So You Want to Start a Book Club

Book clubs are honestly harder to put together than you might think. Coordinating a group of people in this day and age can feel impossible—I know it does for our book club. Between work schedules, social obligations, travel opportunities, and just generally being a functioning adult, a date that works for everyone might be hard to come by.

While that can’t really be avoided, there are easy ways to make your book club successful once you figure out when you’re going to meet.

I also just want to say that I didn’t start the book club that I’m a part of! These are simply a few things I’ve learned from being in one and what I think makes ours work so well.

So, if you’re thinking about starting a book club—or your existing one could use a little help—here are my five top tips for having a successful book club!

Keep It Smaller (If You Can)

Everyone has their own schedules, so the fewer moving pieces you have to incorporate, the easier it is to actually get everyone together.

Of course, you don’t always get to choose the size of your book club, especially if you’re joining an existing group. But if you’re starting one from scratch, I’d recommend keeping the initial group relatively small. A handful of people is much easier to coordinate than 15 or 20!

There’s also something nice about having a smaller group when it comes to the actual book-club discussion. Everyone has a chance to share their thoughts, and it’s easier to have a real conversation. And if your small book club grows over time, great! Just know that more people also means more schedules to coordinate, more opinions to consider, and potentially more books to argue about.

Make It a Potluck

If you’re hosting, don’t make it more stressful by providing all of the food and beverages yourself!

Our book club does a potluck-style setup, and I think it’s one of the easiest ways to make hosting feel manageable. Everyone brings something, whether that’s an appetizer, dessert, side, or drink, so the host only has to worry about providing the space and usually a main dish.

It also makes each meeting a little more fun because you never quite know what everyone is going to bring. And, let’s be honest, getting to eat good food while talking about books is a pretty great combination.

Plus, there’s no rule that says your book club needs an elaborate menu. A few snacks and drinks are more than enough. The point is to spend time together, not stress yourself out trying to recreate a Pinterest dinner party.

Randomly Pick From a Book Selection

One of our biggest challenges is picking a book. We all have different tastes in books, which is great for discussion but makes agreeing on one title significantly harder.

A (mostly) foolproof solution? Everyone gets a chance to nominate a book, and then your group randomly selects one from the choices. This takes a lot of the pressure out of the decision. Instead of spending an hour debating which book everyone should read, you can put the options in and let fate decide.

I especially like this approach because it also means you’re occasionally pushed outside of your normal reading habits. You might end up with a book you never would have picked for yourself, and that can make for a much more interesting discussion.

And if you absolutely hate the book? Well, at least everyone is suffering together.

Throw In an Activity

A book-club meeting doesn’t have to be two hours of sitting around a table and answering discussion questions.

Adding a small activity can make your meetings feel more like an event and give everyone something else to look forward to. It could be something directly related to the book, like a themed craft, trivia, or game, or it could be completely unrelated.

You could do a bookish puzzle, make bookmarks, have a little book swap, play a game, or even watch an adaptation of the book you just read.

You don’t have to plan a whole itinerary, either. Sometimes one simple activity is enough to break up the evening and give everyone another way to interact.

Stay True to Your Vibe

Just because some book clubs have incredibly elaborate themed gatherings doesn’t mean yours has to!

I’m a detail-oriented hostess at my core who loves to do more than I should, so I love seeing book clubs go all out with themed food, decorations, costumes, cocktails, and activities. But if that sounds exhausting to you, please don’t feel like your book club has to look like that.

Maybe your ideal book club is everyone sitting around someone’s living room with takeout and a glass of wine. Maybe you want a themed dinner every month. Maybe you meet at a restaurant. Maybe you all get together at a coffee shop on a Saturday morning.

There isn’t one “right” way to have a book club.

The whole point is to get together with people who enjoy reading and have a good time talking about books. Everything else is just extra.

A Book Club Should Be Fun!

At the end of the day, I think the most important thing is to remember that your book club is supposed to be fun.

There will inevitably be scheduling conflicts. Someone will forget to read the book. omeone will passionately hate the book that everyone else loved. That’s part of the fun!

Don’t let the idea of creating the perfect book club make it harder than it needs to be. Find some people who like books, pick a date, bring some snacks, and start reading.

And if you happen to discover a book you never would have picked for yourself along the way? Even better.