Book club membership offers many advantages: great savings, personalized recommendations and often unique selection of reading material. However, there are two sides to every coin and, as always, it is a good idea to examine both sides, read the fine print and know what exactly you are signing up for before actually doing it. Here are five things that often get overlooked by prospective members.

Obligation

Book club membership, in the majority of cases, implies a certain obligation. Signing up does get you several books at a ridiculously low cost or even completely free, but in exchange you will usually have to agree to buy a few more books at the club’s regular prices — which are most often on par with those at large online retailers. Most of the time you’ll still get a great deal and save tons of money, but nonetheless: you should be aware of this stipulation before joining.

Negative Option Method

Often, people who failed to familiarize themselves with the way book clubs work prior to joining, complain about the clubs sending them books they didn’t order. But this is simply how it works. Many book clubs rely on what is commonly referred to as “negative option marketing method”, a business practice in which the goods are automatically shipped to a customer at regular intervals, unless the customer refuses the shipment in advance.

To translate this into the book club realm: every so often (usually once a month or so) members receive the free club catalog. The catalog lists many books, plus one special title that is called “featured selection” or “selection of the month.” This book will be sent to you automatically, unless you tell the club in advance not to do it. The easiest way to do so is online, by logging in to your account on the club web site and clicking the “Don’t Send” button on the appropriate page. Alternatively, you can mail in the response card which comes with the catalog. You are always given plenty of time to respond.

To most people, “negative option” method is a drag, and it’s hard to disagree with that. However, ever since there’s been an option to decline the selection online, the nuisance is much lesser than it used to be, and, considering the benefits of book club membership, might just be worth putting up with.

Shipping Expenses

Here’s another thing from the fine print that often gets overlooked. Book clubs advertise their introductory offers as “first 6 books for 99¢” or “8 books for $2″, but 99¢ or $2 is not what you are actually going to pay. Shipping expenses need to be added to the equation and that decreases the fabulosity of the deal to an extent. Of course, this is still a great bargain, as in most cases you get several new hardcover books for about $3 apiece (sometimes less). Or, if you want to look at it from another angle: you pay full price for one book and the rest of them (up to 7 with some book clubs) are free, as is shipping and handling. Still, you need to be aware that your initial cost is not going to be 99¢.

Book Club Editions

Book clubs sometimes print their own editions, whether to achieve additional savings or bring into new life some long-forgotten title(s). Book club editions are identical to regular editions in terms of content and artwork: same words, same covers. However, they are sometimes altered in size or printed on less expensive paper. They may also have a “book club edition” mark on the inside flap. Such editions are generally considered to have a lower resale value.

Selection

This may seem like an obvious thing, but: be sure that the club you’re planning on joining actually has what you’re looking for. For example, if you are mainly interested in cookbooks, then you’d probably be better off signing up for a club that specializes in them, instead of going for one of the bestseller clubs — although some of those will have a decent selection of culinary literature as well. The point is, there is plenty of book clubs out there and it’s worth taking some time to browse the offerings and then choose what best suits your interests. The site listed in the resource section below has the majority of book clubs reviewed and dissected to the smallest detail, so — why not take advantage of it.

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