Setting up the Group

You can draw members from any part of your social circle: friends, co-workers, and/or members of your church or synagogue. Smaller groups (somewhere between four and ten) are great because they allow everyone a chance to participate, while larger groups (ten-plus) allow for greater diversity. You can even have special guest meetings where people invite friends or co-workers to join.

Ask a friend to ask a friend to ask a friend.

Do you belong to other clubs or organizations? Ask if anyone is interested in being in a group. Someone might ask you join theirs.

Visit your local booksellers and libraries. They might have groups that meet in the store or library, or groups that they run.

Send an email to one or two co-workers and have them invite a friend. Put up a flyer in the kitchen or lounge at work, or on your local library, supermarket, church/synagogue bulleting board. We have two flyers available for download (.pdf): one for those looking to start a club, and one for those looking to join a club that already exists.

Do you commute? Meet friends on the train? Turn your ride into a book club meeting!

How to Choose Your Book:

There are many different ways to select books. Some clubs select an entire year at a time. If you have a different member host the meeting each month, let the host select the title. If you want everyone to participate, have everyone bring a selection to the meeting and have a vote. Make sure every nominee has back up: what is the story about, who is the author, how was it reviewed and where, has it won any awards, etc.? You can discount any nominations that don’t have that supporting material.

If the person who selects titles alternates every month, have that person bring in two titles. After both are presented, the group will vote on which they’d rather read.

Tie-in to the time of year. Read a ghost story or thriller in October and have your meeting near Halloween. Read a love story for February.

Have everyone bring in one or two selections and pick out of a hat.

Talk to you local bookseller and find out what other clubs in your area are reading.

What movies are coming out? Find out if any are based on books. Read the book and after your discussion see the film. Then compare the book to the film.

Try a local author. A local author might be able to join your discussion.

Show your state pride and select a title that takes place in your area. Hold your meeting at a location from the story.

But regardless of how you choose a title, there are some issues to keep in mind: make sure the book is affordable and accessible to everyone. It’s best not to pick expensive, rare, or out-of-print books.

If you commute by car, try an audiobook.