Five Questions for Jennifer Dwork at Book of the Month

“We want to bring the best stories to our members—no matter where they’re coming from.”

Choosing books to read can be a difficult task. Every month, there seems to be hundreds of books that are released and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything. Luckily, Book of the Month, the subscription-based e-commerce book club, eases this burden. Twelve times a year, the Book of the Month board and judges select a list of books from which the subscribers can choose; it, along with a personal letter of endorsement from a BOTM judge, is mailed to your door.

Jennifer Dwork, Head of Content Development & Editorial at BOTM, was kind enough to partake in our ongoing Catapult Extra interview series about the workings of this literary organization.

1. How did you get involved with Book of the Month?

I saw a job posting online. The opportunity to work with a form of media that I’m passionate about—books—was too exciting to pass up.

My background is in media and strategy. I worked as a news producer before attending business school and transitioning to corporate development and strategy at an internet company. I was looking for a strategic role at an innovative media company. Book of the Month is at such an interesting intersection of e-commerce, publishing, and media and is doing something so unique that I’m very thankful to have found it and to be helping to build a product I truly love!

2. Tell me about your day-to-day schedule with the organization.

Every hour brings something new! I’m actively managing our social media channels and BOTM Magazine (our blog), to create beautiful and engaging content for our audience. That might mean interviewing an author or working with our creative director on a photo shoot. I’m working closely with our team and judges to produce a fantastic list of titles to feature to our members. This also includes working with our Guest Judges—celebrities and famous authors like Allison Williams, David Sedaris, and Ellie Kemper. As we’re growing, another important part of my job is working on brand partnerships—whether they’re with other media companies, organizations, or social media influencers, to help build the BOTM community.

3. How do you choose the books that you want to send to your subscribers?

It’s a very involved process and we work really hard on it. It starts with scouring hundreds of potential titles from dozens of publishers. We develop a manageable “short list” of titles that we then review internally and ask our Judges to review. From there, it’s a collaborative effort between the board and judges to select the books that we truly believe will be the best for our members. We also try to ensure that each month we offer a variety of genres and styles, and are always trying something new.

4. In a given season, some books have a lot more buzz than others. Before you send the list of stories to choose from to your judges, do you make sure that the options range from those from big publishers and independent presses?

Definitely. We make a special effort to review and consider books from independent and smaller publishers, in addition to the larger imprints. We want to bring the best stories to our members—no matter where they’re coming from.

5. Book of the Month has a very lively Instagram page! How important do you think it is for organizations like BOTM to supplement their outreach through a visual medium like Instagram?

Instagram has been an incredible community builder for us. Our members are creative, funny, book-loving people, and we love the chance to repost and highlight their originality. It also allows us to communicate about our team and Judges, and to celebrate great books in general. (btw—Check us out on insta @bookofthemonthclub!)