MultiHub Forum

I'm thinking of starting a small, virtual book club with a focus on speculative fiction and sci-fi, but I want to avoid the common pitfall where only a few people actually read the book and the discussion fizzles out after twenty minutes. I'm aiming for a group of about eight to ten committed members who want deep, engaging monthly conversations. For those in successful book clubs, what structural choices have made the biggest difference? How do you select books collaboratively to ensure buy-in, what discussion formats or prepared questions work best to keep the conversation flowing, and how do you handle the logistics of scheduling and reminders without it becoming a burden for one person?

Quick 6-week starter plan: Week 0 pick 6–8 candidates; Week 1 poll; Week 2 announce book; Week 3 and 4 prep; first meeting; set expectations; after meeting, gather feedback and adjust. Tools to use: Google Forms for polls, Notion or a shared doc for prompts, calendar invites; sample prompts: 'What surprised you about the world-building?' 'Which character's choices challenged your assumptions?'

If you'd like, I can draft a ready-to-use meeting agenda and a book-picking poll template to get you started.