Filed under Living on November 5th, 2008:
Six Easy Steps to Start Your Own Book Club
If you’re in the market for a little intellectual conversation, some camaraderie and a grand time, joining a book club is an excellent way to go. Unfortunately, it’s quite possible that you won’t find one that suits your needs operating in Tampa. Don’t give up though! You can start your own book club and have a blast in the process.
Photo by: Quack the Wooley Duck
If you want to know how to start a book club, here’s is an easy plan to follow. Taking these steps can help you out:
Step One: Pick the place – Before you even get started inviting members and picking out book genres, you’ll need a location to meet. Tampa apartments are often willing to let book clubs use clubhouse space. You can also check with local libraries, bookstores or just use members’ homes. Set the place or places first, then move on to step two.
Step Two: Choose the genre – While it may be that you want to cover a variety of literary genres, if you have a specific interest in reading and want to share it with others, that’s okay too. Once you select the genre or genres, you’ll find choosing the right members to invite can be a lot easier.
Step Three: Invite members – You can find members for book clubs by asking friends and family, posting notices in your apartment complex, bookstores and libraries. If you want a tight-knit group of only people you know, keep invites limited and personal. Should you want to meet new people who share similar interests, create fliers for posting. If you’d like to expand your recruiting efforts, try starting your own book club meetup group online where you can post dates of meetings, pictures and info about the group.
Step Four: Select the books – Before your first meeting, you’ll want to give members plenty of time to pick up and read a specific book for discussion. Create a monthly or bi-weekly list of books for all members to read. Should you go with a specific genre, this should be relatively easy. If you want to touch all interest points, consider following a best-seller list. Just don’t forget to choose books early and get the titles out to members.
Step Five: Questions – Most meetings will involve a list of book club discussion questions for members to ponder as they talk about the book of the week or month. To create questions, jot down things that interest you as you read the title for the meeting. Or, you can ask all members to bring in a few discussion questions to share. This is a great way to get everyone involved.
Step Six: Meeting setup – To make the event one everyone will enjoy, don’t forget food and drink to go along with each meeting. You might want to take a collection and purchase the items yourself, or have members bring items in potluck style. Either way, don’t forget the food and drink as it can really add to the experience.
Learning how to start a book club can be a fun way to meet others and enjoy great conversation in the process. Whether you meet at your Tampa apartments or a local bookstore, the experience can be enriching and rewarding.