Thinking of starting your own book club? Learn how to get started and find tips about structuring your meetings, facilitating a great discussion, and finding the right books.
- Decide what kind of books do you want to read? Choose an overarching theme like Diversity or do a mix of genres. View all of Spokane Public Library book club bag options here.
- How big do you want the book club to be? 8 – 16 members is a solid amount to maintain discussion if several are absent, but not so many that discussions become unwieldy.
- How often do you want to meet? Most book clubs work best meeting monthly and some every six weeks or so. Once you decide on a schedule, try to stick with it for consistency.
- When do you want to meet? Weekday or weekend? Morning, afternoon, or evening? This will largely depend on the job/childcare schedules of your members. If you work full time 9am-5pm jobs, it might work best to host on a Thursday evening or weekend.
- How do you plan to keep in touch? Email, texting, social media? Ask around to find out what works best for your members. We recommend sending monthly meeting reminders and giving everyone a list of names/numbers of members so they can connect throughout the month.
- What do you want to call the book club? Giving your group an identity can help keep members engaged by being a part of something greater than themselves.
Bonus tips!
Record your group’s activity with a club journal. With a journal you can keep track of books you’ve read, plot summaries and discussion highlights and document member’s opinions, and help bring new members up to speed.
How can you give back to the community? Collect dues for a scholarship or annual literacy award at a local school or use the funds to donate to a local non-profit surrounding the theme of your book club (if you have one).
Read 10 Tips for Leading a Book Club Discussion to continue your learning!
