What I've Learned Being a Member of A Book Club for 10 Years

Fun Facts about book clubs in the United States:

Many people first get involved in their 30s
The majority of people in book clubs are over 65 as they have more time
The majority of members are women
Most noted reason for joining is it gets people to read books they otherwise wouldn’t read
Memberships are split down the middle with some members reading ONLY book club books and others reading several books outside of the book club choices
70% of book clubs read fiction
Most members want to read books that expose them to something new
Most book clubs meet monthly discussing 9 to 10 books a year
4 out of 10 clubs make their selections at least 4 months in advance

Guess what??? None of these facts matter when you start your own book club because you have to do what works for you and the people that you choose to start your club with. Here’s what I’ve learned as a member of my own club for 10 years and prior to that I was a member of 2 other clubs that fizzled out. Happy 10 Year Anniversary to RLR Book Club of Macon Middle Georgia!

You don’t need your friends to form a book club. The connecting piece of the book club puzzle is people who like to read. You will naturally form relationships with people off of this common interest. You probably already know a handful of people who like to read. You can start there and reach out to people and usually they will know people. You will continue to get referrals as your club grows and continue to meet new people. I make it a habit to ask women who fit in our 25 year age range if they like to read. Any woman that I talk to and make any type of connection with, I tell them about it. The ones who are interested will respond. That’s business, church, community, work etc.
Everyone that visits your club will not join and drink the Koolaid just because your membership does. Even though you think your book club is the best thing on the planet, for whatever reason everyone that you invite may not think so. They may not like the chemistry and that is ok.
You will have members who you thought were completely dedicated fall off without any explanation. Don’t take it personal. You never know what people have going on in their life.
There has to be organization and leadership. Someone has to be the leader to keep the club routinely going. Just like with any group or organization, if it lacks leadership ultimately the loyalty to the group will vanish because the purpose is not clear or overseen. We have a leader in our club and a treasurer and that seems to have worked well for us. The leader makes sure you do what you are supposed to do and nudge the people who are in charge of whatever they are in charge of.
Everyone needs to have an opportunity to have a role in the club other than just membership. To make sure all members feel important, anyone in our group can choose a book for us to read during our planning session at our annual retreat. That means they get to choose a book of their choice and they also get to choose the restaurant location. They are then responsible for reminding people to get the book, read the book, show up to the meeting and conduct the meeting. We basically turn the club over to a new member with each rotation. This is the same for our Christmas party and service projects. Basically there are no big I’s and little U’s! Make sure everyone that WANTS TO has an opportunity to truly be a part.
We are drama free but there will be times when hard decisions will have to be made. They are made in love, handled respectfully and on a case by case basis! For instance, we have a no refund policy for our retreats BUT life happens and sometimes we have to make accommodations. Rules exists for a reason but so does common sense. Don’t leave your members feeling resentment if you can help it.
Monumental milestones in the club member’s life need to be recognized. You don’t have to go out and throw a bridal shower, but if someone in your club is getting married, having a baby, graduating, dealing with grief of a loved one one etc., it needs to be acknowledged by the club. It’s a common courtesy that people will long remember! We send a card and a designated love offering amount that is taken from our very nominal $10 a year dues. NOTE: We started dues in year 5 or 6 for this exact purpose.
Retreats create by in and excitement for the upcoming year. Our retreat energy is unmatched. Every year we meet and plan out the year: Books, restaurants, service projects, location for Christmas party and the location for the next retreat which is annually held on MLK weekend. It only takes about 90 minutes to do that. The rest of the weekend is spent doing fun activities that bond us closer while making the most amazing memories. We look forward to each year and it gets us excited about the year to come. It cuts out all the extra noise in our communication group of making decisions! We get a printed magnet calendar and you get to utilize that for keeping up with the year. Easy Peasy!
Having a brand (Name, logo, designation and colors) creates pride and loyalty. Our book club is Raving Lady Readers, we are called RLR Joi, we have a logo and to date we have had about 4 shirts printed. Our colors are pink and purple and we affectionately refer to our retreats and meeting as Pink & Purple time. Having a brand and hyping it up gives members something to be proud of. It is important that you share this with new members of your group.
Last but not least, You must respect the members in the book club. There are going to be so many different opinions about book selections, restaurants, politics etc. By nature of any club, you will discuss things other than books. YOUR OPINION is just that. You must know the difference in FACT & OPINION and you gotta put respect on that. You must also be considerate of other’s feelings. Speak your voice but always with love and not with intent to tear anyone down.

I thought this post was timeless because the lessons I’ve learned as a book club member can be applied to any group or organization with minor culture tweaks. You live and evolve as you learn. I am so blessed to know and respect each and everyone of the ladies I’ve met through book club experiences. I challenge you to create a group based on your desired interests and connect with like minded people and apply these principles. You will have better days when you have regular self-related activities to look forward to. Give it a try!

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Rx Fitness Lady

Greetings, I'm Joi, a Pharmacist with a passion for fitness & a community leader. I am the Creator & Senior Fitness Trainer of "In The Paint" Online Group Training Program. I teach BODYCOMBAT, BODYPUMP, Tabata Boot Camp, & serve as a mentor to young girls. My goal is to inspire people to live healthy, active, & prosperous lifestyles through practical blog posts deliveries. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram. ARE YOU WASTING TIME DIETING... Check out my book "Diets Are Dead Win Small With M.E.D.S., DO YOU WANT TO WORKOUT FROM HOME WITH LIVE ACCOUNTABILITY? Join #InThePaint #OneCommunity! You can view more posts, subscribe to stay tuned to latest updates & Shop all things Rx Fitness Lady at The Shoppes at Rx Fitness Lady.

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