Logo

Move Over, Oprah: NBC Program Is Getting in the Book Club Business

Aug 20, 2013  •  Post A Comment

An NBC program will try an idea that worked well for Oprah Winfrey — and one that the NBC show itself has tried in the past. The New York Times reports that NBC’s "Today" is starting a book club, part of a goal to position the show as a meatier program than the lighter "Good Morning America," the ABC program that’s currently in first place among morning shows.

The book club isn’t a first for TV or for "Today," however. Winfrey found success with her Oprah’s Book Club, which started in 1996 on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and could bring instant best-seller status to its book choices. "Today," meanwhile, had its own version of a book club about a decade ago, but that effort faded, the publication notes.

The first book club pick will be "The Bone Season," a debut novel by Samantha Shannon, the story notes. The book is set in 2059, with its heroine a "dreamwalker," who steals information by breaking into other people’s minds, according to Amazon. The book goes on sale today.

New selections will be chosen every four to five weeks, and the books will receive stickers on their covers indicating they are part of the book club.

The books will be chosen by a team of "Today" co-hosts and producers, and will include both fiction and nonfiction, and new titles and classics, the story says, citing Jaclyn Levin, the senior producer responsible for books and authors on the program.

One Comment

  1. Hi Oprah,
    This year is the 125th anniversary of the Jack the Ripper murders.
    ‘A Secret Step’ by Ian Parson is a recently released book.
    The story links the Jack the Ripper era with the times of the London Blitz, through a fictional character who lived in the East End of London during both those times.
    Please visit http://www.asecretstep.co.uk to view some background information about the book and the author. The anniversary and website may provide an interesting feature for one of your shows.
    Please let me know if a hard copy of the book is required, if so please provide despatch address.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)