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Step 1
Decide how big or small the book club will be. You will also need to decide if you will open the club to the public or form it with people you already know. Opening the club to the public will bring fresh ideas, but may also bring people with personalities not ideally suited to the group. If you open the club to the public, you will need a plan for dealing with people who are disruptive and don’t mesh well with the rest of the group. In any case, you will want to limit club membership to a manageable number so that all members will have the chance to participate in the discussion.
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Step 2
Find a place for the mystery book club to meet. If you know all members of the club, you may want to have the first meeting at your house and then alternate future meetings at other members’ homes. If the group will include people that you haven’t met, a meeting in a public place, such as a library or church, would be better. Call local libraries, community centers, churches and other organizations and ask if they offer free meeting space for groups.
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Step 3
Make up flyers if your club will be open to the public. Include the date, time and location of the first meeting, a brief description of the club and a contact number. If you can afford it, place a small ad in a local newspaper or shopper.
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Step 4
Select the mysteries you will read during the first meeting. Ask each member to select a few titles, compile all titles and ask members to vote on them. Decide how often the book club will meet and if members will take turns providing refreshments. Put together a written list of rules as decided on by the membership and distribute it at the next meeting. Also provide a written list of the books to be read and the order in which they will be read.
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Step 5
Set the rules for the book club at the first meeting. Will the club focus only on the books or will there be time for chatting? How will members who don’t follow the rules be handled? Who will lead the discussions? Type a list of the rules as decided on by the membership and distribute at the next meeting.
