Fall Launch for Progressive Book Club

by Christopher Dreher -- Publishers Weekly, 8/2/2004

A new book club that will depend heavily on the Web for its success will be launched officially in October by industry newcomer Elizabeth Wagley. The creation of the Progressive Book Club was announced last week in Boston during the Democratic convention.

The club, which will be based in New York, will feature a book of the month and several alternative titles on a wide variety of subjects, including fiction. The site, www.progressivebookclub.com, will also feature reading guides and book groups, and use blogs and other Web-marketing tools to promote its offerings. Wagley has received a round of funding from a private group of individuals and expects to have a full-time staff of 10 to 12 by the end of the year.

Wagley has worked with nonprofit organizations for the past 15 years (her husband is Hunting of the President author Joe Conason). "I'm a big reader, and it's clear to me that progressive side lacks something like [this]," she said.