Setting Up A Book Group: Twenty Tips

Dear Sonia,

I’ve been leading a book group for just over two years now. During that time I’ve always posted a summary of the group’s discussion and conclusions on the Diary page of my website, so I can only presume that this is where you’ve seen it mentioned. I’m certainly very happy to tell you all I can about starting a group and must say it’s great fun. Especially if, as you say, you love reading!

Many of the big publishers now run readers’ groups online; but probably the best known group of all is the Richard & Judy Book Club featured on TV. Now what do they all have in common? I’d say:

• challenging and entertaining books;
• avid readers with a keen sense of what does and doesn’t give a book universal appeal;
• a leader who’s prepared to put in the effort required for preparation, and the insight to bring out the quieter members.

So – where to begin? And how to proceed?

1. START WITH A BOOK: You could start with a book: a book you’ve read and enjoyed and which you know has been read by two or three friends. Ask them round for coffee one evening to talk about that particular book, and take it from there.
2. START WITH FRIENDS: Alternatively, you could ask those same friends round for coffee, tell them that you’re thinking of setting up a book group, and ask them if, between you, you could select a book to read.
3. START AS A CHURCH GROUP: You’ve already said that this is what you’d like to do. I was asked by our minister to start our group as part of the church’s discipleship. However, we now meet more frequently than originally planned, and select a broader variety of books.
4. DECIDE HOW BIG YOUR GROUP SHOULD BE: The group I lead varies in size – say a dozen to two dozen – depending on the book we’re reading. We have, at times, met as one big group but, as you identified in your letter, Sonia, that can be intimidating for some. We find we operate best if we break into smaller groups of 6-8. That way, everyone has a chance to speak without feeling they’re making a spectacle of themselves.
5. CHOOSE A VENUE: You may wish to have the group meet in your home on every occasion. Or, you may have a rota and take it in turns to visit one another’s homes. In either case, the size of the group may be a defining factor. Our Discipleship Book Group started out by meeting in a local café / restaurant. The owner had an area which was separate from people dining in the evening. On the plus side there was yummy cake and coffee; the downside was the noise factor (ours and the diners) and the fact that we had to be out by 9.30pm. We now meet (for free) in the library of one of the large local hotels. Because it’s carpeted it’s less noisy, and we still get great coffee or drinks from the bar.
6. ASK WHAT TIME OF DAY IS BEST: A daytime meeting may be difficult for those who are working. Because we meet in the evening we have a good mix of men and women. However, if you want a women’s only book group and you all have school-age children, you may find a morning meeting more conducive.
7. DECIDE ON LENGTH OF MEETINGS: It’s better to make a decision in advance about what time you plan to finish so that everyone knows where they stand. Make it clear that anyone may leave without embarrassment if you run over time. We find 2 ½ to 3 hours suits most people. Too short and you’ll end up frustrated because of all the work you’ve put in and been unable to finish; too long and you’ll lose members.
8. . . .& FREQUENCY: Most book groups meet about once a month. Our church one originally met only once a term, which suited our church leaders but not the group’s members. Consequently, we now meet approximately every six weeks. Too often and people won’t be able to get through the book; too infrequently and you'll never coalesce as a group.
9. CHOOSE A BOOK GROUP THEME: What, you may ask, is a book group theme? Well, you may want to read only novels; or only biographies. Or you may feel you want to focus on ethical issues; family; politics or crime. Your theme will dictate what type of books you select. As I said earlier, our group began life as part of our church discipleship and the minister particularly wanted us to read books which are academic in nature i.e. study books. We, on the other hand, wanted to have a broader remit. So, whilst still being true to the discipleship theme (i.e. how we develop as Christians) we now read and discuss biography and novels at the additional, intervening meetings.
10. SELECT THE BOOK TO READ: Some groups select books for the year ahead; others only for the next group meeting. Because the group I lead is part of our church discipleship, our minister selects the books: three for each occasion. Each is graded as ‘a gentle stroll’, ‘a hike’ or ‘mountaineering', according to the ease or difficulty of comprehension. The group then chooses one of the three. Without being a control freak!! I like to impress upon them that the one in the gentle stroll category might be best, so that there is no sense of the group being too intellectually elite and discouraging others from joining. For the non-church meetings, the core group selects a book which one or more members have read or heard of.
11. OPTIONAL REVIEWS:
12. CHOOSE A LEADER:
13. DEFINE THE ROLE:
14. READERS GROUP QUESTIONS:
15. KEEPING EVERYONE HAPPY:
16. BRINGING OUT THE QUIET ONES:
17. AFTER THE EVENT:
18. POSTING ONLINE SUMMARY & QUESTIONS: (Links included)
19. ONLINE RESOURCES: (Links included)
20. HAVE FUN:

Because this letter was getting rather lengthy, I’ve decided to split it into Parts 1 (this post) and 2 (following tomorrow). See you then.

If you have any tips to add to this, or have found a better way of operating, please contact me and I’ll publish your comments next time round.

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