If you like to read, chances are you’ve either been in or thought about being in a book club. Have you ever thought about starting your own? A book club is one of those things a lot of people may be interested in but feel intimated to initiate. If you do the legwork of getting one started, you’re likely to find a group of other people with similar hobbies (reading!) who would love to get together every once in a while and talk about a book.

Read on for my best tips on how to start a book club for entertainment and connection.

How to Start a Book Club

What’s the purpose?

First, you need to know the why of what you’re doing. Do you want more accountability in reading? Do you want to have a serious discussion about serious books? Do you just want a good reason to hang out with friends? Answer the question honestly, as that will drive the way you answer the rest of the questions. A friend just moved to a new state and her husband is on staff at a church, so she has initial connections with lots of people, but has decided to do a book club this summer to try to deepen some of those relationships.

Who should you invite?

Some book clubs are bigger; some are smaller. You could even decide for your first round to just read a book with a friend (sometimes called a buddy read) and then discuss it when you’re both finished. You could cast a wide net and invite lots of people, knowing only a percentage will come. Or be strategic and intentionally invite certain people, asking each of them to invite a friend. A good size for a discussion group is 6-10 people, with any more than 12 getting a little big.

How should you get organized?

The first step would be to gather information from the people in your book club. Whether you’re meeting in person or not, a Google form is a great way to get organized. Ask which day of the week works best, get contact info, ask for book suggestions, and decide how to communicate (group text, GroupMe, e-mail, Facebook group, etc.).

When and how often will you meet?

The traditional book club meets once a month and discusses the whole book at once. But you could meet every other month if people’s schedules are too tight. Or you could meet once a week for a month and discuss different chapters in one book (this is great for really dense nonfiction books, such as a book about personality types or other self-help books).

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