How to Sustain Book Club Membership
How to Sustain Book Club Membership
By Tanisha Williams
A book club is only as good as its members. Without a strong base of committed members, your book club will ultimately fall apart. For this reason, a book club needs members who have a genuine interest in the material being presented. It is also essential that the simple interest of those in the club eventually turns into commitment. There are a few tips to take into consideration if you wish to sustain your book club membership.
Recruit Interested Members. You should be on the lookout for members with whom you have shared interests – books, books and more books. Ask people who you think might be interested in joining your book club because they want to, not because they need to. Take advantage of social media – post details such as when and where you have your book club gatherings, what you need to bring, etc.
Keep Discussions Lively. If you have several meetings where there is awkward silence, people will inevitably lose interest. People come to a book club to engage in discussions about books and if there is little talking, people will most likely stop showing up. Regardless of whether you are a facilitator or an ordinary member, you hold responsibility to speak up and generate interest amongst other members who are a part of the club.
Create a Positive and Comfortable Atmosphere. A book club is nothing more than a social group that meets for a specific purpose. An effective reading group needs structure. However, too much structure can ultimately cause members to feel a bit uneasy. You should try and create a perfect balance of fun and structure in order to breed a positive and comfortable atmosphere.
Let them Speak. Giving everyone their chance to speak is vital if you wish to sustain your membership. As with any group of people, there will be those who prefer to speak and those who prefer to listen. Encourage participation but don’t be too pushy-generally those who prefer to listen do not have anything to say. You should make an attempt to pay close attention to the dynamic of the group. If certain people seem to be controlling the entire conversation while someone else is trying to have their say, you should casually ask what the listener’s thoughts are. Understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and although you may not agree with it, that gives you no excuse to become offensive about it.
Don’t Hog the Reading List. In order to strengthen book club membership, it is essential that everyone has a say in what books are chosen for reading. Instead of letting one person have complete control over the reading list, allow members to take turns in picking books. Book club memberships tend to thrive a lot longer if more people have a say. You can still give your opinion on what you like and what you dislike in relation to reading, just to hog the show!
Set Rules about Attendance. Attendance is obviously a very important factor for book clubs. These types of clubs only work if the members are willing to show up. While it is understandable that everyone will miss a meeting here and there, it can be discouraging to other members if one member is constantly displaying a lack of interest by never showing up. It’s ultimately up to you to set the example. By keeping up with the reading requirements and showing up to each session, you will show other members your genuine interest in the material and will be indirectly encouraging them to show up.
Book clubs can be every effective for readers if each member is willing to do their part. As a reader who is a member of this kind of club, there are certain tips you need to take into consideration in order to sustain your book club membership and make the most out of it. By following these tips, you should have no problem sustaining your membership.
Tanisha Williams is the author of two non-profit e-books “501c3 In 12-Steps” and “Simple Internal Controls That Protect Your Assets”. Her desire for more interaction with readers was the key inspiration behind the development of her latest business venture ChatEbooks (https://www.chatebooks.com/). ChatEbooks, launched in October 2014, harnesses the strengths of social media in order to help authors and their readers engage and connect within the context of the selling/reading experience.
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