CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston book lovers, rejoice! Your group chat has been upgraded.
WhatsApp and Reese’s Book Club are collaborating to develop a new digital community aimed to connect local readers, and Charleston is one of only five U.S. cities chosen for the rollout.
According to Vivian Odior, WhatsApp’s Global Head of Marketing, the relationship arose from a shared goal: to provide readers with a location to interact over their favorite stories and writers, as well as Reese Witherspoon’s famous book recommendations.
“WhatsApp has always existed to be a space where people can come together, who have shared interest, and connect over around the things they love,” Odior told me. “Reese’s Book Club already has this huge, passionate community of book lovers, but they’ve never had a dedicated space where those conversations can thrive.”
Now, such space is available right within the WhatsApp app.
The new digital hub consists of two parts: an official Reese’s Book Club channel, where members can receive updates on the Book of the Month, podcasts, and announcements directly from the person who runs the group chat, and a local Charleston community chat, where Lowcountry readers can connect, organize meetups, and keep the literary energy flowing long after book club meetings have ended.
Charleston’s involvement in the launch was not by coincidence.
“We were inspired by the fact that Reese chose Charleston as one of the stops for her current book tour,” according to Odior. “There’s already a strong, enthusiastic book community here, and we wanted to make sure that excitement and community continues to grow.”
Brielle Persun, a local “bookbassador,” will help run the city’s WhatsApp group, which will unite readers from all around the Holy City to share recommendations, discuss monthly picks, and celebrate novels that stimulate discourse.
While WhatsApp is a global technology platform that connects over 3 billion people, the firm claims that the heart of this collaboration is community.
“We may be a tech platform, but we are a connections platform,” according to Odior. “We want spaces where people connect over shared interests, whether it’s books, film, or anything else, to continue to grow.”
