Little Progress At Progressive Book Club
by Christopher Dreher -- Publishers Weekly, 5/9/2005
Despite missing its original launch date, Elizabeth Wagley remains confident she will be able to get her Progressive Book Club in operation by this fall. Announced with some fanfare at last year's Democratic convention, PBC had hoped to begin shipping books by January, but is now shooting for a soft launch in September.
Wagley attributed the delay to a last-minute proposal from a distributor that has prompted the company to "rethink the entire business" model, said Wagley. She expects to make a decision about PBC's distribution partner later this month. Wagley said she is also finalizing a second round of funding through a group of private investors.
PBC has had 3,000 signups since its Web site (www.progressivebookclub.com) debuted last August and those participants will still receive the special prelaunch offer of three books for $3, plus a free book. Wagley said she has reached deals for undisclosed titles with Knopf, Penguin, St. Martin's, Grove/ Atlantic and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. PBC's marketing plan includes advertising on progressive Web sites and blogs, as well as placing radio ads on Air America. The club will feature a book-of-the-month selection and several alternative titles, ranging from politics to fiction; it will also offer reading guides and organize local reading groups.
