Best Practices for Starting a Book Club
Whether you’re looking for a fun way to meet new people, an opportunity to diversify your reading list, get back into a reading habit, or a way to learn about a new topic, a book club is a wonderful choice.
Good books and good friends (and, yes, good wine) are some of the best parts of life, and it’s a joy to be able to share them.
But there’s more to a book club than just reading the book. Making a few informed decisions before starting your book club can help ensure that it stands the test of time and becomes a cherished event on your calendar.
In no particular order:
Think about membership
Whether you are joining an existing club or creating one of your own, membership may be the most important thing to consider. The types of people may determine the types of books and the quality of discussion. Are you meeting with an existing friend group? Joining colleagues outside of work? Opening it up to everyone to meet new people?
The size of the group can vary from 5 up to perhaps 20. You’ll want to plan that 1–2 people may be absent any given meeting, yet still have enough people to have a good discussion.
Beyond who and how many, you might want to request that members make a minimum commitment to the group, agreeing, for example, to attend for at least 3 meetings or 6 meetings. Book clubs generally need a sufficient duration for members to get to know each other well enough that they can comfortably share and get to know one another. A commitment also means everyone has some skin in the game, so it's not just a casual get together when we can be bothered.
Consider your purpose
Having a guiding purpose for the group can make other decisions easier. Are you gathering to learn something new? To explore a particular genre? To create a bond among a group? To catch up with friends? To meet new people?
For example, a club dedicated to learning new things might have a guideline that they only choose books no one in the group has read, or that they only read nonfiction. A group gathered to bond, meet new people, or catch up with friends might be more lax around keeping the discussion strictly book-related, or might include a time to socialise before or after the main discussion.
Set some ground rules
It’s important to set up a few ground rules with your group that everyone understands and agrees to. Some things to consider:
How often will you meet, and on what days and times? How long will your meetings last?
How much time will you have to read each book?
How will you communicate? Will someone send out reminders to group members?
How many absences are “excused”?
Should a person attend if they haven’t read the book? (Some clubs are strict on this point; others encourage people who haven’t read to come anyway and ask questions.)
When and how will you accept or recruit new members?
Choose the venue
Personally, I prefer to meet in person if at all possible, but I know virtual book clubs can also work well. Some book clubs meet at a member’s house or rotate hosts. Others find a comfortable public space like a library, restaurant or coffee shop, or a bookshop like ours. If you will meet in person, consider these things when choosing your location:
Will you meet in the same place every time or rotate locations?
If meeting in a public place, can you reserve the space ahead of time?
Is it accessible and convenient to everyone? If one person must travel a very long distance, resentment may fester.
Is it quiet enough for discussion? A loud restaurant or bar isn’t the best choice.
Is there enough seating and in a configuration that allows for discussion? A restaurant may be fine for a small group, but you may struggle to reserve a table for 12 where the guests at one end can’t hear the guests at the other.
Are there refreshments available? Because no matter what else you decide, drinks and nibbles are practically a necessity for book clubs!
Elect a leader
While many groups start out with lofty ideals of a pure democracy in which the people lead themselves, I find that groups almost always benefit from having someone in charge to watch the time, keep the discussion on track, and call for a vote when decisions are to be made. If someone is a bit too eager or it feels too draconian to name a leader in perpetuity, your group can have a rotating leader who drives the discussion and keeps people on point on a meeting by meeting basis.
Make your selections
It’s worth outlining a process for selecting your book club books so that everyone agrees.
For example, you might allow each member to select a book in turn, people could bring suggestions to each meeting and everyone votes on the next selection, or you might have a predetermined list for a certain period of time.
A few factors you might want to consider beyond topic include:
Length — will members have enough time to complete it? (For example, busy mums or professionals may want to choose quicker reads if they are pressed for time.)
Reading level — will everyone in the group be able to read the selection comfortably?
Price — is the book available only in hardback? Is the title available at the local library?
Publication date — very new or out of print books may be more difficult to find.
Availability on different readers (eBooks and audio options) — can everyone access the title in their preferred format?
Whatever the selection process, be sure to consider whether there’s also a “veto” process or how to handle situations where one or more members may have an objection to a book. For example, is someone allowed to say they just don’t like a particular genre or author? Can someone veto based on content such as objecting to graphic violence or a personally triggering topic?
Prepare for the discussion
It’s worth the effort to prepare for the discussion a bit ahead of time — instead of just sitting down and saying, “So! What did you think of the book?” This preparation may fall on the group leader or you could ask each member to formulate a question and bring it to the group.
Many books and publishers create discussion questions that are sometimes printed in the back of the book or on the author or publisher’s website, and these can be a great place to start.
You could also decide to provide discussion topics ahead of time for members to consider.
Mrs Blackwell’s Book Clubs
If you’re looking for a good book club to join, want to read some new titles, and want to meet some new people, we are developing a few different book clubs you can join.
Each of our clubs will revolve around a genre, and selections will be designed to suit the season. We’ll ask for a quarterly commitment, and your membership will include 3 books (posted to your home), monthly prompts sent in advance, an invitation to 3 club nights at the bookshop to discuss the book, wine and snacks at club nights and a Mrs Blackwell’s custom designed reading journal.
Click here to register your interest and as soon as I have all the details I’ll send you more information.
