Anna Ford, CEO of Bookclubs

Bookclubs, co-founded by Camden resident Anna Ford, is transforming the way book clubs connect and thrive. This innovative platform is a group organizing tool that makes it simple to create, manage, or join a book club. With over a million members worldwide, Bookclubs helps readers come together through polling, scheduling, messaging, book tracking, and more—all in one convenient app.

Anna’s journey with Bookclubs began in 2011 when she found herself overwhelmed trying to manage her own Philadelphia-based book club of 30 members. What started as a solution to her book club’s logistical challenges, created alongside her now-husband and co-founder Ian Campbell, has evolved into a thriving startup. Since launching in 2019, Bookclubs has scaled rapidly, now serving over 100,000 clubs globally and continuing to add new features and marketing campaigns to grow its community.

For Anna, living and working in Camden is the perfect complement to leading a tech startup. “Running a startup is intense and stressful, but living in Camden is simple,” Anna says. “I treasure my morning walks to the office and the stunning view of the harbor. The balance our beautiful, kind-hearted small town offers is something I’m extremely grateful for.”

Bookclubs is about building community and connections. “Books bring people together,” Anna explains. “Joining a book club is a powerful antidote to loneliness, and over half of our users say they joined to meet new people. When clubs get organized on Bookclubs, they read more, attendance grows, and members are happier.”

Locally, Bookclubs is celebrated for its success at the 2023 Gorham Savings Bank Launchpad event, where it won Maine’s prized startup pitch competition. The company also received Maine Venture Fund’s acceleration award in 2024, a testament to its rapid subscription growth and innovation.

FAMOUS FOR:
Helping over a million members and 100,000 book clubs stay connected and organized.

WEBSITE:
bookclubs.com

photos by Aaron Snow