When you think "book club," you may think of old biddies, crumpets, Aquanet, doilies, and a mystery novel. Or you may think of that blasted "O" sticker you spent ten minutes peeling off your copy of Bookspan from Time, Inc. The two companies joined forces in 2000, when Time's Book-of-the-Month Club and Bertelsmann's Doubleday Book Club combined to create Bookspan, which now operates over 35 book clubs.

According to the Beyond the Bookstore: to avoid making a hasty offer when negotiating with a book club; instead, ask them for standard terms and go from there. Follow these instructions when submitting a manuscript to a Bookspan club, and always submit at least six months in advance of your publication date.

It's also helpful to check out other titles in the catalog of the club you're considering submitting to. See if you fit in. Another helpful tip from Brian Jud: based on what you see in the catalog, draft some copy that you think would best sell your book to members.

Here are some examples of special-interest Bookspan clubs. For a full list, click here.

• History Book Club: Choose from a selection of books relating to all things history, from ancient to WWII.
• Equestrian's Edge: Books of all types for horse enthusiasts, including fiction, instructional books, and horse history.
• American Compass: Offers a catalog suited to today's conservative reader. Hot titles are from names like Bill "Culture Warrior" O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter.
• InsightOut: Books for LGBT readers on a variety of topics.
• One Spirit: A one-stop shop for books on yoga, spirituality, nature, and, of course, the Law of Attraction.