Ask HN: As serious readers, how important are discussions for you?

[gekkostate]

Hi everyone!

As a serious reader, how important are discussions for you? I love reading and I often find myself in the following situation:

  1) Read a really great book i.e., Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman (amazing read btw, 10/10 would recommend)

  2) Find someone to have meaningful, deep discussions with (someone who has also read the book)

  3) Profit.

Unfortunately, #3 comes rarely. `:(`

I'm in the midst of developing an idea (http://qitab.club -- just landing page with additional details) which is trying to solve the following problems:

  1) Difficulty finding people who are reading the same book to discuss with

  2) Book clubs, which are great but have their own pace and their own roadmap

I've tried finding book clubs but they always have their own roadmap and there are usually 100s if not 1000s in a single group. So, I'm trying to develop something where you can answer discussion questions for yourself and later, form small groups (the app helps with this) to discuss the book with.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and learn about the problems you face for your discussions.

Thanks for your time!

[dawg-]

I love the idea and would participate. I have experienced your problem as well, I love to read great books that are a little off the beaten path and don't really know many people with the same hobby.

But how would you keep it discussion-centric, with consistent high-quality, high-effort content instead of accidentally turning into a knockoff of Goodreads? Also, how will this be any different than a simple online forum about literature?

[gekkostate]

Great questions!

1. How would you keep it discussion-centric (not GoodReads) ...?

2. How will this be any different than a simple online forum about literature?

To answer your first question -- the idea is to use the guided questions as a basis for your discussion. So, you already start on firm ground followed by questions/prompts for the group you're in. A lot of this is dependent on the UI/UX however, I am considering having structured responses which aren't entirely free form or even, a series of responses with a mix of both.

Why is this not just a forum about literature? Literature forums typically are composed of, essentially, smaller book clubs. The problem is that book clubs will have a group of people that you'll have to edge your way into and they'll be going at a specific pace and roadmap. On the other hand, with Qitab, you're not beholden to the whims of a book club etc. Instead, you start with structured questions to engage you with your text so you have the upside of a book club without being a part of one _and_ when you're ready, you can search out other people on Qitab who are also reading the book so you can engage when you want.

I hope that answers your questions! It would be awesome if you could visit http://qitab.club and sign up (you're e-mail is 100% confidential and _will not_ be shared with advertisers etc.) -- that'll be a really great vote of confidence and I can follow up with you as we're developing.