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Want to Start Your Own Book Club?
By Sacha Cohen, November 2005
Here are a few tips to help get you going, plus a few, ahem, novel ways to make the most of your literary pursuits
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The Basics
Group Dynamics A good way to start your own group is by contacting friends who share a passion for books. You can also reach out to coworkers and neighbors, or post a notice at your local library, recommends Lisa Casper, book-club outreach coordinator of the Tattered Cover bookstores in Colorado. Then, figure out how many and the type of people you'd like in the group: men, women, or both; couples or singles; people of all ages or of a predetermined range. The experts at ReadingGroupGuides.com say that an ideal group size is between eight and 12 members.
Ambiance Create the right atmosphere by establishing whether the discussions will be formal or informal. Will you be reading literary works or popular fiction and nonfiction, or a mix? Will the discussions be freeform or structured? By setting the tone of the group early on, you'll make sure that everyone has similar expectations.
When, Where, and How Often to Meet You could meet every week, once a month, or maybe just once every couple of months. Do you want to meet in a café, at someone's home, in a church, or someplace else? What time of day or evening works best for those in your group? "It's good to meet within a four-to-six-week time frame. Any longer than six weeks and people tend to make it less of a priority," advises Bethanne Patrick, AOL's "Book Maven" (www.aol.com/books).
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What to Read There are many ways to decide which books the group will read. Perhaps the group will vote on what to read, or maybe the group leader will be in charge of making selections. One way to begin your search for some good book group titles is to visit your local bookstore or library or to go online and check out book club lists, such as those offered by the Tattered Cover and Powell's Books.
Advanced Tips
Food for Thought Want to spice things up? Consider "themed" menus or snacks that match the theme of the book your group is reading. For instance, you could pair South American cuisine with a discussion of Isabelle Allende, suggest Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens of the book group consulting firm Good Books Lately. For other culinary ideas, flip through The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.
Break the Ice AOL's Patrick says that a great way to get the conversation started (and to keep people from being intimidated by lofty discussions) is to hire a facilitator. You can find both volunteer and paid facilitators by typing "book club facilitator" into a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, or Ask Jeeves, or by contacting your local library or bookstore.
Connect With Authors The Web makes it easy and cost-effective to connect with authors through their publishing houses. "You can even download author interviews to your computer and play them at the club," says Patrick.
Additional online resources
American Library Association
Reading Group Guides
Good Books Lately
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