How to run a book club
Five steps, from the first invite to the tenth meeting.
1 Gather
Start small, with people who’ll actually show up.
- About eight is a good size to aim for. It’s enough for a real conversation, and small enough that everyone gets a word in.
- Ask a few friends, and let each of them bring someone.
- Agree early on what the club is for: how often you meet, and how serious the reading is.
- Decide how new people join: anyone can invite, or the group talks first.
Size advice from BookBrowse’s guide to first meetings ↗
On Stoa, your club has one invite link, and people join from it on any phone or computer. See the tour
2 Choose
Pick books people will want to talk about, and keep the first few short.
97% of book club members say good discussion is a core thing they look for in a book. BookBrowse, 2019 ↗
- Keep early picks to around 300 pages or less, so nobody falls behind in the first months.
- Plan two or three months ahead, so everyone has time to get the book.
- Take turns suggesting books, then choose together.
Under 300 pages
- The Enchiridion Epictetus, under 50 pages
- Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck, about 107 pages
- Train Dreams Denis Johnson, about 116 pages
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold Gabriel García Márquez, about 122 pages
- The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway, about 140 pages
- Giovanni's Room James Baldwin, about 159 pages
On Stoa’s Shelf, the books up for the next pick, members suggest books and rank them together. Find a good book
3 Meet
Meet once a month, for about two hours.
- Most clubs meet monthly and read one book at a time.
- If people don’t know each other yet, meet somewhere public, like a café or a library, until the group settles.
- At the first meeting, go around the room: who you are, and why you want to be in a book club.
- Leave a little time to catch up before you start on the book.
Rhythm and first-night advice from BookBrowse’s guide to first meetings ↗
Stoa finds a night that suits everyone, keeps the date, place and replies in one place, and can send reminders. See the tour
4 Talk
Have one person lead, and make room for the quieter voices.
- The person who suggested the book often leads. Many groups find a leader useful, however experienced they are.
- Open with a question anyone can answer, then go deeper.
- If one voice takes over, ask someone who hasn’t spoken yet what they thought.
- Let people come even if they didn’t finish.
Questions for any book
- What stayed with you after you finished?
- Which idea, scene or person would you most like to talk about?
- Where did you disagree with the author?
- Did the book change how you see anything in your own life?
- What did the author leave out that you wanted to know?
- Who would you give this book to, and why?
- What would you ask the author if you could?
- Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
Every book on our lists also has three questions of its own. Find a book
On Stoa, each book has its own thread, so the talk carries on between meetings, and reviews can hide spoilers.
5 Keep going
Keep the books varied, and check in now and then.
91% of book club members say reading books they otherwise wouldn’t is very important to them. BookBrowse, 2019 ↗
- Take turns choosing, so the books don’t all come from one taste.
- Keep a record of what you’ve read and what people thought of it.
- Every few months, ask what’s working and what to change.
Stoa’s Painted Wall keeps every book your club has finished, with everyone’s reviews.
Ready when you are.
Reading this guide and the book lists never needs an account. Starting a club takes a free one, and gives your club one place for the invite, the Shelf, the date and the talk.