Book Club by London Letters

Welcome to Book Club by London Letters! Book Club by London Letters is a cosy corner in what can often feel like a harsh world. At its heart, Book Club is an international pen pal club for people who enjoy books. It's a place for book lovers and letter writers to come together through a shared love of reading, letter writing and make friends through the written word. After the incredible success of our Pen Pal Club which launched in 2019, we noticed how often members spoke about their love of reading in their bios. Our goal is to connect people and encourage more letters to be written, and so bringing these two passions together felt like a natural way to help people connect through a shared interest, and encourage more letters out in the world. If you'd like to make a friend through the post, share book recommendations, cosy hobbies, exchange book ephemera and go back to a time when connection was genuine, tactile, and away from any screens, then Book Club is for you. HOW IT WORKS You can join as an existing member or alongside our Pen Pal Club, or sign up to Book Club independently. After you join, we’ll be in touch by email and ask you to create a short Book Club bio about yourself. This will include a few details about you (such as age, gender, location) as well as some details about which books you enjoy, your favourite genres, along with any preferences you may have for a pen pal. Your profile will then be added to our private member directory, which you’ll receive access to. There, you can browse other member's profiles (by location, age, book genres etc) and request to be introduced to anyone who you'd like be pen pals with. When you request a connection, we’ll contact the other member on your behalf. If they’re happy to be introduced, they’ll reply to you directly by email. From there, you can choose to exchange postal addresses and begin corresponding. Each month, we’ll also suggest an epistolary-themed book. You’re welcome to read along with us if you wish, but there’s no obligation - these are simply there as inspiration for your letters and perhaps to read something you may otherwise have overlooked but might enjoy. There’s no limit to how many pen pals you can request to write to. The aim is simply to encourage more letter writing, so you’re free to connect with as many people as you like, and hopefully, you'll make some lovely friends and connect in a way that feels safe and calm. No personal information (i.e. emails, addresses, surnames) is shared publicly, and all introductions are managed by us for your safety. You are never obliged to share your address - this is entirely your choice, only if and when you feel comfortable. You can also request to have your profile removed from the directory at any time. There’s no set pace for writing (or reading!). Some members write weekly, others only occasionally. This is a slower, more thoughtful way of connecting, and we encourage you to relax and read and write at a pace that brings you joy. Book Club is a one-off payment for lifetime membership. There are no additional or renewal fees. P.S. If you’d prefer a pen pal without the book element, you’re very welcome to join our Pen Pal Club instead (or as well!). Think of it this way: our Pen Pal Club is for everything you enjoy and want to write about, while Book Club is centred around connecting through a shared love of reading (if you love books you can be a member of both!). P.P.S. are you an author and have an epistolary style book you'd like us to read? Please email bookclub@thelondonletters.com as we'd love to discuss your book with you! Please note: You must be 18 years or older to join. We reserve the right to remove any member without warning. We do not tolerate abuse of any kind. This is not a matchmaking service! Please read our Safety & Community Guidelines before signing up.