If you’ve ever dreamed of starting a book club that also supports your business goals, the Online Book Club model might just become your new favorite income stream.
Whether you’re a coach, content creator, community leader, or wellness entrepreneur, this approach turns your love of books into a sustainable, scalable book club revenue stream—and the best part?
You get paid twice from the same content.
Let’s break down how it works—and why it’s called “Double Dip.”
What is the Online Book Club Model?
The Online Book Club is a flexible structure designed to generate revenue in two powerful ways: first during a live round of the club (which you can then set to an evergreen, self-paced product) and affiliate revenue from the purchase of books and book club supplies.
This allows you to serve two types of buyers: those who want real-time interaction and those who prefer to go at their own pace. You also allow participants the option of purchasing an e-book through Kindle, a physical book through Amazon, or to procure a book from a different source altogether, and then promote your affiliate links for the book club accessories.
You get the best of both worlds—and your audience does too!
The Online Book Club Part 1: The Live Experience
The live version of your virtual book club is where you build community, excitement, and momentum.
You can run it as a 3–4 week event (or longer, depending on the book) with weekly content drops, guided reflection questions, and live or asynchronous discussions via email, group chat, or private community.
You might include:
- Weekly prompts or discussion themes
- A private Facebook group or Voxer thread
- Optional live calls or co-reading sessions
- Guided journal pages or printable reflections
This format works great as a launch or community re-engagement tool and can be priced at $49–$99 depending on the level of support or bonus materials included.
Not only does it deliver real-time value and engagement, but it also creates a batch of content you can repurpose for future use.
Phase 2: Evergreen Access (Passive Revenue!)
Once the live round is complete, you’ve now got a full set of content ready to package into a digital product. You can offer it as an on-demand book club experience, perfect for people who missed the live round or prefer to work through the content on their own.
What’s included in the evergreen version:
- Reading schedule or planner
- Reflection prompts and journaling pages
- Recordings or summaries of past live calls (if available)
- Bonus content like printable bookmarks, curated playlists, or links to related resources
This self-paced option can be priced affordably at $19–$49 and sold year-round via your website, email list, or affiliate partners. It’s low-maintenance, evergreen, and still delivers high value to your audience.
RELATED: Want to learn more about creating affiliate marketing revenue streams to your business?
Check out how I turned one link into $12000 of passive revenue…
Want to see a real-life example of a Virtual Book Club?
Results Without Restriction.com created a 12-month virtual book club offer on their website (you can take a look at it here).
First they share the full list of books, including summaries and snippets so that readers can decide if they’re interested in reading those types of books. Each month’s book entry links to a separate page where an in-depth guide to the book is shared.
It includes:
- the book title and author
- a link to purchase the book on amazon
- an image of the book
- a summary of the book
- things to know about the book (genre, trigger warnings, who it’s a good read for, what the reader can expect from the style and the content of the book)
- journal / reflection prompts
- discussion questions to help facilitate the book club conversations
- an affiliate income disclosure (required if you’re using an affiliate link for the book, and it needs to be clear and conspicuous to the reader). Also make sure if you’re an Amazon affiliate you are following their affiliate terms and requirements for affiliate disclosures)
Why it’s Called a “Double Dip” Revenue Stream
You “double dip” because the same content makes money two ways at the same time.
- First, during the live group experience where people pay for the interaction, energy, and accountability and again as an evergreen version that runs on autopilot as a standalone digital product
- Second, through the affiliate sales of the books and book club materials.
And if you’re savvy, you can triple dip by:
- Turning your best book clubs into printable or digital journals
- Bundling several evergreen clubs into a yearly membership
- Offering affiliate products tied to each book
- Adding an upsell to an exclusive book club community for book discussions and Q&A sessions.
Who Is This Book Club Revenue Stream For?
The Online Book Club model is ideal for:
- Coaches and course creators who want a low-lift way to nurture their audience
- Content creators looking to monetize their recommendations
- Wellness professionals who want to build habits and mindset shifts around curated reads
- Anyone with a passionate community and a bookshelf full of game-changing books
Final Thoughts: Build Your Own Book Club Revenue Stream
If you love sharing meaningful books, sparking great conversations, and helping your audience grow, the Double Dip Virtual Book Club model gives you a way to do that and generate income without starting from scratch every time.
Start with one book, plan a live experience, and turn that content into an evergreen resource that sells over and over again.
It’s not just a book club—it’s an evergreen business asset!
Keyword: book club, revenue streams