How to Host a Virtual Book Club in 5 Easy Steps

Starting a Virtual book club can seem daunting at first, but it is actually a very fun way to connect with people. Online book clubs allow people in different cities to connect on a regular basis, form friendships, and have meaningful discussions

At the beginning of the pandemic, people realized that if they wanted to continue their book clubs, they would need to create a virtual book club / online book club to stay socially distanced. Now that this is no longer a necessity, you may be wondering if your Zoom book club is a thing of the past or if you should start a new, in-person book club.

There are many advantages to having online book clubs. You can still meet with your friends virtually AND make it a special evening without ever having to leave the house. I will give you step-by-step instructions to host a virtual book club that will rival any in-person meet-up!

Steps to Creating an Online Book Club

1. Decide What Kind of Online Book Club You Want

It is important for you to decide what the purpose is for your online book club.

• Is the purpose to socialize, make friends, read more, etc.?
• Is the purpose a more academic and serious book talk?
• Do you want to read specific genres, best-sellers, new releases, etc.?
• Are you trying to connect with old friends or family who are not local?

2. Figure Out Who You Want to Invite

The best part of online book clubs is the fact that you are not limited by proximity. Whether you want to invite friends or family, how close you live will not be an issue with online book clubs. We encourage you to invite people you do not see on a regular basis.

Your family in Canada or your best friend in California are ideal choices for a Zoom book club. Maybe you want to reconnect with your best friends from childhood or high school or maybe you have some social media friends who live across the country. Creating an online book club is an ideal way to meet up and socialize.

3. Decide How and When to Meet

The most complicated part of starting an online book club is deciding how and when to meet. Which platform will you use?

In order to properly utilize screen sharing, which you will need to do for some of the activities, we recommend creating a free Zoom account. The difference between free and paid is the 40-minute time limit. Zoom will close the meeting automatically at the 40-minute mark. If everyone understands that it happens, it’s easy enough to wait for a new meeting request and get started again.

There are other platforms that you can use as well, like Google Meet, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, Skype, and Adobe Connect. For each of these, one person will need to moderate the meeting.

Choosing when to meet might be the most complicated part. However, if you choose a set time and date each month, it makes it a lot easier to schedule (i.e. third Tuesday of the month).

Kirsten and I have started the ultimate online book club. The Beyond the Bookends Book Club. We use a paid Zoom Account so that our meetings can go as long as we want!

4. Pick a Book for your Virtual Book Club

If you want a fun and easy way to pick a book each month, we recommend you use the Beyond the Bookends reading challenge as a guide. Jackie and I include posts with tons of book suggestions on a given topic. This takes the guesswork out of choosing a book, and you can be assured that we have read and loved all the books on our lists.

If you want to take your book club to the next level, you can join the Beyond the Bookends Book Club. Jackie and I not only pick a book each month, but we also get the author of the book to come discuss it with us.

5. Determine How You Will Have the Discussion

We recommend asking everyone to gather the same supplies – foods, drinks, items you need for a group activity in advance of your meeting. Have the designated group leader ready with discussion questions and activity instructions. Decide of the leader will ask the questions or share the screen so everyone can see the questions.

You can create activities or play games based on the theme of your chosen book. The options are endless. The only constraint is your imagination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Epilogue

We hope this comprehensive guide for starting a virtual book club is helpful.