For paid book clubs
For a paid book club with membership tiers, use Reign with BuddyNext: each tier gets its own space, BuddyNext Pro sells the tiers through Stripe checkout and gates those spaces, and Eventonomy runs the meeting calendar with RSVPs. Members log in once to see the current book, the next meeting and their group. The plugins install free, with Pro plans only for paid tiers and tickets.
Paid book clubs run on a chat app for discussion, a payment link for dues and a spreadsheet for who is in which tier, so members miss meetings and the host spends the month chasing people.
Reign + BuddyNext + Eventonomy puts the reading thread, the meeting calendar and tier-gated spaces on one membership site. BuddyNext and Eventonomy install free, and BuddyNext Pro adds paid plans with Stripe checkout. Jetonomy adds chapter-by-chapter forums. Already on MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro? Reign styles that route too.
Member profiles, spaces, the meeting calendar with RSVPs, chapter forums and reading badges, free to install. Paid tiers come with BuddyNext Pro. You buy the Reign theme; BuddyNext, Eventonomy, Jetonomy and WB Gamification are ours and install free.
Screens from the live demos, with sample content. Open any of them and click around.
A space per tier, so each group sees its own thread and the free tier sees the main one.
Monthly meetings as recurring Eventonomy events with RSVPs, in the free plugin.
Chapter-by-chapter Jetonomy threads, so members discuss as they read without spoilers.
You launch with the current book, a meeting calendar and a space for each tier. The monthly pick has its own discussion thread split by chapter, so nobody reads a spoiler. The next meeting is an event with RSVPs, and the higher tier opens a private space where the smaller group talks, sees the reading list ahead and joins extra sessions. Members log in once and see what to read, when you meet and who else is reading.
A new member joins on the free or entry tier, finds the current book and posts in the introductions thread. The first meeting decides whether they stay, so the chapter threads before it matter more than the meeting itself. By the second or third book the regulars suggest titles and reply to each other without prompting. Some move up a tier for the smaller group and the extra sessions, which is the moment the club starts paying for itself.
Most paid book clubs charge a monthly or yearly membership, with a higher tier for a smaller discussion group, extra sessions or early access to the reading list. Some keep a free tier that reads along and joins the main thread, which feeds the paid tiers. One-off author talks or workshops sell as separate tickets. Because the theme is a flat licence with no per-member fee, a club that doubles does not double its platform bill. See [pricing](/pricing/) for the model.
Building the tiers before the reading rhythm. Members pay for a book they will finish and a discussion they will not miss, not for a pricing table. Set the monthly pick, the meeting date and the thread first, then decide what the higher tier adds on top. A paid club with three tiers and a quiet thread loses its members at the first renewal.
Start with BuddyNext, our community engine, for profiles, the activity feed and spaces. Add Eventonomy for the meeting calendar and Jetonomy if you want proper forum threads per book. Both install free and Reign styles them with no add-on. Paid tiers come from BuddyNext Pro, which adds paid plans, gated spaces and Stripe checkout.
If you already run MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro with BuddyPress, keep them. Reign styles BuddyPress through the BuddyPress Community Bundle, and your tiers stay where they are. The membership site guide walks through both routes.
Most clubs need two tiers, sometimes three. The entry tier reads along, posts in the main thread and joins the monthly meeting. The higher tier adds a smaller discussion group, extra sessions or the reading list ahead of time. A free tier that reads along is optional, and it is how many people find the club before they pay.
Build each tier as a BuddyNext Pro plan and gate one space per tier. Keep the main thread open to every paying member, because a club where each tier talks only to itself feels empty. Put the extras behind the higher plan, not the conversation.
Pick the monthly book and create its discussion thread before you open sign-ups.
Create one BuddyNext Pro plan per tier and connect Stripe.
Gate one space per tier and keep the main reading space open to all paying members.
Add the next meeting as an Eventonomy event, recurring monthly, with RSVPs.
Invite a small group of regular readers first, then open the club.
The rhythm is the product. Announce the book on the same day each month, open the chapter threads at once and post a short prompt in each as members reach it. Hold the meeting at the end of the month and post a short recap in the space afterwards for the people who missed it.
WB Gamification, free to install, can award points and badges for posting and attending, which gives regulars something to show for a year of reading. Keep it light. Members are there for the books and each other, and a leaderboard should never be the reason anyone posts.
Too many tiers is the first. Every extra tier splits the conversation, and a book club depends on enough people reading the same book at once. Start with two and add a third only when members ask for it.
Picking books the host loves and members will not finish is the second. Let the higher tier vote on the next pick, which is also a reason to upgrade.
Third, do not let the thread go quiet between meetings. A post a week from the host keeps people reading, and members who read keep paying.
If your club is a small group of friends with no fees, a free BuddyNext site without Pro plans is all you need. If you also sell reading courses or writing workshops, see the course community guide, which adds Learnomy on the same login. For a club built around regular in-person events, the event directory page shows the calendar side in more depth.
Reign with BuddyNext. BuddyNext gives each tier its own space, BuddyNext Pro sells the tiers through Stripe checkout and gates the spaces, and Eventonomy runs the meeting calendar with RSVPs. Reign styles all of it with no add-on, and the plugins install free with Pro plans only for the parts that earn.
Create a BuddyNext Pro plan for each tier, gate the matching space, and connect Stripe. Keep the main reading thread open to every tier and put the extras, such as a smaller discussion group or extra sessions, behind the higher plan.
Yes. Give each book a Jetonomy forum with one thread per chapter or section. Members post in the thread for where they have reached, and the meeting covers the whole book.
Yes. Each meeting is an Eventonomy event with RSVPs, recurring monthly in the free plugin. Add the video call link to the event for online meetings or the address for in-person ones.
Yes. Eventonomy Pro adds paid tickets and door check-in, so a one-off author talk sells separately from the membership.
Yes, and many clubs should. A free tier that reads along and posts in the main thread is how most people find the club before they pay for the smaller group.
BuddyNext, Eventonomy, Jetonomy and WB Gamification cost nothing to install, and each has its own Pro plan for later. Running the third-party stack instead? The BuddyPress Community Bundle kit is the packaged route. Or have the Wbcom team set either one up for you.
One theme, the whole site
Reign is the WordPress theme for building a complete community site: social network, courses, member directory, marketplace and job board on one install. Start with one, add the others when you need them, and keep one login for every member. Open a live demo, or launch a sandbox and get a fresh WordPress site to click through in about a minute.
Profiles, activity feed, spaces, messages and moderation on your own domain. Powered by BuddyNext.
Lessons, quizzes, certificates and memberships, on the same login as the community. Powered by Learnomy.
Listings, search, maps and reviews that members can add themselves. Powered by Listora.
Sell services or products from many sellers, with orders, reviews and commissions. Powered by WP Sell Services.
Employers post jobs, members apply, and you run the board from one dashboard. Powered by WP Career Board.
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