How to Start a Book Club
with tips from a real reading group
Are you ready to kick start your very own reading group? Here is Go Beyond's guide to get it started!
Begin by asking your friends. Your friends are probably readers like yourself or they are hoping to expand their reading repertoire and want a book club to help them do just that. In time you will want to bring in future book friends (outsiders) that will bring 'fresh reading personalities' to your book discussions. As the saying goes - 'Do not despise little beginnings'
What is a good number for your book club? Best would be at least eight to fourteen people. If it's too small you risk some book friends not finishing the read or cannot make it to book club. If it's too big, it can put a strain on the discussion and hosting
Begin by asking your friends. Your friends are probably readers like yourself or they are hoping to expand their reading repertoire and want a book club to help them do just that. In time you will want to bring in future book friends (outsiders) that will bring 'fresh reading personalities' to your book discussions. As the saying goes - 'Do not despise little beginnings'
What is a good number for your book club? Best would be at least eight to fourteen people. If it's too small you risk some book friends not finishing the read or cannot make it to book club. If it's too big, it can put a strain on the discussion and hosting
An enduring book club will make decisions together. If someone leaves your group or knows somebody that wants to join make sure your group agrees unanimously to adding a new book friend. This will be especially important if you have a large book club and it becomes harder to communicate. Voting tends to work the best in these situations. A simple raise of the hand when selecting a new member or even when choosing your next book pick - More on new and old members on Book Club Blogger
Where & When
Where do you meet? Choose a place that works best for everyone. A book friends home is ideal but a restaurant, coffee house or library can be a good choice too if your group is small. If your group is large or growing it might become more difficult to find a venue that will hold your reading group and let you have a decent book discussion. If hosting at a someone's home won't work every time switch it up. One month meet at a restaurant or coffee house than next time at someone's home. Lots of choices so no excuse to not book club!
When choosing your book club day and time if more than two members cannot make that date then everyone needs to agree on a time that will work. If one person cannot make it than keep that date. You could be there for awhile trying to schedule one
Choosing a leader
Typically, the one that started your book club and made the effort to get it going will be the undeclared leader. If the undeclared leader is not up to the task then have an open discussion with your group on who would want to be the book club leader that will make sure the gathering starts on time, any announcements that need to be said, and is pretty much the go to member with any general questions that arise
Administrator - someone who will send out emails with any information that was missed by an absent member. Also, will keep tabs on all the books that have been read or future reads
A Suggestion - Having just one leader is not written in stone. More than one leader or aka: co-leader, can come in handy, especially, if the leader cannot make it to book club or leaves the group. A good requirement is to have leaders that are passionate about keeping your book club running for years to come
Administrator - someone who will send out emails with any information that was missed by an absent member. Also, will keep tabs on all the books that have been read or future reads
A Suggestion - Having just one leader is not written in stone. More than one leader or aka: co-leader, can come in handy, especially, if the leader cannot make it to book club or leaves the group. A good requirement is to have leaders that are passionate about keeping your book club running for years to come
Google Docs and Pinterest are good ways to keep everyone abreast on what has been read or books that will be read in the future. Your group can also add books they think will be good picks. Check out Go Beyond's book club books recommendation page
Create a secret board on Pinterest for your book club with literature genres including, (classics, biographies, historical fiction and modern). Invite your book club friends to add books and please include the book description. This is a great and easy way to choose your next book read at the end of your meeting
Create a secret board on Pinterest for your book club with literature genres including, (classics, biographies, historical fiction and modern). Invite your book club friends to add books and please include the book description. This is a great and easy way to choose your next book read at the end of your meeting
Hosting book club
Once you have a volunteer to host an in home book club the host will provide the main course and coffee (coffee is a must wink wink). Your book friends will sign up on Evite (see below) to bring a side dish, drinks (wine, tea, sparkling waters etc), and the most important dish - dessert!
* The host will be responsible for sending out an Evite or whichever online invitation you prefer. It should include the date, time, place and what main dish the host will be serving so others can sign up for complementary side dishes. The invitation should be sent out one week before the agreed date
* The host will be responsible for sending out an Evite or whichever online invitation you prefer. It should include the date, time, place and what main dish the host will be serving so others can sign up for complementary side dishes. The invitation should be sent out one week before the agreed date
There should be no pressure to host a book club. If your group has over 8 people than everyone would end up hosting only once a year if you meet every 6 to 8 weeks. Not too bad!
Be creative with your Evite. Use the novel your are reading to design your invitation and pick a dinner theme that matches the story
Many dinners have been based on our read. Book locations from around the world such as: British, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian, African, Greek and America Southern, Western, and Hawaiian dinners. The ideas are endless and the food brought by book friends delicious
Try this! Shake things up at your dinner table. If your friends tend to sit next to the same individuals at every book club arrange the seating so they will sit with new people. Use stem tags for your wine glasses and write their names on it or book character names for more fun. This idea will bond your book club even closer which than keeps your group around longer!
Last suggestion: If no one is able to host a book club at that particular time suggest meeting at a restaurant. That way there is no pressure for anyone to host in their home and you still get to enjoy a tasty meal with your book friends
Name your book club
Don't let your book club go nameless. Naming your reading group makes it legit. Your book friends will feel like they belong and by giving it a name you are saying that you will be sticking around for a long time to come
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Discussion time
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it
~ Atticus Finch
To Kill a Mockingbird
One thing I have learned and experienced with my book club is to respect a members opinion over the discussed novel. Not everyone will love or even like the book but everyone should have a chance to give their opinion without being belittled or pulled into verbal combat. Spicy discussions sometimes makes good book club fodder but as long as it is done with mutual understanding and respect your book discussion will go off without a hitch
Start your discussion off by asking, “Did everyone read the book?" or "Anyone have a hard time finishing the book?" Then proceed to ask, “Did everyone like or not like it?” That usually gets the ball rolling
Ideas to keep the discussion flowing:
- Have a someone come with a prepared sheet of questions for everyone
- Encourage your group to come with notes and thoughts before book club
- Bring up interesting facts, history or author info on the book that no one else may know
- Fun to do: Wrap inexpensive prizes and have your friends answer questions about the novel to win a prize or whoever answers the question first wins! For example - see book club ideas
Most books come with questions at the end of the novel or you can search for questions online. If you have an e-reader highlight all the passages and take notes that you want to share so you will be ready come discussion time
Final thought
Let everyone have a chance to talk. It's okay if you have book friends that don't speak out as much but the ones that dominate the whole conversation is a #1 no-no
Let everyone have a chance to talk. It's okay if you have book friends that don't speak out as much but the ones that dominate the whole conversation is a #1 no-no
Club Rules
Like most organized groups, there are the spoken and unspoken rules. Some of the ones we have already covered:
Once you become a book club friend be committed! Try and finish your novel and most importantly embrace your book club.
OFF limits: Selling business products to your group. No one comes to book club to be persuaded into buying products or signing up to host a product based party
Babies and children: Over time we've had a few members bring their new babies to book club. Babies are totally OK and we love having them but young children are too much of a distraction
Alcohol: Wine is a nice compliment to our dinners and if you do serve wine or other beverages with alcohol make sure the driving home is figured out
- Respect opinions
- Bring a dish to share
- Come on a regular basis
Once you become a book club friend be committed! Try and finish your novel and most importantly embrace your book club.
OFF limits: Selling business products to your group. No one comes to book club to be persuaded into buying products or signing up to host a product based party
Babies and children: Over time we've had a few members bring their new babies to book club. Babies are totally OK and we love having them but young children are too much of a distraction
Alcohol: Wine is a nice compliment to our dinners and if you do serve wine or other beverages with alcohol make sure the driving home is figured out
Finish
A book club from start to finish is a good three hours. Perfect time to eat for an hour, discuss for over an hour and plan the next read. Don't forget choosing the host and date
Try picking your books for the next two book clubs. That way if anyone finishes their read ahead of time they can get a jump on the next one
Suggestions for picking your next book
- Everyone gets a turn choosing
- Let the host decide
- Write down books on pieces of paper and pull from a box
- Bring up your Google Docs and or Pinterest boards
- Vote on a book
Once you've made the choice, pick a new host and date (strictly volunteer and no pressure to host one). It will be the hosts responsibility to send out the invitation a week before, choose the main course and dinner theme
Being part of a reading group is a privilege. It means that your book club saw you as someone they want to spend time with and is a lover of books like them. Unfortunately, there will be some who might not care as much and go just to say they are part of something. They never read the books, they don't show up as often and they can tend to have a bad attitude about the novels that are chosen. If that sort of person brings your group down then maybe it's time to part ways.
Being part of a reading group is a privilege. It means that your book club saw you as someone they want to spend time with and is a lover of books like them. Unfortunately, there will be some who might not care as much and go just to say they are part of something. They never read the books, they don't show up as often and they can tend to have a bad attitude about the novels that are chosen. If that sort of person brings your group down then maybe it's time to part ways.
Start one today