How to Start a Book Club

So you and your friends are all into the same types of books or you’re just looking for an excuse to get together and chat over dessert. Starting up a book club can be a great way to meet both of these needs. Book clubs are fairly easy to start, as long as you keep a few things in mind:

Create a Vision – The first place to start is what you want to get out of the club. If you and a friend or two are trying to get the club going, you can discuss this together. Are you interested in plowing through the classes or hitting up the latest fantasy novel? Do you want discussions to circle around art and critical theory or would you prefer a more laid-back vibe?
Meeting Place – The meeting place you pick for your group will depend on both the vision of the club and the resources available to you. If you think a few members of the club will be willing to open their homes to meetings, then this can be a good approach. Otherwise, local libraries, YMCAs and colleges also have public space or space available to rent. Parks and restaurants are other possible meeting places.
Logistics – The club will need a leader, although you don’t want to have one person taking on all the responsibilities. You will need people to lead discussions, keep track of the book choices and discussion questions and bring snacks to meetings. Many of these logistical details can be sorted out at the first meeting.
Choosing Books – To get started, have all the members of your club bring two book nominations to the first meeting. There are a few ways to choose the book you’ll read from these nominations. You can put it to a vote or pull the names out of a hat. You can also utilize the premade book club kits available for check out at many libraries.
Develop Discussion Questions – Many publishers, including HarperCollins, Random House, and Penguin have discussion questions for popular books available online. You can also use a general set of questions as well.