10 tips for hosting a successful book club
Whether you’re an avid reader looking to share your favorite hobby with friends or you set a personal goal to finish more books this year, a book club is a great way to gather with like-minded literary lovers, enjoy intellectually stimulating conversation, and have fun!
If you’re looking for a new reason to gather with your friend group, socialize to meet new people, or a combination of both, consider hosting a book club, and read on for our list of book club hosting ideas and tips on how to make it a successful event that everyone will look forward to repeating. From getting the word out with fun book club invitations to ideas for food, décor, discussion questions, and more, learn how to host a book club with the help of Paperless Post.
Table of Contents
1. Reach out to potential book club members
The first step in hosting a book club is, well, to create the actual book club! Let your friends know that you’re looking to form the group, and gauge their interest in joining. Send out a text blast, email, or social media post to see who else in your circles may be excited by the idea, and start putting together a contact list of potential members.
Perhaps you already have a handful of close friends who love to read and discuss books—which is great! But a book club can also be a great way to meet new people. If you want to expand your network and connect with other bookworms, post a flyer advertising the book club on a bulletin board at your local library, book store, or neighborhood café along with your contact information.
Additionally, encourage friends to spread the word to their friends, and allow them to bring guests to the first meeting. We recommend keeping the club on the slightly more intimate side (ten to fifteen members or less) to foster a comfortable environment for the best discussions, but feel free to encourage a larger group for the first get-together, just to get the ball rolling.
2. Establish the club’s theme or goals
There are so many great books out there, how will you choose which ones to read at your book club? You may want to focus on a specific genre, if, let’s say, you and your friends are super into fantasy novels or historical fiction. Perhaps you’re looking to dive into the classics, or maybe you’re more interested in keeping up with the current bestsellers list. From celebrity memoirs to literary fiction and more, there are countless categories you could hone in on.
You may also want to decide to keep things broad and choose a different genre for each meetup, switching things up each time—it’s up to you! Discuss these options with your fellow members, and figure out what makes the most sense for everyone’s tastes and preferences.
It’s a good idea to also establish whether the book club’s vibe will be more democratic (with members taking turns hosting, selecting the book, etc.) or if you plan to take ownership of those logistics and decisions. Either way, it’s best to communicate with the group and discuss what everyone wants, to set the ideal vibe.
3. Set a date for the first meeting
When you’re in the process of figuring out how to host a book club, you should establish how often the club will aim to meet. Once a month is generally an achievable frequency, but if you and your friends aren’t sure you’ll have the time to get together that often (or finish the books that fast), once every other month, or once a quarter are also great options.
Then, decide on a date and time for the book club’s first meetup. Pick a date with enough lead time for everyone to acquire and read the book of choice, and coordinate a day of the week and time that works best for everyone’s schedules. A Sunday afternoon get-together over coffee and brunch may be ideal, or perhaps a weeknight hangout with cocktails would work best for your group. The day of the week can always change for future gatherings, but once you’ve selected the first date that works for everyone, it’s time to get planning!
4. Decide on a location
Hosting a book club at home is a comfortable option, allows you to provide your choice of refreshments, and offers flexibility when it comes to timing and headcount. Depending on how many book club members you anticipate, your home may be the optimal venue to encourage free-flowing conversation and relaxed socialization. If you share a living space with family, roommates, or a significant other, make sure to let them know about the event ahead of time so they can plan to make themselves scarce that day (unless they want to join in on the discussion, that is!).
If you’d rather take things to an external location, look into booking a meeting room at your local library or reserving space at a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar. You’ll likely be allowed to gather at these spots free of charge but keep in mind that restaurants, coffee shops, and bars will probably want you to make purchases and support the business if you’re using their space.
5. Choose a book
Perhaps the most important step of all: it’s time to select the club’s first reading assignment. Start compiling a list of options, and ask the other members to add their suggestions as well. Then, have everyone collectively vote on which book they’d like the group to read first. Keep in mind that anything that doesn’t win now can always be saved for future months’ meetings!
If you want to be an extra gracious book club host, you can help members source where they can pick up a copy of the selected book. Public library memberships are one easily accessible (and free!) option that provides hard copies as well as e-books to borrow. You can also send everyone links to purchase the book online or direct them to bookstores that have it in stock.
Ideally, everyone will have finished the chosen book by the time of the meeting, but you can also communicate to your guests whether it’s okay to attend if they aren’t quite finished yet (though they may be risking spoilers!) or if you prefer to keep things more strict.
6. Send customizable book club invitations
Once all of the details are squared away, let everyone know the plan with a beautiful book club invitation you can customize to your liking and send instantly via email, text, or a shareable link. Select an invitation design from a wide range of styles, like the contemporary and colorful Marble Border or the classic and elegant Roman à Clef, both by Paperless Post.
Include all the basic event details on your invitation—date, time, and location. Then, add more information in an organized way with helpful Blocks. Add a Details Block to send information about the book selection, and a Links Block to share a spreadsheet where guests can sign up to bring food or drinks. Add a Schedule Block as well to specify when the discussion will take place, so guests can plan to arrive beforehand.
Enable whether guests are allowed to bring other guests, and set an RSVP deadline so you can get an accurate headcount. Track RSVPs in real-time and easily message your guests individually or in a broadcast message with any event updates. Make sure to send invitations sufficiently in advance, ensuring everyone has time to prepare for a memorable literary soirée.
7. Prepare discussion questions
Once you’ve finished reading, put together some thoughtful and fun discussion questions to facilitate conversation (and maybe even friendly debate). You can start broad, asking about everyone’s overall thoughts, whether or not they liked the book and why, and any favorite moments or passages. Prepare more specific questions about the book’s themes, plot, characters, and takeaways as well, write them down on individual strips of paper, and put them in a bowl to be passed around so that everyone can get an opportunity to contribute their thoughts.
Enable Guest Questions on your book club invitations and encourage guests to submit their own book club discussion ideas, or add a Comment Wall to your event page so that anyone can submit more specific questions once they finish reading the book. Aim to have 15 to 20 or so discussion topics and questions prepared, but don’t worry if you don’t end up getting to them all—ideally, the discussion should flow naturally and conversations will spark other questions spontaneously, as well!
8. Plan a themed menu
If you’re hosting your book club gathering at home, you’ll want to prepare some food and drinks for everyone to enjoy before, during, or after the discussion. The drink menu can include wine, coffee, tea, soda, or anything else you and your guests are in the mood for.
For food, we recommend going with easily shareable appetizers and light bites rather than a formal plated meal. Prepare a cheese and charcuterie platter, miniature quiches (recipe by Preppy Kitchen), or a delicious spinach artichoke dip (recipe by Love & Lemons). Think finger foods and snackable options that won’t distract too much from the lively conversation.
One fun book club food idea to make things extra special is to theme your refreshments around the current read. If the book or author is from a certain region, provide food and cocktail options that pay homage to those origins. Or get creative based on the book’s content! Make heart-shaped cookies (recipe by Sugar Geek Show) to complement a romance novel, tea and scones for a classic British literary work, or anything else your imagination can come up with.
9. Make it festive and fun
Deck out your space with fun decorations from Paperless Post Party Shop to add festive flair. Provide elevated wine glasses, matching plates, and colorful napkins for an impressively cohesive event. Set up seating in an area that allows everyone to comfortably gather and chat, and if you run out of chairs, cushions on the floor are always a fun option too!
If you’re looking for more book club hosting ideas for a truly memorable night, include a message on your invitation suggesting that guests dress as one of the characters from the book, or from the period or region in which it takes place—because who doesn’t love a costume party?
10. Save some time for socializing
In addition to having thought-provoking discussions about literature, hosting a book club is also about socializing with friends and forming connections. Make sure to set aside some time before or after your formal discussion for casual mingling and catching up.
If your book club consists of members who don’t all know each other yet, plan a few icebreaker games for the first meeting as well. Ask everyone about their all-time favorite books, but also feel free to chat about movies, music, or anything else that comes up! The more you get to know each other, the more everyone will look forward to getting together regularly to chat about great books and more.
Find more reasons to celebrate with Paperless Post
Whether you’re hosting your first book club meeting, planning a birthday party, organizing a pickleball tournament, or in the mood for a cozy wine night, Paperless Post has everything you need, from customizable invitations to guest management tools to organize it all. Looking for more reasons to gather with friends? Plan a unique dinner party with our food and theme ideas or host a rousing game night with our step-by-step guide. No matter the occasion, Paperless Post is here to help you celebrate.
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