There’s nothing better than meeting with friends to talk about a really good book. If this sounds like your idea of a good time, why not think about hosting a book club, so you can regularly gather with your friends and discuss compelling reads? Hayim Oshky explains how to start a book club.

Find your spot

First, work out where you’re going to hold your book club. What atmosphere do you want? Are looking for something serious and academic or light-hearted and friendly? If you want the former, go for somewhere with a scholarly feel like a university seminar room. But if you feel like the latter would be best, think about throwing your book club in your own home or local coffee shop.

Decide who’s coming

No book club works without people, so it’s vital that you get the guest list right. Who do you want to attend your book club? Decide whether you feel comfortable opening the invite out so you can meet new people, or if you prefer just invite family and friends so you can stay on familiar ground. If you decide to open out the invite it might be a good idea to research any new members via their social media accounts before you allow them to join your circle of literary enthusiasts, especially if you’re hosting the event in your own home!

Create a title selection policy

Now we come to the all-important question, how will you decide which books to discuss every time you meet? Come up with a title selection policy, so you don’t have to keep tackling this somewhat divisive issue week-on-week. Every reader has different tastes in literature so you may want to think about rotating book selection duties among your collective’s members to keep everybody happy!

Define meeting schedule

In order for your book club to succeed, you need to decide how often you’re going to meet. Your club’s members may be too busy to gather once every week, so take their regular commitments into account when defining your meeting schedule. It may be a good idea to set up a new meeting schedule every month, as your members’ family and work obligations may change overtime.

Keep discussion going

The author you’re discussing on any given week may have created a great character, crafted a compelling plot or tackled issues which are fascinating and relevant, but discussion could still go flat. Find ways to keep the discussion going so you can ensure people keep coming back to your club. You may want to compile discussion points beforehand so that if talk falls quiet, you can get it going again.

Enjoy your club

With these tips, you’ll be able indulge your love of literature with other book enthusiasts. Make sure you actually take the time to enjoy your book club rather than fretting constantly about how to make it a success, so you can make the most of your chance to regularly talk about a new book!

Thank you for reading… Hayim Oshky.