Book Groups: A How-To Guide

So You Want To Set Up A Book Group?  

If you are setting up a book group for the first time, there are a few key things to consider.

  • Where will you hold it and when will you meet?
  • Will your group be open to the public or a closed group?
  • Will your group focus on a particular genre?
  • How will you choose which books to read?
  • Where will you get your books from?

This guide is designed to help you with the initial set-up of the group with some links to information you might find useful.


Where would you like to hold your book group?

This should be a joint decision amongst the group members and you should take into consideration members access needs, as well as other considerations such as transport links and parking.

Your Home

Pros Cons

Ease of access

 All members might not have the space or peace and quiet at home to host a group

Can be more laid back if members know each other well

Organising your own refreshments can be a hassle you could do without

Can be quieter for a discussion

 Not suitable if you want your group to be open to the public.

You can organise your own refreshments, making it a cheaper experience.

  

The Pub or a Cafe or Tearoom

Pros Cons

If you choose the right pub, plenty of seats and space

Can be noisy and you may be interrupted

Refreshments on tap

Bear in mind if you meet in a pub that some group members may not want to drink alcohol

It's easier for your group to be open to the public if you wish

Meetings may not be possible at busy times.
Easier for members to opt in and out without hosting responsibilities Could work out more expensive

 

You may also want to ask about local community venues such as a church hall, or maybe a local book shop or library may be willing to offer you a space to meet. Bear in mind that refreshments might be harder to arrange in one of these spaces and also that you may be constrained by their staffed opening hours.


Will your group be open to the public or a closed group?

This is something you will decide at the outset and will significantly affect the way the group works. Whether you decide to have a closed group, a group that is open to friends joining or a group that is open to the public, you should remember that the group should be a welcoming friendly meeting that doesn't feel like a chore or a burden to organise. Only start a group that is open to the public if this is something you feel comfortable doing.

Closed groups/ Friends only

You should agree at this at the outset so that all members are happy with this and understand whether they can invite friends to join. This type of group can be the nicest and easiest to run, however if you want your group to be special interest or you are interested in meeting new people with different tastes in books to your existing friends, you might consider starting a group that is open to the public.

Public groups

There are a lot of successful groups who have started this way and members have become firm friends. With social networking sites and community blogs, it is quite easy to spread the word about your group to those who might be interested. You could create a facebook page for your group, or a blog page using free sites like Wordpress, to let people know more about the group, or to update members who missed the last meeting what book you are reading this month.

IMPORTANT: We would never recommend meeting up with people you don't know alone, giving out personal details online or inviting a stranger to your home. If you are holding a public group, it is always best to hold it in a public place, where you feel comfortable, where there are other people around and at least one other person you know well.

It's also important to bear in mind that if you open your group to the public, you should expect that there may be people who come along who you don't see eye to eye with. If you organise a public book group, part of your role is to respect the views of others and to encourage other group members to do the same. You can't control who may come along so if you're not comfortable with that, then a public book group is not for you.


Reading material - Genres and choosing books

There are some book groups which read only biographies, or historical romance. There are some which read The Big Read books recommended by the BBC. Some book groups like to keep up to date on the latest in literature by reading the Booker Prize  or Orange Prize nominees.

There is no shortage of ideas or themes to keep your book group's reading varied and interesting. If you decide on a theme or genre, it should again be a joint decision and also take into account how you are going to get hold of the books (see section below). There are examples and links on the Useful Links for Book Groups Page.

How and when you decide what books to read is something that should be agreed in advance and should take into account that everyone may wish to suggest a book at some point. The group will work much better if people actually want to read the book. Reading a book is a considerable undertaking if you really don't want to, but in a long-running book it is probably unavoidable, so a system is useful to keep everyone happy.

The hat system: If you are deciding month by month but find it difficult to agree, this works well. Every month each member writes their suggestion on a piece of paper and puts it in a hat and whichever title is drawn will be read next month.


Obtaining the books

Your book group may want to buy each book in turn or obtain them from your local library. It is worth bearing in mind that some bookshops offer a discount to book groups if you buy in bulk so you might want to ask you local bookseller.

Depending on which local authority you live in, your local library will have different services available for books groups. Some have book group collections especially for book groups and there are also some which have special book group tickets to take out multiple copies.