Kathy L. Murphy and Paul Roberson team up to connect authors and readers on the digital platform Skool and reimagine how book communities function online.

Kathy founded the Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club Reading Nation, a Texas-born literary movement that began with six strangers inside her Jefferson hair salon and bookstore, Beauty and the Book. What started as a local gathering grew into hundreds of chapters across the country and beyond. A longtime champion of literacy, authors, and community storytelling, Kathy has spent decades creating spaces where readers and writers could connect through book clubs, festivals, and grassroots events. Now she’s channeling that same mission into a new chapter.

In January, Kathy and longtime collaborator Paul Roberson launched Kathy L. Murphy’s Big Book Love, a reading community that aims to rebuild connection, expand access, and create a global space centered on stories, relationships, and a shared love of reading. Paul, of Hughes Springs, Texas, serves as executive director and leads the platform’s growth and structure.

You built a powerful reading community through the Pulpwood Queens, including in-person chapters and Facebook groups. What made you decide to move to Skool?

Kathy: I’ve been building a book community for a long time, and Paul has been my webmaster for 15 years. He discovered Skool and immediately saw what it could do for Big Book Love and our global reading initiatives. I’d heard of it, but he really understood it, so I let him lead the platform move.

Paul: When COVID hit, we had to go fully online, so we built inside a Facebook group because Facebook was pushing groups and giving reach. But Facebook is like this: when they move on, they take the reach away because they want you to buy ads.

We had nearly 3,000 members, but people weren’t getting notified. Kathy posts multiple times a day, and the engagement wasn’t there. And when you try to reach out individually, Facebook puts limits on what you can do and will stop you. Skool is built for community. There are notifications, fewer distractions, and conversations that actually continue. Even with fewer people transferring over, engagement has gone through the roof compared to Facebook.

For readers who have never heard of Skool, how would you describe the platform?

Paul: Skool is designed for community and learning in one place. Think forum-style discussion, a member directory, a classroom for courses, a calendar, and live events built in. The search tool lets you find posts, comments, and profiles quickly. It’s intentionally simple compared to other platforms, but powerful. There’s still a learning curve, but I picked it up quickly by exploring, and I’m still discovering features.

Kathy: What I love is it’s a one-stop shop. We’ve always been international, but this makes it feel truly global. We’re welcoming readers and authors, but also podcasters, literary agents, filmmakers, screenwriters, and producers. I’ve already had conversations with people around the world, and that “instant access” is something Facebook wasn’t reliably giving us.

What does Skool do better than Facebook for a community like yours?

Paul: Notifications and momentum. When someone comments or likes something, you get an email and it pulls you back into the conversation. That one feature keeps the community alive. On Facebook, you can have thousands of members and still feel invisible because people don’t see posts. On Skool, there’s less noise and fewer distractions. It feels more human again, like we can actually see and hear each other.

Kathy, you’ve talked about how Big Book Love is growing quickly. What surprised you most?

Kathy: The pace. We had our first live event on January 18, and the membership number jumped quickly. Every time I log in, there are new members. Some from the UK, from Canada, from the Pacific Northwest. We’re already planning meeting times that serve different time zones. That’s one of the things that makes this more global than what we were able to sustain on Facebook.

Paul, what is Skool’s map feature?

Paul: The map is more powerful than people realize. It shows the globe and where members are joining from. That lets members connect locally. Authors ask if other authors live near their area, and now they can literally look at the map and DM people nearby. For a book club or social club, that’s a huge relationship-building tool, especially when we start doing meetups.

Why is it important for readers and authors to connect directly in the same space?

Kathy: It’s all about the story and the truth inside stories. People consume news and social media all day, and it’s hard to tell what’s real. But when you read someone’s book and then talk to the author, you understand a culture, a life, a worldview in a way the noise can’t provide. I’ve always chosen books with stories that expand people’s minds. I think storytelling is what connects us, and Texas has big stories. This movement started here, and I want people to remember that.

Paul: The soul of the Pulpwood Queens has always been that you could walk into a room and be standing next to a major author without realizing it. Then you meet them, talk to them, and suddenly books become personal. And relationships matter even more now. With AI and the way books can be copied or diluted, authors need real relationships with real readers to stand out. Mixing readers and authors makes it a dynamic social community.

What is resonating with members so far?

Kathy: We’re seeing momentum with authors helping authors, and readers showing up as real supporters. One example that stands out is our book-of-the-month author, Kimbera Drake of “Where the Heart Meets the Sea.” I’d known her through Facebook for years and never knew she was writing. She called and said she had a book coming out and wanted to pay me to help launch it. I told her, “Let’s do this through the new Skool program and show everyone how it’s done.” After that, she told me she had over 200 reviews and debuted around #25 on Amazon, something I’ve rarely seen for a first-time, unknown author. It’s been growing ever since.

Paul: A lot of the strongest feedback comes through DMs. People keep saying, “Finally, a real community.” Authors are lonely, and they want a place where they can talk, connect, and be seen. They also want a space where it’s not only popular authors who get to speak. Here, everyone matters. That’s why we’re building genre-based meetups and later location-based meetups. People can connect in ways that lead to real relationships.

What have been the biggest challenges so far in launching and growing the platform?

Paul: Tech is the big one. Writers are often focused on creative work and storytelling, not necessarily platforms. We’ve helped people with basic things: profile photos, names and navigation. I make walkthrough videos to reduce frustration and help people feel confident. Another challenge is simply migrating people over from Facebook because Facebook won’t reliably show posts to the community. And the third challenge is getting people into the classroom because there’s a lot of free content there.

Kathy: We’re also being careful to prevent identity theft. We’re vetting members and protecting the community.

Who is Big Book Love designed for, and is it free?

Kathy: Readers can join for free. We want the door open for people who love books and love connecting. For brand-new authors, there’s a $30/year option, and then a VIP level for authors who want deeper promotion and their own space on the platform. The reason it matters is I’ve seen authors spend shocking amounts of money on promotion and still not get the traction we’ve seen happen through real community support.

What’s your long-term vision for Big Book Love as it grows?

Paul: Growth is exciting, but with scale comes responsibility—keeping the community safe is number one. Beyond that, I’m building what I call a “book launch network.” The concept is a shared resource where authors can find other authors’ platforms, such as newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, and build relationships. Then we’ll host “demo day” style virtual meetings where authors pitch an upcoming launch to the community. Members preorder books they’re genuinely interested in, then leave real reviews after release.

Kathy: I want this to become a global network with Texas roots, where readers and authors join hands to build bridges of understanding. We’ve always done community in a fun, memorable way, and I want that spirit back, online and in real life.

About Kathy L. Murphy and Paul Roberson

Kathy is the author of “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life,” a memoir about how books saved her as a child and how a small-town Texas book club grew into an international literary movement. She is an artist and lifelong learner who has returned to school multiple times out of a deep love for learning.

In addition to serving as executive director of Big Book Love, Paul is also an author. His novel, “The Other Side,” explores a multiverse of interconnected fictional worlds and is currently available in print, with a full-cast audiobook adaptation forthcoming. The project reflects his broader vision for collaborative storytelling and cross-platform creativity, ideas that also influence the structure and direction of Big Book Love.

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Sara Aguinaga is a dedicated massage therapist and editorial contributor at Texas Lifestyle Magazine. She loves indulging in spa treatments, exploring diverse cuisines and traveling. Follow her on Instagram @sweetsaraadventures