How to Start Your Own Book Club
Photo credit: Image by Helgi Halldórsson on Flickr [CC BY 2.0]; Text by Emma K.
A book club, by definition, is a group of people who all read a book and then meet to discuss it. Many libraries and bookstores host their own book clubs for patrons and customers to attend, but it's not that hard to start your own! Here are a few steps to get you started on your path to truly enjoying books with other people who truly enjoy books:
Note: As with any how-to, these steps are merely recommendations, and you are free to do whatever you please. Well, they are pretty good recommendations. But still.
Step 1: Pick the theme and tone for your book club.
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| Photo credit: Startup Stock Photos on Pexels [CC0] |
So you want to start a book club. What kind of books will you read in your book club? Will it be about young adult books, like this blog? Or perhaps it will be about mystery books, or science fiction. It doesn't even have to be a genre; it could be books with female protagonists, or featuring magical realism. Not only do you have to decide what kind of books you want to read in your book club, you should decide what tone should be set for your book club. Will it be a formal discussion of the book, or a lighthearted social meeting meant for chatting and eating snacks? Keep this in mind as you continue through the process of creating your book club.
Step 2: Decide how many members you would like to have.
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| Photo credit: Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Photo credit: Sam Hood [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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How many people can be in your book club before it gets too rowdy? How many do you need for it to be enjoyable? Though perhaps a public book club, like through the library, has little choice over how many people come, it's important to know how many people to invite to the book club. Would you rather have a small, tightknit group, or a larger group with more perspectives and more points of view? The average book club ranges from eight to sixteen people (ilovelibraries), so it might be a good idea to start within that range and add members or let members go as is necessary. (For more tips on maintaining the size of your book club, check out Bookbrowse's post.) Once you've decided how many members you would like to have, you can go ahead and start inviting members!
Step 3: Decide on a location.
While it could be fun and novel to have your book club take place at a theme park, or in a forest, the reality of the situation is that the location of your book club should be accessible, quiet, and meet a few other requirements. In the way of accessibility, your location should be easy to get to, should be free unless otherwise stated, and should be close by the members. It should have room for everyone to fit, and space for a table and chairs. Make sure to take into consideration what places your members suggest; oftentimes, they suggest something because it would be more convenient for them. Another important factor to consider is that the space should be available for when you need it. Speaking of when you need it...
Step 4: Decide on a time.
Photo credit: Collage by Emma K., far left photo by jill111 on Pixabay [CC0], left middle photo by Kenny Louie from Vancouver, Canada (A good afternoon) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons, right middle photo by ChadoNihi on Pixabay [CC0], far right photo by Cata on Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
Choosing a time and day for your book club, as well as how often it will meet, can be one of the hardest decisions to make. Odds are that every member has a different day that works best for them; you will probably have to make a lot of compromises. Time of day will probably be the easiest to decide: if your group is composed of seniors, they will probably be available in the mornings or afternoons, while teenagers and adults will be available in the evenings when they don't have school or work. If you choose to have your book club meet on the weekend, though, most any time will work. The important thing is to ask your members what time works for them, and choose the time that will work for the most people. Something else to consider is how often your book club should meet. While you might want to see your club members every week, it's important to think about how long it will take your club members to read the books chosen. Though the members of your book club surely enjoy reading books, they likely have other responsibilities and might not be able to read the book within a few days of it being chosen. Because of that, it might to be best to schedule your book club meetings from two weeks to one month apart. As with what time and day to have the meetings at, though, it's probably best to ask your club members!
Step 5: Determine how the club will be run.
Photo credit: Link Humans on Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
Will you be in charge of the club? Do you plan to have a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary, just like in a formal organization? How will you decide which books to read? These are all important questions to answer before your book club starts meeting. It might be a good idea to be in charge of your club for the first few meetings, then see what your club members would like to do from there. It is likely that you will continue to run the club, but it is also possible to start a system of officers-- that is, to have a president, vice president, treasurer and/or secretary, and various other roles. This one only really works if you have a larger group--upwards of fifteen--and wouldn't be very helpful for, say, a group of six. However, if you do have a larger group, it might be a good idea to implement officers to keep things organized. Another question to ask is, how will you decide what books to read? Will you simply choose them yourself, or will it be put to a vote? Do you want to have suggestions from club members, or choose the books for everyone to vote on yourself? Will you put a veto system in place? These are all great questions to answer at your first club meeting.
Step 6: Start meeting!
Photo credit: Steve Baty on Flickr [CC by 2.0]
Now you've done all the planning, and figured out all the details about your book club, so it's time to start meeting! Set up your time, date, and place, and invite your club members! Don't forget to let them know what book you'll be talking about-- or if you would rather get together for an introductory meeting first, you can save your book ideas for the second meeting.
And that's it! Enjoy your book club, because you worked hard to start it, and hopefully you just created your own community of like-minded book-lovers. Now for one last tip: Don't be afraid to ask your book club members what they would like to see happen in the book club. Good luck, and happy book-clubbing!
What did you think of this how-to? Did this help you start your own bookclub? Let me know down in the comments what you thought, or tell me stories about any bookclubs you're in, whether you started them or not!
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