Book Club!

Below is a sample of a blog post.

How to Start a Book Club

So you want to start a book club with your friends? Great! Here we’ll go over some tips to help you get started. 

Step 1 - Let’s Talk Genre

While a book club doesn’t have to be limited to one genre, it's important to have an idea of the types of literature you’d like the group to read.  If you’re starting a club with people you already know, you can take a poll amongst the group to get an understanding of what genres they’d be interested in. An advantage to knowing the individuals in your group is that you can assess what genre you believe they would like. If you’re beginning a book club that will be open to the public, the best genre to choose is the one that interests you the most. Being passionate about a specific genre will attract others who feel the same way! The best part about starting your own book club is that it can be whatever you want it to be, so if the first choice doesn’t work out, make adjustments. 

Step 2 - The Little Details

The logistics of a book club are just as important as the passion you bring to the group. When picking a day and time for the club, you want to be consistent. One day and time may not work for every single person so you’ll want to provide two consistent options for the group to initially choose from. Providing more than two options can cause confusion and debate so we suggest trying to limit the options. Location is also important to hosting. You will want to scope out a public location that allows groups and has seating during the time you’d like to host. We recommend testing the location with a friend to ensure it can meet the group's needs. A place with small snacks and drinks is always a plus! Lastly, you’ll need a way to communicate with the group. There are many apps that allow you to form large group chats and have more capabilities than text or imessage. We recommend Discord, Group Me or Slack to get you started!

Step 3 - Choose Your Book

You’ve worked out all the little details now it's time to choose your book! Keeping in line with your chosen genre or genres, we recommend selecting two or three books for the group to choose from. There are many ways to find new books, but if you’re struggling with where to start here are two options. The first is to peruse local bookstores. Almost all bookstores will openly showcase popular books from every genre and if there isn’t one that interests you, ask an associate, they’re there to help! Secondly, check Goodreads recommendations for the genre you’ve selected. Goodreads can be extremely helpful because they will have reviews posted for each book allowing you to gauge if a book is the right fit. Remember not to be too hard on yourself, it's impossible to please everyone!

Step 4 - First Meetup

We’re finally at the first meeting of your new club! The best way to start is to have everyone introduce themselves, disclose pronouns and tell everyone why they’ve joined the club. It's an easy way to break the ice and acquaint everyone. While it's possible the conversation will flow naturally it's best to have a list of questions to ask the group. These can be book specific, genre related or generalized questions about reading. In any case, predetermined questions can help to negate awkward conversational lapses. At the end of your first meeting make sure to get feedback from the group regarding location and communication so you’re aware and can make adjustments. 

It's our hope that in following these steps you can form an amazing book club and foster a love of reading or just have some fun with friends. Remember not to take anything too seriously and have fun!