How to Start a Book Club

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:StartBookClub
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How to Start a Book Club

Introduction

Book clubs are a great way to discover books you might otherwise never find, and to explore those books on a deeper level with other people. I have belonged to and started several book clubs in my life -- all different. Here are some things to guide you as you embark on this wonderful adventure.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Consider the focus of your book club. Do you want to explore classics? Nonfiction? Memoir? Mysteries? Sci Fi? A certain author? Food? I started a book club just for parenting books -- mainly becuase there are so many great parenting books out there, but what parents has time to read them all? We got together and those who hadn't had time to read the book got a lot out of it just through our discussion.

Having a book club that is open to reading any kind of book is also a focus. Just be sure everyone is on the same page about what they want.
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Step Two

Decide how big you want your book club to be. I have found that in smaller book clubs (6 members max), each person -- even the shy or more reserved ones -- gets a chance to speak and everyone gets to benefit from everyone's wisdom. Larger book clubs tend to become more raucous, and can degenerate into get-togethers where one or two more outgoing people do most of the discussing and everyone else is just observers.
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Step Three

Consider when you will have your book club and where. First-Tuesday-of-the-month kind of thing is easy for members to remember and plan around. (Send out an email the day before anyway.) Some book clubs rotate, giving everyone a chance to host, but that means a lot of energy is spent with everyone trying to figure out where it is each time. Having the book club meet at one location each time makes it much easier for members to make it after a hard day of work, but is a big commitment for the one host.
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Step Four

Consider how much you actually want to focus on books. Some book clubs are heavy-duty literary discussions; others are dinner parties or wine and cheese affairs where the book may come up in conversation -- or may not. Decide which suits you best.
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How to Start a Book Club

Introduction

When you start a book club, you get to make up the booklist and format the type of discussions, or you can opt to make the process more democratic. Either way, the goal is to generate lively discussions about thought-provoking books.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Have a plan. How many people? Intellectual or light discussions? Best-sellers or classics?
2

Step Two

Organize the details. Will you meet in your home, take turns in members' homes, or locate a welcoming bookstore, hall or school room?
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Step Three

Create a reading list before you find members if you want to control the types of tomes you'll read. But keep in mind that working folks have little leisure time, so they may want to have a say about how they spend it.
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Step Four

Advertise your book club via various methods, such as e-mail to friends or flyers in bookstores and on library bulletin boards. Get into literary chat rooms, visit online book clubs or put an ad in the local classified section, if necessary.
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Step Five

Network where you work, go to school, exercise or shop.
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Step Six

Create an outline listing the first book, the meeting place, what you expect from each other and a mission. For example, "This is an irreverent group whose aim is to dish characters, gossip about authors and muckrake bad plots." Or, "We will dissect this book in its original Latin to pinpoint cultural, political and social contexts."
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Step Seven

Get together once or twice before the first book is finished in order to meet each other and suss out personalities.
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Step Eight

Serve refreshments at the book club gatherings. If the meetings are at members' homes, rotate the location.
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Step Nine

Read great books.

Tips & Warnings

  • Making sure everyone is on the same page will increase enjoyment immensely. If Mrs. Augustus hates Dickens and everyone else wants to reread "Nicholas Nickleby," it's good to set the ground rules.
  • Aim to have 8 to 12 people in your book group.
  • What could happen at a book club?

Overall Things You'll Need

  • Library Cards
  • Snack Foods
  • Newspaper Subscriptions
  • Literary Guilds
  • Pens
  • Spiral Notebooks
  • Books
  • Bookmarks
advisement
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Anonymous
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How to Start a Book Club

Introduction

So your looking to meet some new people and can't find a book club. Why not start one of your own? Here's some easy tips to help in your journey for interesting characters.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You'll Need

  • Skills to organize
  • Love of books
  • Meeting place
  • Flyers

Steps

1

Step One

Decide where the first meeting will be, then you can make flyers with all the information on them. Put them up at libraries, book stores, cafes, grocery stores any place where people will see them. At the first meeting you will want to get a clipboard for information. One page for book suggestions and one with "Hosts and Refreshments".
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Step Two

At the first meeting you will want to make sure the meeting space is clean and inviting. Then greet your potential members and let everyone introduce themselves. Make sure the clipboard is passed around so everyone can add suggestions and sign up for refreshments.
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Step Three

Some things you want to discuss: How often to meet, where to meet, how much to read from meeting to meeting, rules for book prices and content, what do the members expect from the group, can members bring guests, can new people join, can you be late, answer your cell, or smoke.
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Step Four

Now decide what book to read. You might just want see which book got the most suggestions or pick a bestseller. Once all of the hard stuff is done enjoy the refreshments and get to know your members.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • get some name tags, especially for the first meeting.
  • Don't panic if things are a little uncomfortable in the beginning, people will loosen up once they get to know eachother.
  • Some book stores will give discounts to book clubs so ask before hand.
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