How To Organize A Book Club Part I

Tips To Organize A Book Club

By Melanie Kindrachuk

Interested in starting your own book club? Great! There are tons of book clubs out there and just as many ways to start and organize one of your own. If you’re still considering whether a book club is right for you, check out our post with 6 reasons why a book club is worth your time!

Have you been in a book club before? Then you’ll probably know the basics:

What do you want your book club to focus on: serious literary reads, light genre, non-fiction, a mix? What is the tone you are going for?
Who do you want to invite? Is it going to be for current besties, or are you going to look to casual acquaintances as a way to broaden your circle and include a variety of life experiences?
Where are you going to meet? In people’s homes or in public places like cafés or libraries?
How many people will you invite? A group of 8-12 is the average number in a successful book club, allowing enough time for everyone to have some input into the discussion and maintaining a good-sized group even when there are meetings some people have to miss.
How will you choose which books you’re going to read? Create a system. If you as a leader make a strict list that everyone else will have to follow, you will likely not have a book club for long. Make choices a shared responsibility, considering all the factors for a good read for your particular club. Length, content, topic, publication date, accessibility (ie: Is it brand new? Is it at your library? Is it available in paper and e-formats?), and price are just some factors you’ll have to decide on as a club.

There are lots of ways to make a book club work for you. Know why you want to create your own club, and you will be able to work out the details from there. Remember to organize the details so that you can have fun with your book club!

Our next post will cover more tips for starting a book club!

Written By:

Melanie Kindrachuk, a Public Service Librarian at the Stratford Public Library. She coordinates the Library’s book club program and specializes in Readers’ Advisory – matching up readers with the book they are looking for.