pretty relaxed, as the goal is really just to get people talking about the book and their thoughts on it. Try and make these prompts as open-ended as possible and avoid outright spoilers (if possible).

This is kicked off with another announcement message which include these prompts. Optionally, the prompts could be split up, with some sent at the start and some sent later in the week. This message should be pinned as well.

Wrapping up​

There's not too much to wrapping up an edition. Just make sure to unpin the discussion message and update the channel name and description.

It's always good to thank everyone for participating in a short message and if it's planned, tease the next edition! You can also use the in-built polls feature to let people rank the book.

Bookclub poll

Copy-paste me!
⭐

If you're hosting a raffle, you can collect entries to the raffle by asking people to react to a message. When drawing, randomly select a name from the list of reactions and void any people who didn't actually get involved in the discussion (easiest to just keep rolling until you get a valid user).

Previous Editions​