How to Start a Book Club in 5 Easy Steps

Do you want to read more books in 2025? You're not alone. Reading is the simplest and most effective way to deepen your knowledge of the world and improve your quality of life. But reading alone can be challenging: scraping together the time, fighting the inevitable distractions, struggling to retain what you just read.

That's why you should start a book club! A book club can bring together your friend group, your followers, your customers, or your team at work; and can even connect you to a global community of readers. 

Here at Bookclubs, the top app for organizing your book club, we've helped tens of thousands of clubs not just get off the ground, but stay together and thrive.  In this blog post, we'll go over five simple steps to starting a book club, answer frequently asked questions and share our top tips for creating a book club that lasts.  

Step 1: How to Find and Invite Members to Your Book Club

The first step to start a book club is to invite fellow readers to join your club.  

You can find potential members of your book club anywhere!  Ask your friends, family, and neighbors.  One book club leader we know asked every person she texted with over a several week period until she had enough people to get going.  Are you part of any neighborhood groups?  Ask parents in your kid's PTA or post in your local Moms' Facebook Group.  Have a friendly workplace? Ask some colleagues.    

You'll be surprised how many people will be interested -- many people have always wanted to be in a book club but don't know where to find one or how to start one themselves. 

Once you have a few "yeses," you can also ask those people to help spread the word and recruit others. 

How many members should you have in a book club?

 Most clubs have ten active members, but we’ve seen foursomes and groups of fifty thrive. Feel free to start small -- for a casual book club, we love having between four and eight people at a meeting.  It's enough people to ensure that there's a diversity of opinion and lots to talk about, but not so many that members don't get an opportunity to share their opinions.  

That said, we've found that you'll need more members in your club to ensure that you have enough people at each discussion.  Not everyone will be able to make every meeting, so having a few extras is a good idea.Our data shows that, up until you have 11 or 12 people, the more members you have in your club, the more likely your club is to have staying power.  For example, clubs with 8 members are 60% more likely to make it over a year together than clubs with only 4 members. 

I've tried inviting people, but I still can't find anyone to join! 

One additional way to find members is to list your club on Bookclub's Join a Book Club page to find new members -- it's like a directory of book clubs that people can visit to find a book club near them or an online club that fits their interests.  You can make your club totally open, or vet prospective members with screening questions. 

How Bookclubs can help you invite members to your book club:

Instead of creating a text group or email chain that needs to be updated every time you find a new member, use Bookclubs to organize all of your book club members!  When you create your club on Bookclubs we’ll supply you with a private invitation link to share with your group by email or text.  That way, when you find a new member, all you need to do is share the link! 

Setting up a Bookclubs account is easy and free for all your members; all they need is a name and password -- or they can use their existing Google, Facebook, or Apple accounts.  In fact, if you invite someone by entering their email address on our app, they don't even need to create an account to start receiving meeting reminders!

 

Step 2: How to Pick Your First Book Club Book and Schedule Your First Meeting

As leader, you can suggest the book and date—or let members decide (a crucial question - do you want your book club to run more like a dictatorship or a democracy? In the case of book club, either are equally valid.) 

Use Bookclubs' online polling feature to poll your members on their availability and set a first meeting.  From there, try to get into a regular cadence of meetings so that book club doesn't fall off the calendar -- the most common frequency is one book per month. 

As the book club organizer, you can pick the first book, use Bookclubs' polls to let your members decide, or choose to spend the first meeting getting to know one another and suggesting book options that you might all like to read. 

How often should our book club get together?

Most clubs meet every month.  If that's too high of a commitment, consider every other month or once a quarter.  

Some clubs wing it, scheduling dates from one meeting to the next. Others use a regular meeting cadence, for example, on the last Tuesday of every month.  This is our preferred method as we find that reserving a consistent date and time can help your book club thrive.  Everyone knows to block off their calendar, and there's less of a risk of just forgetting to schedule that next meeting! But you can see what works for your crowd.

Where should our book club meet?

Book clubs often meet in members’ homes, rotating the hosting duties. But don’t feel hemmed-in by this format. There are many different places for book clubs to meet.  Some clubs meet over brunch in a different café every month. Consider a wine bar. Or book a private room at your local library. Far-flung club members can even gather virtually, using online meeting platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, or Bookclubs' own in-app video conferencing tool.  

How Bookclubs can help with meeting scheduling:

Poll your members on their availability using our online polling feature.

Once you've landed on a date and time, use Bookclubs to send out a meeting invite.  That way, no one will ever have to ask "what book are we reading this month?"  Bookclubs also automatically sends meeting reminders and tracks RSVPs so you know how many people to expect.

How far in advance should we pick our books?

Most book clubs pick their books one at a time.  You can dedicate 20-30 minutes at the end of each meeting to discuss what you want to read next.  Use Bookclubs to recommend a book to your club whenever you come across a good option so you don't forget your recommendation come meeting time!  

If your book club likes to read newer books and prefers to get your books from the library, consider picking your next book 2-3 months ahead of time, or even picking all your books for the upcoming year at once.

What method should we use to pick our books?

There are several options for how to pick your books -- here are a few of the most common:

• Book club leader chooses all books (Pros: keeps it simple! Cons: members' preferences aren't reflected; lots of pressure on the leader) 
• Rotating selection - each member takes turns choosing a book.  If you rotate hosting duties, it can be the host who picks the book. (Pros: everyone gets a turn.  Cons: you might not like everyone's tastes in books)
• Consensus - during the meeting, members dicuss the options until everyone agrees on one (Pros: fair for all, unlikely to read something you really aren't interested in. Cons: can take up a really long time, tends to favor less polarizing - which may be more interesting! - choices)
• Vote - this method is our favorite and can act as a mix of the methods above as the books to be voted on by all can be chosen by the leader only, by a rotating host, or by everyone.  Bookclubs makes this easy to do with specially built polling features that pull in book details like cover image and summary into the poll. 

What makes a good book club book?

There are lots of considerations when picking a book club book, but the main ones we look at are first, length (picking an overly long tome is a sure fire way to doom your first meeting), and second, discussability.  There are lots of books that are fun to read, but don't inspire much thought or discussion, so think about choosing something that will teach you something new or force you to explore the perspective of someone unlike you. 

What are some good book club books to get started with?

To find some tried and tested titles that are great for book club discussion, check out our list of the most popular book club books, updated monthly based on what thousands of clubs on Bookclubs are reading right now.  You can also browse our suggested reading lists for curated lists of books by genre, theme and occasion. 

 

Step 3: How to Set Your Book Club Ground Rules 

The third step to start a book club is to set your book club ground rules. Ground rules are the basic guidelines that help your club run smoothly and effectively.  If you haven't yet covered it prior to your first meeting, you should make sure everyone is aligned on when and how often you'll meet, and how you'll select books (see above).

When your club gathers for the first time, you’ll also want to consider the following questions and agree on the answers with your members:

Who can invite new members?

Some clubs favor an open-door policy, allowing members to invite interested friends when the spirit moves them. Others vet prospects carefully.  Just be sure to talk about your growth strategy at your first meeting, so everyone’s on the same page.

Are we a social group? A literary club? Or both?

Decide how you’ll divide your time between books and socializing. You might focus on the book for the first hour—then kick back and visit. If a member hasn’t finished that month’s title, consider how you’ll handle plot-spoilers during the discussion (avoid or barrel ahead?). You’ll avoid frustration down the road when members clarify their goals and expectations at the outset.

How will we run our discussions?

Think about whether you want your discussions to be free-flowing each meeting, or whether you want to set a discussion leader for each book.  This is also always something you can adjust after you have a few meetings under your belt, so don't sweat it!

Get familiar with: Our top 9 rules of book club etiquette (aka, how to be a good book club member)

 

Step 4: How to Run Your Book Club Discussion and Keep People Chatting

The third step to start a book club is to use a book club discussion guide or make a plan to keep people chatting. A good discussion is the heart and soul of a book club, and it requires some preparation and guidance. A quick and easy way to get people talking is to nominate a member to start the meeting with an open-ended question, a report on your book’s reviews, or a few newsy tidbits from an author interview.

You can find book club questions specific to the book you're reading at Bookclubs' Discussion Guide Center, where we provide ready-made questions for thousands of the most popular book club books (if you've scheduled your meeting through Bookclubs, these will be automatically attached to your meeting). Or try out our general book club questions that can be used for any book.

After you kick things off with a few thought-provoking questions, you can let the conversation flow.  We relate to books on a deeply personal level, so meetings can open surprisingly intimate discussions. Don’t be surprised when opinions differ; remember, always, to be respectful when you disagree. 

We bring our own life experience, and often, whether intentionally or no, our own prejudices, to a novel. Keep this in mind as you add new members. You want to create a group where open, enlightening talk can flourish.    

At the end of every meeting, try asking each member to rate the book on a scale of 1-10 ( you can record the responses for posterity on your club’s page on Bookclubs). This lets everyone share their opinions and feedback, and also see how the club’s discussion influenced their rating. 

Related Resources:

• How to Run A Book Club Discussion
• 12 Best Book Club Discussion Questions for Any Book
• Book Club Discussion Questions for Fiction and Nonfiction

 

Step 5. How to Keep Your Momentum Rolling and Make Your Book Club a Success

The fifth and final step to start a book club is to find your groove (and don’t forget to have fun!).  It's important to stay organized to keep your momentum rolling. We know that people are busy and have competing priorities. That’s why Bookclubs is here to help! Even the most enthusiastic group can lose steam when members can’t agree on book choices and meeting dates, or when they forget to RSVP or show up. 

Bookclubs lets you manage the small-but-crucial details easily. Use the shared "Books we want to read" bookshelf to recommend books for your next read.  Use our polling tool to pinpoint meeting-dates and choose books, then set a deadline for voting. You’ll thank us when the responses arrive like clockwork. 

Remember, starting a book club is a labor of love. Once you’ve launched yours, enlist members to share the organizing and hosting duties. 

As your club bonds and gets settled, its own traits and charms will emerge as well. Find what works for your group and lean into the quirks that make your group special. Once your book club has found its groove and you’re ready to mix it up, here’s some of our favorite ways to spice up your book club:

Related Resources:

• The 8 best book club activities
• Fun places to host a book club meeting
• 10 innovative ideas to shake up your book club

 

Ready to start your book club? Sign up for Bookclubs today and start a book club that is built to last

Bookclubs is the top app for book clubs and the readers looking to join them. Offering the tools to bring readers together, schedule meetings, facilitate discussions, and discover what to read next, Bookclubs is the place to build your book club so it stays organized and stays together. Start your book club today at bookclubs.com.

On the Bookclubs website or app, you'll find all the club organizing tools you’ll need to keep your book club running smoothly, including:

• Automated Meeting Scheduling & Reminders: The meeting syncs with your calendar and all members receive meeting reminders so whether you’re meeting virtually or in-person, you’re keeping book club on the calendar!
• Interactive Polls: Avoid those lengthy email chains with our interactive polls for book selection, choosing your next meeting time, and more.
• Message Boards & 1:1 Direct Messages: Share your latest book banter with direct messaging features and club message boards.
• Digital Shelving: Keep track of what your club (or you) has read and wants to read next. See in an instant what your club is reading this month, view your past reads in one place, and recommend books to each other – so you always have options for what to read next!
• Grow Your Club: Looking to connect with readers outside your personal circle? Open your club to the public and find new members in your hometown or across the globe.