How to Start Your Own Book Club

Running a book club is a fascinating and enjoyable experience. Planning and good organization will ensure that your book club is a pleasurable experience for both you and your club members.

Book Clubs vs. Reading Groups
Some call them book clubs, some call them reading groups. However, no matter what name you chose, a book club/reading group is a meeting where members congregate to talk about the books they've read. Socially, this is a good way to meet people and find others of like interests. Most clubs designate a particular book for all the members to read. At the following meeting, members can discuss their thoughts/opinions of the book. Traditional clubs meet physically to get together, while online book clubs 'meet' online. While online clubs can be more convenient, the traditional clubs offer more social interaction. Clubs often meet at libraries or in local restaurants.

Organizing Your Club
Ask yourself what you want in a book club. How many members? Usually a club of 8-12 members is large enough. With too many members, you run the risk of not having enough time for everyone to participate in the discussion. Next, where do you want to meet? If you're interested in meeting at your local library, contact them and see what they have available. Also, you may want to check with several local restaurants to see what they have available. The main thing is to find a place that isn't too noisy and distracting. If your club is small, you may want to host it in your home or rotate club members' homes.

Don't forget to advertise! Posting a flyer on your library's bulletin board is a good way to reach avid readers. Also, you may want to post an announcement of the formation of your club in your local newspaper and at bookstores in your area.

What to Read?
There are different types of clubs you can organize. Your book selection will depend on which type your choose. There is the corporate club that would be interested in self-help and leadership books. A parent-child club would offer books of interest to parents and their children. A Christian book club would consist of novels and non-fiction books glorifying the Christian lifestyle. You may consider organizing a club with a specific genre, i.e. romance, suspense, horror, westerns, drama, non-fiction, etc. You may want a club that is gender-specific. Most clubs are general and give the members a chance to offer book selections that the club then votes on.

Meeting #1
The best way to start your first meeting is to have everyone introduce themselves. Chances are there are people from different backgrounds, wide-ranging occupations, and varied tastes in literature. This gives each member a chance to share their interests as well as to learn about the interests of others. You may ask them to share their reasons for joining the club. Also, you'll need to have a business discussion outlining any rules your club will follow. Find out if the members prefer to have refreshments (unless meeting at a restaurant), if they want to meet/not meet on holidays, and how often they would like to meet. You can ask their opinions or simply let them know the rules you've set. After all, you are the club organizer. Be sure to discuss if members will order their own books or if one person will be designated to order the club's books. And you'll need to appoint someone to keep the club's records, unless you want to do it yourself. Lastly, make sure you select a book to read. At your first meeting, you should have several selections to offer and ask members for any they would like to offer. You may want to choose books for several months at a time. Your success will depend on the enjoyment of your club members so make sure to choose books of interest. You'll want your club to keep a roster of books you've read to possibly share with other clubs.

What to Talk About
Some of the books you read may have discussion guides at the end. If not, check online for a discussion guide. If you can't find one, you can make up your own. This can kick start your club's discussion. Once the conversation gets rolling, you may not need the guide at all. You may want to suggest each member bring one question to each meeting to help with the discussion.

When you're thinking of questions, consider the following:

Who was your favorite character? Why?
Do you think the setting enhanced the story?
Did reading this book change the way you think about life?
Has your interest been enlarged on the book's topic?
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why?

As the facilitator of the club, make sure you keep the conversation flowing. Also, be sure there are no negative remarks aimed toward any member's opinion. Keep the discussion as 'open' as you can.

What Will You Gain?
In becoming a part of a successful book club/reading group, you'll find the opinions of others eye-opening. Different people, reading the same book, come up with different ideas and points of view. Also, as an avid reader, you'll increase your own knowledge and vocabulary.

You Did It!
Running a book club is not an easy task. However, it is an enjoyable one. With good planning and organization, you can make your book club a pleasure for you and your members and ultimately, a success.