It should not be difficult to start a book club yet most book lovers want to do this right. We have the perfect guidelines in five easy steps.
Step one: Establish your Theme
To start your own book club, you will determine the theme or the direction your club will take. It’s an important part of your book club’s identity to make a commitment to the kinds of books your group will or will not read. Under Themes, we have presented a variety of book club themes we encountered in our research on starting book clubs. The Theme will have a direct impact on the kinds of members who will be attracted to your club.
For instance, not all women are interested in joining a book club with an established theme of Women’s Issues, however, if that’s an area of interest that you want to explore, you will need to disclose to your prospective members the specific focus of your new club.
Step two: Determine the kinds of reading material you will explore: hardback books, paperbacks, eBooks or audio books. Some clubs are reading only hardcover books while others have decided to allow any kind of book material into their club. You decide.
Step three: How will your club function? In other words, what are the guidelines or rules (if any)? In the Club Guidelines section, we present several variations from which you can choose. At this point, you will determine if you will meet face-to-face as a group or remotely through computers, chats, email, or perhaps by video or telephone conferencing. This will help frame who can be a member and who cannot.
Step four: Invite members. Look for the right number of people who fit your criteria and extend offers to them. You must have a clear understanding of their level of commitment to the group experience so that all your expectations can be set.
Step five: Pick a book and start reading!
How can we talk about books without including Amazon.com! There are many other sources of fine books at great prices but you can search for anything on Amazon right from here.
You might find inspiration from the trailer on the Jane Austen Book Club movie you can see on our Videos page.