Book clubs are a great place for socializing with like-minded people. I love books, they love books and we get together and chat about it over food and wine. What's not to like?!

But as an independent author, I've come to realize they are much more important to me than I originally understood.

According to an old report from Forbes, there are about a million books published each year and, of those, approximately half are self-published. That means what! There's a lot of content out there that no one's even aware of because there is so much available.

How do you make yourself stand out? 

One way is book clubs. Their members are avid readers and passionate about books. They can suggest you to other book clubs. They can post about you on social media. The fact is that book clubs can essentially elevate you from obscurity to the bright shiny lights of book stardom.