“Second Life Book Club” Debuts April 8 with Monthly Live Book Readings & Author Meetups

As book publishers adjust to coronavirus-era restrictions, Linden Lab is launching the Second Life Book Club, a new “virtual world book tour” initiative that enables authors to have real-time book readings, engage in meet-and-greets with their fans and promote their publications in front of a live audience within the Internet’s largest user-created virtual world.

The Second Life Book Club, which debuts April 8 at 10 a.m. (Pacific), will kick off with a multi-author panel that will discuss the new reality of writing and selling books in the age of COVID-19. The event will feature a live Q&A with best-selling authors Matt Ruff (“Lovecraft Country”), Ken Liu (“The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories”), SL Huang (the Cas Russell series) and CB Lee (the Sidekick Squad series). 

Upcoming shows will feature guests such as Tad Williams, Christopher Brown, Qiufan Chen, Kelly Robson, Chana Porter and Premee Mohamed.

Pictured: Author Matt Ruff joins host Draxtor Despres at Second Life Book Club Island

The Second Life Book Club is hosted by virtual world personality Draxtor Despres, who is also producing the series in partnership with Linden Lab.

“When I first reached out to authors, some of them very high profile, I was surprised to get super enthusiastic feedback like: ‘Of course I will come on the show. Can I be a tentacle monster? Can I be a parrot? Can I fly?’,” says Despres. “It’s a dream come true for a book nerd like me!”

Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg adds, “Second Life offers a safe, fun retreat during a time of great anxiety, stress, and social isolation. Through the virtual world, people can stay connected and engage in friendly conversations and fun social activities such as visiting live music performances, virtual nightclubs and deejay events and now even book readings. Virtual world interactions offer a much deeper connection with other human beings than for example video conferencing: through the avatar and the shared space we feel as if we are fully present together.”

Pictured: Author CB Lee at Second Life Book Club Island

To participate in the SL Book Club events, attendees can head to Second Life Book Club Island. Anybody with a Second Life avatar can join this event, mingle with fellow book lovers and get up close and personal with internationally bestselling authors. If the region is at maximum attendance capacity, you can also participate by watching the event as it is streamed live across all official Second Life social channels.

The Second Life Book Club is just one of many recurring events that might be of interest to literature lovers. Other popular community-run event venues can be found in the Discussions & Communities category in Second Life Destination Guide,  including the Seanchai Library, Book Island and the Cape Serenity Library.