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Learn How to Start a Book Club
Are you thinking of starting a book club? We’re so excited for you. With a little planning, book clubs can be easy to maintain, create great discussions, and be lots of fun! Let’s start by considering some of the specifics of the book club you’re planning as these details can help shape a unique and exciting group.
Who is Your audience
One of the most exciting parts of embarking on a book club journey are the attendees. Many groups have members that come and go, visit different locations, or even pick different themes. Groups that have consistent attendees will have different group dynamics than groups with more variability.
Consider: Who is likely to be your main audience? If they’re a fixed group, consider polling them for their favorite genre, likes and dislikes in reading, and what they hope to get out of a book club. If your group will be more fluid, consider working to define the group’s focus and goals ahead of time so new members will know what to expect.
Choose a focus
Book club topics have unlimited possibilities. Some groups have a very general theme like fiction, young adult, or history. Others have specific themes like LGBTQ+ fiction, Latinx poetry, or historic French literature. You can get as creative as you’d like. Other groups don’t have a prescribed monthly book, rather get together to discuss what each member is reading on their own.
Identify Goals
There are many reasons people create and attend book clubs. They could be educational and provide a new way of learning facts and information about a wide range of topics, locations, or areas of expertise. They could be a safe place to explore hard topics and social issues. They could also be a connection point for the community to develop friendships, build togetherness, and just have fun. Whatever the reason, it is helpful to identify the goals early on to help guide expectations and ground rules for the group.
Consider: If you’re hosting a book club in partnership with or for an organization or business, be sure to learn about the expectations and goals that align with those partners. This information should also be shared with the group to define and guide conversations. Of course, if you’re starting a book club independently, you can create your own goals and set the stage for great discussions going forward.
Choosing a Process for Book Selection
One benefit of having a bunch of book lovers in one spot is that you don’t have to make decisions alone. Often, book selection can be a group decision, with many groups curating a list annually. Use your book club goals and interests to steer selections and create a list everyone will be excited to explore.
Consider: Is your book choice available in a number of formats? Some people may prefer large print, e-books, or audiobooks. Is the book an appropriate length for the time frame?
Setting Ground Rules
Now that you’ve decided how your book club will be structured, be sure to have good communication about your book club’s structure, goals and expectations.
Consider: Setting the stage at the beginning of each session so new and returning attendees are on the same page. Include an introduction, ground rules for considerate conversation, length of the program, access to restrooms, etc.
- Icebreakers or introduction rounds can help members remember each other’s names and feel comfortable engaging in discussion. Book clubs are often great places to connect and create friendships.
- Create a comfortable, welcoming space for conversation. Consider the volume in your space and seating arrangements that may impact attendees’ ability to hear and feel comfortable communication.
- Ensure everyone has equal opportunities to speak. Some groups enjoy side discussions and others state that side conversations should be saved for after the session. This is a great place to set expectations early and provide gentle reminders.
Sharing Your Events
Consider how your target audience likes to communicate. Use email, social media, or texting to communicate with existing members. This can help with reminders of the booklist, changes to venue or schedule, and even between-session book discussions.
To attract new attendees, consider social media, sharing with area libraries, or other community calendars. Create flyers to hang on local community boards for free in Canva.
Preparing for Meetings
Depending on the type of book club you’re leading, preparation can range from reading the book and grabbing a list of discussion questions from the publisher to researching the topic for context or topic specific information and current events connected to the book’s themes. Your group may like to have a guided discussion and others may prefer to have a more casual conversation. Making those decisions and setting the format expectations early on can help attendees feel comfortable and ready to engage.
Books may cover sensitive topics or themes and your attendees may benefit preparation in gathering background information and context in order to have meaningful discussions. Luckily, there are few a ways to dig a bit deeper into a book’s topics and themes that may be helpful in creating a thoughtful, engaging discussion:
- Look up background information on the book’s author, setting, and themes. Often, you can watch videos of author interviews where they discuss themes, story background, and their process of writing the story.
- Use the publisher’s website to search for discussion guides. You can pick and choose questions that will get your group thinking or just use their context to create your own questions.
- Find YouTube videos about a specific topic. If you have a fixed group, you could share context information and/or discussion questions ahead of time.
- Create your own discussion guide or bullet point topics to cover. This can be a loose guide to keep conversation going or include more detailed questions, depending on your group.
We Can Help
We makes things easy with Book Club in a Bag – available for free for any adult library card holder in good standing. At least two weeks before your book club, contact us to request a title and we’ll collect the number of copies you need in the formats you require. Your book club selection will be collected in a handy Book Club in a Bag zippered tote for you to pick up at our front desk.
Looking for book recommendations to get started? Simply fill out a short questionnaire and receive a personalized list of book recommendations hand-picked by our staff. Or check out our reading lists and discover books we love for readers of every age. View our lists for Kids, Teens, and Adults, as well as APL Staff Picks. Do you love the convenience of Hoopla? They offer book club resources, too, so be sure to take a look.
We have several spaces you can meet in the new library. Check out our bookable library spaces page to learn more.
And don’t forget to let us know how your book club is going! We love to hear and share stories from our community members.