How I Started a Book Club (And Why Every Adult Reader Needs One)
READING LIFE · DA LIT MAMAS · BOOK CLUB TIPSAt some point, I really started reading. Not as a child obligation but as a grown woman choosing books for herself. What started as a pandemic pastime became DA Lit Mamas, a Black women-led bookstagram and book club community that I co-founded with my best friend, D'Linda. Here is the full story and everything I learned about how to start a book club that people actually show up for.
How DA Lit Mamas Started: A 2020 Pandemic Story
The year is 2020, and the month is September. The world as we know it has been completely ripped to pieces by this crazy viral infection known as COVID-19. Are you having flashbacks yet? I’m talking about the burning masks, 6 feet apart, no toilet paper, and above all else, gas prices were down! So the virus ransacks our country, and all the while, little ole me is sitting in Orlando, FL, working away at the food bank, when I decided to STOP listening to podcasts and try a book. I popped open the Libby app (if you don’t use Libby in 2023, what are you even doing? Shout-out to Josh for getting me started years ago.) and scrolled to find a highly rated book. That book was none other than The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. Also, it should be noted that until I was an adult, I had stopped reading for fun and read only books I had to for school, personal development, biographies, or work. As a 30-year-old woman, I had never read a book with a … spicy scene. 50 Shades of WHO?
We don’t know her! Partway through the book, after many moments of smiling to myself, I messaged my friend D’Linda and told her to pick up this book, but listen to it on audio. SHE WASN’T READYYYYY… we giggled over this book, and I was immediately excited to hear from another. I would then be wrecked to my core by listening to A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum. Recommended to me by D’Linda … this time, it was I who wasn’t ready. Devastated, I cried in the office and told D’Linda we should try this Pinterest Challenge, where we would read books from around the world. D’Linda didn’t know that SHE would be embarking on that journey alone, as I THOUGHT I would love it until I realized just how boring those books were.
I didn’t pick up another book until 2021! I had relocated back to Missouri, and around September, I decided to explore reading again. After much persuasion, I would get D’Linda to start an Instagram page with me to post about our books. I thought the page was more for her as she would breeze through books and tell me all about them. But I knew her thoughts needed to be shared with others, and I would enjoy adding more books to my never-ending TBR list.
What Is DA Lit Mamas?
DA Lit Mamas is a bookstagram and adult reading community co-founded by Aryiel Everett and D'Linda Pearson in 2021. The community lives on Instagram, TikTok, and the Bookclubs app, with a focus on encouraging adult readers of all paces to find books they genuinely love.
5 Things You Need to Start a Book Club
If you want to know how to start your book club, it’s best to iron out a few things first! So here are 5 things you need to start your book club:
Do you want to do a virtual or physical book club?
There are so many ways to host a book club. You can meet in person at a local coffee shop or library to discuss your book. This is an excellent opportunity to support a local place. If you want to host a virtual club, many apps can help you set up or book one. For example, we use the Book Clubs app.
What is your cadence going to be?
How often do we meet monthly, and to some extent, give you a little time to read and not put a ton of pressure to rush it? Remember, This d to be realistic, and something works for your group.
How will you communicate with your group, and how often will you do so?
This one time, a little bit into the virtual vs. not-virtual. Using the bookclubs app has allowed us to send messages directly to our group and converse with one another. But, of course, you can also use Facebook, Instagram, and any group messaging platform.
4. Deciding on what you will read?
Having social media has helped us. We have our Instagram page where we will host a poll. We also have our app that will simultaneously host a poll and tally the results. We have also pre-selected the themes we will be reading.
5. Have questions prepared for the meeting?
Come to each meeting prepared with questions, but also be prepared for your group to decide to navigate the conversation in a different direction. We try to meet for about an hour, and usually come with 5 questions. Sometimes we hit them all, and other times we hit 1 and then move through different conversations.
What We Have Built Since 2021
We sit at over 4000 followers and growing
An impressive amount of DM’s + Missouri chat groups
Rules about what books we will accept to read and review from publishing companies and independent authors
Reels
A TikTok
And a mutha f*** book club y'all
Ready to Start Reading?
If any part of this story sounds like you, pull up a chair. Whether you are looking for your next read, want to join a community of adult readers, or are ready to launch your own book club, you are in the right place. Follow DA Lit Mamas on Instagram and come read with us.
