Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: How to Choose a Book Club Type
• Part 2 of 3: How to Start a Book Club
• Part 3 of 3: How to Conduct Meetings
• Tips
• Warnings

Book clubs help people who love to read to meet and communicate. A book club is not only an opportunity to discuss common interests, but also a fun way to connect with people on any topic! Book club meetings usually discuss the selected book of the month. Some efforts should be made to create a book club, but all of them will pay off handsomely already at the first meeting of the participants.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: How to Choose a Book Club Type

1. 1 Create an academic or community club. Some book clubs are for recreation and entertainment. Their participants discuss books, but such literary discussions are not always serious and thoughtful. Other clubs adhere to more serious and academic rules. Choose your preferred type of book club.
   • The Academic Book Club focuses more on aspects of the book such as plot, plot, and characters.
   • Members of the community book club discuss the plot twists and turns and personal feelings of the book, but often their conversations go to the side.
2. 2 Select the category of books you want to read. You can focus on one genre - fiction, novel, or horror. In contrast, you can choose books of different genres. Nevertheless, it is better not to mix a large number of genres so that future participants know that they will like all the books.
3. 3 Choose a location for the club. A book club usually needs a meeting place - a library, bookstore, or home. It is possible to change the meeting place at times, but it is recommended to always gather in one or more permanent places. Check with such an establishment about the possibility of hosting book club meetings there, or ask potential members if they can occasionally host other club members in their home.
4. 4 Create a club online if you don't have a meeting place. If you do not have the opportunity to hold meetings in real life, you can always create a book club on the Internet. You can use chats, social networks, and even applications for group video sessions to do this. Participants from all over the world will be able to attend such meetings.
5. 5 Determine the number of participants. If the meetings are to be held in reality, then the number of potential participants should be taken into account. The optimal number of participants is from 8 to 16 people, so that there are not too many of you, but there is always someone present at the meetings, even if some cannot come.

Part 2 of 3: How to Start a Book Club

1. 1 Find active people who share a passion for reading. These may be friends or family members of yours, as well as people you have met in various places, but they should all love books. You also need to make sure that active members can regularly attend club meetings.You can tell about the club in person, in an email, message or in any other convenient way.
   • If you are planning to gather in a specific location, then look for people nearby.
   • A virtual book club can gather members from all over the world as long as they have reliable internet access.
2. 2 Choose a meeting place. The very first meeting can be held at your home, especially if your friends are members of the club or you plan to serve alcohol. In the future, you can gather at different members of the club. If you are barely familiar with some of the attendees and do not want to host meetings at home, check with your local library to see if it is possible to gather there.
   • Try to see if you can host club meetings at a local café.
3. 3 Choose a virtual meeting place. Decide where the virtual book club members should meet. You can create a Facebook group so everyone can comment on different aspects of the book. You can also create a dedicated website for your club. The discussion will be more personal if you are organizing video calls for a limited number of people.
4. 4 Determine the duration of the meetings. Start at one hour. You may end up in a two-hour or one-and-a-half hour format later if the number of participants increases. You should not schedule meetings for more than two hours, as not everyone will be willing or able to attend such long meetings.
5. 5 Conduct a survey among the participants. Send emails to current and potential members. Find out which books they read, and what days and times are the most convenient for meetings. Ask people to respond within a specific time frame so you can think of specific plans.
6. 6 Select the first book. First, collect the participant information and then select the first book. Consider the preferences of the participants and choose from well-known books. We advise you to choose a short book for your first meeting to understand how quickly the club members read.
   • Read online reviews of the book. Make sure that many readers like it.
7. 7 Announce your first meeting. Analyze the information from the survey, choose the time, date and place for the first meeting of the book club. Schedule a meeting at least two weeks in advance so that everyone has time to read the book. Better even in three weeks. Send attendees reminder emails one week before the meeting.

Part 3 of 3: How to Conduct Meetings

1. 1 Choose a game that will help strike up a conversation at the beginning of the meeting. If not all members of the club are familiar with each other, then it is better to start the meeting with a game. This will allow everyone to relax and an open discussion will begin.
   • You can walk around the room and ask each participant to name their three favorite books.
   • You can split up into groups and discuss the literary preferences of the participants.
2. 2 Make a list of about five books and bring it to your meeting. Choose books based on online tips or library guidelines. Discuss the list and vote for the book to be read next time. After that, allow the participants to get to know each other and discuss personal preferences.
3. 3 Serve treats and drinks. If the meeting takes place at home, treats and drinks can be prepared. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Cookies, croutons, nuts and popcorn are great treats. Drinks can be coffee, tea, water, soft drinks or alcoholic drinks (if all participants are already adults).
   • Invite participants to bring drinks and treats with them.
   • Be aware of vegetarians and participants who watch their weight.
4. 4 Discuss the book. The book club is for this! Begin to discuss the book that (hopefully) all participants have read. Start the conversation with a question, or think through the questions before the meeting begins. On the Internet, you can find specific questions for brainstorming books.
   • You can choose a facilitator for each meeting.
5. 5 List five potential books for your next meeting. Take the list with you to your appointment. Ideas for books can be found online or by referring to the library for recommendations. Consider your options together and choose a book for your next meeting. Then try to get to know the participants better and discuss favorite books.
6. 6 Offer to invite new members. Invite each participant to bring a friend who loves books to the meeting. Prepare locations for potential members so that they can attend the meeting first and decide whether or not to join the club. If the book club has a sufficient number of members, it is not necessary to invite others.
7. 7 Select club leaders. For example, select a president, vice president, secretary, and several people who will compose the newsletter. In a small club, this is not necessary, but this method of organization is very convenient if the number of participants exceeds ten or fifteen people. You can choose leaders at the first meeting or wait until the number of participants becomes constant.
8. 8 Listen to suggestions and constructive criticism. Always ask the members how they can improve the club's performance. Every opinion must be heard. The open and friendly atmosphere will be the key to the prosperity of the book club.

Tips

• Sometimes book authors agree to come to a meeting or answer questions from book club members in a letter. Try to contact the authors.
• Don't worry if few people show up for your first meeting. This is completely normal. Over time, there will be more participants.

Warnings

• Disagreements are possible when choosing leaders, so it is best not to raise such an issue unnecessarily.