How to Start a Women's Book Club
Settle on a time to meet., Decide how often to meet., Choose the right atmosphere., Offer snacks., Keep things casual, but maintain a few rules., Give your members an idea of how long the meetings should last., Consider scheduling in a bit of extra...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Settle on a time to meet.
As a general rule, weeknights are better than weekends.
Narrowing down the best possible time can be a challenge in itself, though.
A meeting that starts at 7:00 to 7:30 PM gives your members just enough time to eat dinner with their families and may make it possible for them to get back home before bedtime if they have children.
Meetings can start anytime between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM if your target membership consists of single women or women without children.
If you want members who are stay-at-home moms, you can also meet during the late morning or early afternoon when kids are at school.
Think of a meeting that starts sometime between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. -
Step 2: Decide how often to meet.
Most book clubs meet about once per month, since a monthly meeting gives each member ample time to read each book.
If you want your book club to be a little closer knit, you can also meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to discuss each book as you read it.
Setting up checkpoints, such as having the first half of the book read within two weeks, can help keep members at the same pace.
If you do opt to meet on a monthly basis, you can stay in touch in between meetings via e-mail.
Staying in touch with one another can be just as effective at building a stronger connection amongst your members as meeting in person each week. , Many women’s book clubs are meant to be a little personal, so meeting in one another’s homes can work wonderfully.
If you or your members feel uncomfortable with this idea, you can opt to meet at a coffee shop or library.
Take turns hosting.
If you do meet at one another’s homes, ask each member who feels comfortable or who has the space to hold a few meetings in her home.
This prevents the stress from resting squarely on the shoulders of one or two people. , Whether buying bottled water and commercially packaged cookies or baking a fancy layer cake and brewing homemade iced tea, refreshments are a good way to get people to relax and open up.
The snacks can be as elaborate or simple as you’d prefer, and you can also ask other members to contribute once your group gets established. , A women’s book club is a good way to make new friends, but if you keep the structure too loose, your club may lose its purpose.
Make it a rule that each member must read the book before coming to club.
You should also have some rule or guideline about how often each member must show up, and you should strongly encourage members to let you or someone else know when they cannot come. , The modern woman is a busy person, and knowing just how long a meeting will last can go a long way in encouraging her to come in the first place.
Many book clubs meet for about 60 minutes, but you can trim that down to 30 minutes if your members are exceptionally busy or if you meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. , As your club members get closer, the temptation to talk about off-topic matters will almost certainly increase.
You may want to schedule an extra 15 to 30 minutes before or after official book club business for members to chat and socialize about non-club matters. -
Step 3: Choose the right atmosphere.
-
Step 4: Offer snacks.
-
Step 5: Keep things casual
-
Step 6: but maintain a few rules.
-
Step 7: Give your members an idea of how long the meetings should last.
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Step 8: Consider scheduling in a bit of extra time for socializing.
Detailed Guide
As a general rule, weeknights are better than weekends.
Narrowing down the best possible time can be a challenge in itself, though.
A meeting that starts at 7:00 to 7:30 PM gives your members just enough time to eat dinner with their families and may make it possible for them to get back home before bedtime if they have children.
Meetings can start anytime between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM if your target membership consists of single women or women without children.
If you want members who are stay-at-home moms, you can also meet during the late morning or early afternoon when kids are at school.
Think of a meeting that starts sometime between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
Most book clubs meet about once per month, since a monthly meeting gives each member ample time to read each book.
If you want your book club to be a little closer knit, you can also meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to discuss each book as you read it.
Setting up checkpoints, such as having the first half of the book read within two weeks, can help keep members at the same pace.
If you do opt to meet on a monthly basis, you can stay in touch in between meetings via e-mail.
Staying in touch with one another can be just as effective at building a stronger connection amongst your members as meeting in person each week. , Many women’s book clubs are meant to be a little personal, so meeting in one another’s homes can work wonderfully.
If you or your members feel uncomfortable with this idea, you can opt to meet at a coffee shop or library.
Take turns hosting.
If you do meet at one another’s homes, ask each member who feels comfortable or who has the space to hold a few meetings in her home.
This prevents the stress from resting squarely on the shoulders of one or two people. , Whether buying bottled water and commercially packaged cookies or baking a fancy layer cake and brewing homemade iced tea, refreshments are a good way to get people to relax and open up.
The snacks can be as elaborate or simple as you’d prefer, and you can also ask other members to contribute once your group gets established. , A women’s book club is a good way to make new friends, but if you keep the structure too loose, your club may lose its purpose.
Make it a rule that each member must read the book before coming to club.
You should also have some rule or guideline about how often each member must show up, and you should strongly encourage members to let you or someone else know when they cannot come. , The modern woman is a busy person, and knowing just how long a meeting will last can go a long way in encouraging her to come in the first place.
Many book clubs meet for about 60 minutes, but you can trim that down to 30 minutes if your members are exceptionally busy or if you meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. , As your club members get closer, the temptation to talk about off-topic matters will almost certainly increase.
You may want to schedule an extra 15 to 30 minutes before or after official book club business for members to chat and socialize about non-club matters.
About the Author
Ann White
Enthusiastic about teaching pet care techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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