Anyone Can Host a Book Club: Here’s How!
If you’ve ever sat around after finishing a title and had no one to discuss the surprise ending with, then you know just how frustrating indulging in literature alone can be. The solution? Hosting a book club!
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been a part of many over the years or are starting your community’s first: you don’t have to have experience in running reading groups to host a book club. With our step-by-step guidance, it’s easy! Learn how to get yours started today.
First Things First: What is a Book Club?
To put it plainly, a book club is best defined as a reading group that meets with the purpose of discussing a book that they’ve all been reading. Such clubs can vary from fairly casual, acting as more of a social hour and an excuse to get together and catch up, or more formal, with official book club discussions and set aside time for Socratic seminar-style debates.
Why Host a Book Club?
First and foremost, hosting book clubs gives us a space to connect with other readers. Whether you’re collectively reading a popular self-help book to become the best versions of yourselves or crying over the latest Kristin Hannah book with your lifelong girlfriends, getting to participate in lively book club discussions and unpack how you felt about a title in a group feels great.
When you host a book club, you’re not just adding an event to your calendar—you’re forcing yourself to actually put time into creating a healthy reading habit. In today’s craziness, it can feel impossible to peel your eyes away from the news and put your phone down. But having a deadline set for the book sitting on your nightstand will encourage you to unplug and escape into a different world.
Book club discussions are also often designed to deepen your understanding of the material at hand. Many readers host book clubs with the explicit goal of broadening their horizons and experiencing different perspectives. When you finally get a chance to sit down and hear what everyone else thought of specific passages and themes, you’ll be able to explore the text even further.
What Should You Read in Your Book Club?
When it comes to hosting a book club, you can feel free to read any title you want! Do you and your friends have a particular affinity for an author, genre, or trope? Do you want to stay up to date with highly anticipated new releases? What about timeless classics? If you and your club members are interested in it, read it!
3 Things to Consider the Next Time You Pick a Book Club Book:
Generally, as long as you and your members have an interest in reading something, it can work for your book club. If you’re unsure of a title, we recommend considering these three factors before suggesting it:
- Discussability: Is there enough substance to spark a captivating book club discussion?
- Availability: Can it be found in all of your members' preferred reading formats (physical, audiobook, and e-reader versions)?
- Stand-alone appeal: Is it a one-and-done, or will you have to read the whole series to enjoy it?
How to Host a Book Club in 9 Simple Steps
So, you want to host a book club. Before you jump into drafting a list of book club discussion questions, you’ll want to take the time to set a solid foundation. Don’t worry—it’s easier than you’d think! Follow these steps in order to host a book club like a pro:
Step 1: Determine the Purpose of Your Book Club
Before you send out invites and make your TBR list, it’s important to figure out exactly what kind of book club you want to host. Believe it or not, there are countless options!
Ask yourself one question: What is the intention behind hosting a book club? Is it to deepen your understanding of a certain topic? Do you want your meetings to act as an excuse to socialize with friends? Once you determine your goals and priorities, the rest of the planning falls into place.
Types of Book Clubs to Host:
Genres: base your entire club off one commonly-loved book genre, such as poetry, sci-fi, cozy mystery, or romance
- Themes: set up a club surrounding a theme, like feminist authors, celebrity memoirs, or geographical location
- “Made into Movie” books: select titles that were or will be made into films—then watch the adaptations together
- Short stories: have all participants bring in a short story to discuss in detail
- Silent book club: gather everyone in the same space to read their own preferred book for a set time frame
Step 2: Figure Out the Invite List
Before you start sending out invites, remember that the people you invite to your book club will dictate the entire vibe of your gathering. You’ll want book club discussions to feel like a safe space, and perfecting your initial guest list is key.
Is hosting a book club your excuse to expand your social circle? Then open it up to acquaintances and friends of friends. Do you just want to meet with your closest friends? Keep it small and stick to your besties. There’s really no wrong way to go about it.
Hosting a book club can also be a great way to deepen blossoming friendships. If you’ve just moved to a different apartment complex or started a new job, extend the offer to your new friends and coworkers. Finding an excuse to get together outside of the mundane moments in your life is always worthwhile!
How Many People Should Be in a Book Club?
The truth is, there’s not necessarily a right answer to this question—it’s all personal preference. The “best” size depends on what you want out of hosting a book club.
Smaller book club discussions, with eight or fewer members, feel more intimate and allow you and your fellow readers the time to fully speak their minds and grow close friendships. Larger book clubs, with more than eight people, offer diverse viewpoints and a chance to socialize with many people at once.
Pro tip: Keep in mind that the more people who are in your book club, the harder it becomes to schedule meetings. If the idea of juggling difficult logistics frustrates you, we’d say keep your invite list small.
Step 3: Pick a Setting
Once you’ve arranged who’s coming, you’ll need to pick a meeting spot. There are plenty of places perfectly suited for hosting book clubs, so it’s really a matter of personal preference. Whether it’s in your living room, at your local bookstore, or on the patio of your favorite coffee shop doesn’t matter—as long as it’s cozy and large enough to fit your club, it’ll do.
These days, book club discussions don’t have to meet IRL! If you’re members are spread out around the country or prefer talking from the comfort of their own home reading nook, you can always use Zoom and do it virtually.
Can You Host Your Book Club at Novel?
If Novel is your go-to indie Rochester, MI, bookstore, then you’ll be happy to hear that anyone can rent out the space to host a book club for a small fee. Our book and sandwich shop was always meant to act as a third space for the community, and what better way to take advantage of the cozy vibes than holding your book club discussions surrounded by our selection?
Step 4: Plan a Pre-Club Meeting
Before you meet for an actual book club discussion, you’ll want to set aside time to talk about the nitty-gritty details, goals, and expectations. This can include things like how often your club will meet, how many books you want to read in a certain time frame, what to do if people haven’t read the book in time, and so much more! These elements can always change, but it’s helpful to be on the same page (pun intended) before diving into your chosen title.
Step 5: Select Your Book
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for: actually picking the book you’ll discuss at book club. There are a few main ways to go about this.
As the founder, you can always suggest the first title and then start a future order for other members. If you prefer a more democratic system, you can let the members decide as a group by asking them each to bring in a few ideas and putting them to a vote. If all else fails, put a few names in a hat and pull one out! Don’t worry—eventually everyone will get their turn.
Pro tip: Once the book is assigned, make sure to solidify the date for your book club discussion. Introducing a hard deadline will motivate your group members to finish reading on time.
Popular Genres for Book Clubs:
- Mystery
- Self-help
- Romance
- Contemporary fiction
- Thriller
- Fantasy
- YA fiction
- Memoir
- Historical fiction
Step 6: Get to Reading!
Once you’ve gotten your book, you’re on your own until the book club discussion! Are you someone who binges books and knows they can read the whole thing in a single weekend? Do you need to set aside time every night in order to be done by the book club date? This is where everyone’s individual reading styles really come into play—there’s no shame in either option.
Step 7: Send Out a Meeting Reminder
As you get closer to the book club discussion, we recommend sending out a friendly reminder of the date, time, and location for your meeting. About a week or so before the big day, send out a group text or email blast with all the helpful info. If anyone has forgotten about the meeting, this should give them enough time to finish the book, switch shifts at work, grab a babysitter for the evening, and move stuff around to prioritize it in their schedule.
Step 8: Plan the Big Day
When it’s finally time to host a book club, there are a few things you need to prepare ahead of time. In terms of refreshments, the drinks you serve depend on the vibe of your group and the time of day you meet. Consider whether tea, coffee, or wine suits your book club discussion best.
And don’t forget about the finger foods! Snacks are the unsung heroes of book club discussions, and whether you’re hosting potluck style and expecting every member to bring a dish or putting together a massive charcuterie board for your guests, your participants will be grateful for the munchies.
Step 9: Set Up the Book Club Discussion
As we hit the final step, we can now say, congratulations! Everyone (hopefully) has finished the book, and it’s time for the most important aspect: book club discussions. Once you kick things off with a thought-provoking question or two, you can sit back and let the conversation flow.
Whether you’re debating the facts laid out before you in a true crime nonfiction novel or gushing over a hot new romantasy, there’s nothing quite like actually sitting down to talk about every detail of a book with your group. When you start getting into your book club discussion questions, be aware that opinions may differ—sometimes you’ll have to agree to disagree.
How to Come Up With Book Club Discussion Questions
For many book club hosts, actually coming up with the discussion questions is the most daunting aspect. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to turn to!
Certain books will have an entire section, typically at the end, devoted to questions and concepts brainstormed by the authors and publishers. These are a great place to start out—you can always see where your members go from there!
If a title doesn’t come with a book club discussion section (either online or within the book), there are a few alternative methods. There are plenty of online databases worth scouring for questions, such as Bookclubs’ Discussion Guide Center or LitLovers.
Pro tip: Have the person who chose the title make a list of book club discussion topics so you can each take a turn.
Don’t Want to Host a Book Club? Join Novel’s Instead!
If you’re not quite ready to host a book club by yourself, you can always join one! We have multiple book club options at Novel, covering some of the most popular genres and topics at our store. Sign up today and dive into feminist historical fiction, best-selling thrillers, fantasy favorites, and more with members of your local community.
Any experienced book club host will tell you that your first is the toughest! But with a little help from our step-by-step guide and passion for the project, you, too, can lead the book club discussion of your dreams.