How to Start a Book Club
A book club can be a fun way to get together with your friends and neighbors. It can also offer a way to meet new people.
If you want to join a club, call your local library about groups that may meet there. Print out this page to share with others.
If you want to start a new book club, here's what you need to do:
1. Decide what kind of club you want to have.
Do you want to read only fiction? Non-fiction? A blend of both? Do you want to limit your reading list to books about history, for instance?
2. Decide how many people you would like to have in the group.
Remember that not every member of the group will be able to attend the meeting every time. A book club can be as small as two people or as large as 10. Think about whether you want the meeting to be open or closed to new members once it gets started.
3. Decide how often you'd like to meet.
Many clubs meet once a month. Others meet twice a month or even weekly.
4. Choose a meeting place.
Do you want the club to meet at your place? Do you want to rotate meetings among different homes? If you have a large club, can you meet at the library, community center, or senior center?
5. Choose a format for your meetings.
• Will you start with food and drinks? If so, will you take turns providing the goodies? Some clubs build in up to an hour of social time before the actual "meeting" begins.
• How long will you discuss the book?
• Will you have a discussion leader? If so, will the discussion leader change each time?
• How far ahead will you choose the books that you're going to read?
6. What books will you choose?
Once you've gathered your group and set a time and place to meet, you'll need to make the most important decision of all—what to read! Both bookstores and on-line booksellers offer reading group lists. If most of your members will be buying the book, you may want to choose books that are already in paperback form (they are much cheaper).
7. How will everyone get a copy?
Once you've chosen the book, you may want to arrange with a local bookstore to order a good supply of books for your book club. If the group decides what the reading list will be for the next several months, you can give that list to the bookstore so that your book group members will have no trouble finding the book when they're ready to read. Also, some local libraries have more than one copy of popular books.
8. Enjoy your book club!
You may want to consider taking a couple of months "off" each year. For instance, in December, instead of meeting to discuss a book, you may want to gather to celebrate the holidays. In June, you may want to gather at an outdoor restaurant to enjoy the good weather and each other's company.
Learning together…it's not just about books anymore! Starting a book club may be right up your alley. If so, wonderful! If not, think about using the "club" idea to gather friends—old and new—around a common interest. You might start a cooking group, a knitting circle, or a movie club. Let us know what kinds of groups have worked for you!
