How do I set up a local book club?

[FairTurtle]

I know this might be a stupid question, but I'm a bit stuck. I'd planned to use Meetup, but turns out you have to pay a monthly subscription of over £30 to be an organiser! A bit annoying, as this really would have been the best way. Any other ideas?

Watching with interest!

A notice in a local bookshop, cafe or library? You would want to be meeting somewhere public and safe, at least until you get an idea of what the other members are like.

I'm in a book club but we were all friends already, so meet in one another's houses.

Have you any friends, neighbours, people from work or church? You don't need masses. We have a successful little group with only 4 of us.

If not, maybe place a poster in the local library-at least you know that the people who read the poster like reading!

Facebook local pages initially, meet in person in public.

Once established, WhatsApp.

Post on local FB group and see if there's any interest. Could meet in a pub or coffee shop on alternate months, take turns in choosing the book. If you get on could meet in homes if anyone wants to volunteer.

Could you start with a small handfull of local friends, then it will grow organically.
We had a group of 6 friends from he pub, and after word of mouth, we are now at about 25.

Actually bigger groups are more problematic - as we host in each others homes, so no one now has 25 chairs.

A facebook post in your local community maybe?

Have you got a local community fb group? Maybe post on there thatvyiu would like to see if anyone else is interested and go from there. Your first meet up could be to bring your favourite book to chat about. And then pick a book together for the next time. There is one local to me that I keep meaning to go to - they do 2nd Monday of the month at different local pubs. Am planning to go to the March one - have started the book and everything!

Where I used to live, some mums in a school class started one - was about 6 - 10 of us that went to each other's houses. Not everyone could do each get together, but was nice.

My friend in a Pilates class asked if anyone was interested and got a group of 6 going. We go to each other's houses and have coffee. We're quite resistant to new people joining because it works well.

I would suggest a local Facebook page as well. Advertise a time and place - we’ve use a pub on a quieter day (Monday). Maybe have one over boons lined up which the new group could decide upon.

for many months, we had three in our group, but it has grow. Since then.

I'm thinking of starting one in our local, community run pub. Will advertise on FB, put a notice on the Village Hall etc. I'm in a small, rural village though.