How to start a book club at work
Work book clubs die of two things: nobody has time, and nobody wants to be the one who admits it. The person who did not finish skips the meeting, and after two skips they are out.
Set the club up so that not finishing is normal.
Keep it private
Set the club to invite only. Nobody outside the group sees it, and nobody inside it has to perform for the whole company. EpyLog keeps the club to the people you send the link to.
Pick a book nobody has to defend
Not a business book. Not the CEO's favourite. Everyone rates five movies, and EpyLog gives the club three books that fit all of you, with a reason for each. Vote on three. Nobody picked it, so nobody is judged for it.
Under 300 pages for the first one.
A pace that fits around work
Thirty pages a day is too much for people with a commute and kids. Twenty is fine. EpyLog sets the finish date from the page count; the organizer can push it out. Six weeks for a normal book is realistic at work.
At each quarter the club asks everyone how far they are. You answer with a page or chapter number. Nobody has to explain.
Nobody gets left behind
The person at chapter four when everyone else has finished is still in the club. They see the conversation up to chapter four, and nothing past it, so nothing is spoiled. When they get to chapter nine, the notes at chapter nine are waiting. EpyLog does this for every reader automatically.
Skip the meeting
A lunch meeting is the thing that kills a work club. Talk while you read instead. Each stopping point has a question from the club, shown to each person the moment they get there; you answer, then you see the others' answers.
If you do meet, once at the end, EpyLog mails everyone the club's answers the day before so the meeting starts with something to say.
Who runs it
Nobody on the team has to. EpyLog sends the reminders, proposes the meeting date, and asks the person who went quiet, so you are never the colleague who chases.
Start it
Send the link to five people on your team. They join with an email. No app, no password, no IT ticket.
Questions people ask
How do you run a book club at work? Keep it private, keep the pace slow, and let people talk while they read instead of at one meeting.
How long should a work book club take per book? About six weeks for a book of normal length, at twenty pages a day.
What if people don't finish? They stay in. Each person sees the club's conversation up to where they are and nothing past it.
Do we need a meeting? No. One at the end if you want it.
Want the app to run it?
Give EpyLog your email and the book, then send your friends the link. Each of you says what chapter you are on and sees the club's notes up to there, and nothing past it. It sends the reminders and sets the meeting.
Set up your club