11/ 10/ 2008
by Maggie Flynn
Book clubs are a great way for book lovers to turn reading into a less solitary pursuit, as well as a good opportunity for friends to socialize every month. Starting a book club for your employees might be a way for you to relax with them in an informal setting, and could even strengthen employee relationships. If you're interested in forming a work-related book club, here are a few tips for getting it off to a good start.
Setting up the logistics
Decide where, when and how often to meet before you ask employees to sign up for your book club. To make participating convenient, consider holding your first meeting during work hours. For example, you could gather in the conference room and provide lunch for the participants.
Another option would be holding the get together directly after work at a coffee shop or bar with a private area where you could carry on a discussion, or host the first meeting at your home, if the majority of your employees could get there easily. No matter where you meet, make sure that refreshments are offered and announced beforehand—food and drink are great incentives for those who may not otherwise pick up a book all year.
Ideally, you would want your book club to meet every four to six weeks, giving club members enough time to read the selected book. Many book clubs that meet monthly take December off, since the holidays are typically everyone's busiest time, as well as one or more of the summer months when members may be busy with vacations and other family activities.
Picking the first book
If you're not sure what to read, there are lots of places you can go for ideas. Oprah Winfrey runs America's most famous book club, and there are lists of her former picks available for perusal at http://www.oprah.com/entity/oprahsbookclub. Another great resource comes courtesy of the American Book Association, where you can browse independent book sellers' top picks month by month: http://www.bookweb.org/indiebound/nextlist/view.html. You might also ask literary-minded friends or clerks at your local bookstore if they have any recommendations.
Leading the discussion
Depending on the make-up of your book club, you might end up having hours-long discussions about the book you read, or you might only engage in a cursory talk about the book and then drift into other topics. While you should let the group take its natural course, you will still want to be prepared to lead participants in a few discussion questions. You can jot down questions and passages of interest as you read, or let other sources do the work for you. Many books include questions for book groups at their end, and many reading group guides can be found easily online for no cost, such as the ones featured at http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp.
Establishing rules for future picks
A great way to get book club members on board is to allow them to choose the selections on a rotating basis. However, establishing a few rules beforehand is a good way to ensure that picks will please a majority of members. Keep selections under 400 pages and make sure the books are readily available—nobody should opt for their favorite book that's been out of print for 20 years. Also, a book club shouldn't feel like homework, so even if you have one employee who is enthusiastically plowing through Finnegan's Wake, she probably shouldn't expect the rest of the group to share her enthusiasm for this or any other excessively difficult title.
To ensure the quality and accessibility of everyone's choice, consider asking people to pick from one of the aforementioned book lists. Happy reading!
