1. What kind of book club?
Decide on a club orientation: somewhere between highly social and seriously academic.
2. What kind of books?
Choose a literary genre or a mix of genres: fiction (current or classic), poetry, drama, mystery, sci-fi, current events, history, or biography. (See Selecting Books.)

3. How many members?
8 to 16 members are best: enough for a discussion if several are absent, but not too many to make discussions unwieldy.

4. How often should we meet?
Once a month works best for most clubs. Some meet every 6 weeks. Pick a schedule and try to stick with it.

5. When should we meet?
Weekdays: mid-morning, lunchtime, dinner, evening—depends on jobs, childcare, family dinners or difficulty driving at night. Weekends: Saturday morning, or Sunday afternoon or evening.

6. Where should we meet?
Homes, clubhouses, public libraries, churches, local Y’s, restaurants—all make good meeting places.

7. What should we call ourselves?
Give your club an identity — Brookville Book Babes, Reading's Red Hat Readers, New London Literary Lions. Or simply the Lakewood Book Club — that works.

8. How do we keep in touch?
Send out monthly meeting reminders. If not everyone uses email, mail postcards. Distribute a complete list of phone numbers, home addresses, and e-mails.

9. Keeping memories
Keep a club journal—a 3-ring binder to keep track of the books you’ve read, plot summaries, discussion highlights, and members’ opinions. It's especially to bring new members up to speed.

10. Giving to Community
Collect dues for a scholarship or an annual literacy award at a local school. Purchase books for your local library, or become involved in a tutoring program.