How to Start a Successful Book Club

What do you need to know to form a successful book club? In the first place, eschew Oprah and pick your own books. Remember that Oprah chooses the titles for her book club based on a variety of reasons, the quality of the writing not necessarily being near the top of that list. (Anyone remember James Frey? A million little lies later and it's clear that you don't want to spend a week reading his-ahem-memoirs.)

When choosing to start a book club, it is important to focus on membership. Chances are that at the beginning you're just going to want to get as many people as you can. That's a mistake. If you aren't choosy about whom you have as members of your book club from the beginning, it can and will come back to haunt you. While you certainly want a diverse and eclectic group of people, you also want people who can discuss a book intelligently and informatively.

That doesn't mean you have to exclude people who aren't quite up to the level of a graduate course. But if you bring in somebody who clearly doesn't know what he's talking about, but who is determined to share his every opinion regardless, you're going to succeed not in being diverse, but in being small. Once the core group is established and the word of mouth gets out and other people start clamoring to join, let them in on a trial basis first.

Let a new member attend one meeting and then take a vote on whether they should become permanent members. And by all means go with majority rule; don't let one jerk be able to blackball anyone. Although the charter membership may be as little as three or four members, remember that once a book club gets beyond ten or fifteen, it becomes almost impossible to have a discussion where everyone's voice is heard. So be picky. It pays off.

Another secret to successful book clubs can be learned by choosing a book about King Arthur as your kickoff: Learn from the concept of the Round Table. Everybody in the group is probably convinced they have the best insight into how the group works, not to mention what the book is about.

Therefore, even if the whole idea for a book club belongs to one person, spread the wealth. Let each member have a turn leading the group, preferably leading it when the discussion is about the book they chose. Another benefit of sharing the leadership of a book club is that it will maintain the interest of those attending who might otherwise feel left out. By the way, might I recommend Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger as a little-known jewel of a book that is inspired by the tales of King Arthur.

When choosing the books for your book club, stake out your own path. Don't blindly follow the best seller list, or Oprah's recommendations, or even those books generally regarded as classics. (Instead of reading The Great Gatsby, if you want to read an F. Scott Fitzgerald book, try The Last Tycoon, instead.)

Take some chances, but remain true to the interests of the group. Your book club may just focus on science fiction, or history, or romance. Believe or not, however, there are some books that actually encompass all three of those genres and could be a candidate for a book club specifically devoted to each genre.

You know, there are actually guidelines to be had for following a process for picking out books for a book club! Forget 'em. There should be only two hard and fast rules about picking out a book. Number one is that whoever suggests it has to have actually read it first. And number two, the suggestion should be put up for a vote and not shoved down anyone's throat. Other than, anything should go.

After the book club suggestion has been made, of course, there are two more ironclad rules. Number one is that nobody who hasn't read the book should be allowed to comment on it, though they should be allowed to listen. And number two is that nobody is allowed to get up and make a blanket, non-instructive comment such as "Gee, this was the greatest book ever written" or "Gee, this was the worst book ever written." Those kind of comments are of absolutely no help to anyone in understanding a work of literature. If that's the only kind of critique you are getting from a member, the other members should vote to exclude him.

Which doesn't mean that you don't include members who aren't as vocal as you. Book clubs are, after all, devoted to bookworms. And bookworms are notorious being "the quiet type." Once things get going and everybody is comfortable sharing their opinions, of course things will heat up. And the more and deeper the disagreements are, the better! But there will still be one or two who sit back and only grudgingly give their opinions.

Listen to what these people have to say when they say something; it just may wind up being the most thought-provoking insight of the meeting. Allow these people to come out of their shell. These members aren't the same as the ones who eagerly exclaim the book sucked without explaining why.

Now for something to NOT do in order to form a successful book club. Don't turn it into a potluck dinner. At best serve only appetizers, snacks would be even better. You're here to discuss literature, not socialize over sandwiches. Keeping the food down to a minimum has several benefits.

For one thing, eating while discussing books is never pretty. For another, it's healthier and allows you to stay on your diet. And thirdly, food is a distraction. You may think you'll talk about the book, but you know you'll end up discussing how great that chili was. Keep alcohol consumption low or altogether out of things. You know the reasons. The biggest being that alcohol can turn even a bookworm into a brutish lout.

In conclusion, I'd like to take this opportunity to offer some suggestions on books to include in your book club. Nothing kills off a book club quicker than choosing lousy books.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.