Issue #4: Book clubs are here!

Book clubs have arrived on Margins! We believe reading is better together, so we wanted to help you handle all of your book club needs (short of the cheese plate) in one place. Invite people, schedule meetups, collect suggestions, and vote on your next read. As with any new feature, I'm sure there's a lot we can improve. I'd love to hear how it goes. Best, Paul

For now, this feature is meant for people who are already in book clubs. Clubs are invite-only; you have to share your club link with people to get them to join.

Skip the back-and-forth. You can choose a date, or poll members on when to meet. Organizers can also put the next read to a vote and set a deadline. There are two ways to do this: polls can invite members to pick one or more books from a list, or rank their choices in order of preference.

Collect ideas for future reads. Anyone in the group can nominate titles and leave comments.

Add past meetups and the books you read to keep a record.

What's the secret to a successful book club?
Reading should bring people together, not feel like an obligation, so we keep the space welcoming and no-pressure. Read, yap, make friends, and go on little bookish side quests.

How do you choose the next book?
Members send in their picks and a wheel picker chooses one at random. Sometimes we go by theme instead. Giving everyone a say makes people feel more involved.

What do you love about your club?
It’s becoming more than a shared book. We've held silent reading sessions and bookish meetups, and everyone reads at their own pace.

What's the best food and drink for a meetup?
Whatever everyone is craving. Coffee is the constant, because reading with a good cup just feels right.

What’s your club about?
I wanted to read more and talk about it, and two friends felt the same, so we invited friends and friends of friends. Now about 60 to 70 people are in the group, mostly lurking. We meet in person monthly, and anywhere from five to 25 people show up.

How do you choose your books?
We look two months ahead, so anyone borrowing from the library has time to get the hold. Each person can suggest one title. We used to allow more, but it got overwhelming. If you come to the meeting, you can pitch your pick in person. The winners tend to be books nobody has read.

What does a meetup look like?
It's always a potluck. People eat and catch up first, then we recap the book together. You don't need to have read the book, and nobody has to talk. At the end we go around the circle with ratings. The recap runs long, probably two hours, but that's where the meat is: people remembering and reacting to each other's reactions.

What about logistics?
We take turns hosting in someone's home, which feels friendlier than a restaurant, and we picnic in summer. A fixed day would be easier on me, but polling keeps the club accessible. 

Any advice for running a thriving club?
Decide what you want out of it, because there are many kinds of book clubs. Mine is about getting people to read. A friend's club reads the classics online for deeper analysis, and a group of five friends who take turns picking is just as valid. Your purpose guides the rest: in person or virtual, fixed schedule or flexible, members choose the books or you set a program…There's no right way.

I broke up with my book club after running it for 18 months. Buttttttt I loved the experiment. Here are 10 things I learned: