How to start a book club with strangers
Your friends do not read, and you still want a book club. A club of people you have not met can work well: everyone in it chose to be there.
Where to find them
Your library. Most branches have a notice board, and the librarian usually knows who has been asking about a reading group.
Meetup and local Facebook groups, for "book club" in your town. Look for groups with a next meeting posted, not a description.
Reddit's r/bookclub and the Bookclubs and Fable apps, for online clubs with open seats.
A sign in a café with the book's name on it and a way to reach you. People answer these.
The first book for people who don't know each other
Not your favourite. A book none of you has read, under 300 pages, that is easy to find. Let the club's taste choose it: everyone rates five movies and EpyLog gives the club three books that fit all of you, with a reason for each. Strangers vote on three without having to argue with people they just met.
Make it safe to talk before the meeting
Strangers do not text each other about a book. But they will answer a question, if the question is about something specific and nobody can see their answer first.
EpyLog asks the club one question at each stopping point, shown to each reader the moment they get there. You answer, then you see the others. By the first meeting the club has already talked.
Keep the room spoiler-proof
With strangers, one spoiled ending is the end of the club. Each member says what chapter they are on and sees the conversation up to that chapter and nothing past it. Nobody has to trust anyone's manners.
Nobody has to be in charge
The reminders, the meeting date, the message to the person who went quiet all come from the club, not from you. That matters more with strangers: nobody wants a stranger chasing them.
The link
Once you have four people, give EpyLog your email and the book, or let it pick one, and send the link. Anyone with the link joins with an email. Set it to invite only if you want to decide who is in.
Questions people ask
How do I find a book club near me? Ask at your library, search Meetup and local groups for one with a next meeting posted, or put up a sign with the book's name on it.
How do you start a book club with people you don't know? Pick a short book none of you has read, agree on a pace, and talk at stopping points before you meet. EpyLog runs that part.
Can a book club be online with strangers? Yes. Progress is by chapter and nobody sees past their own place, so the room is safe for people who do not know each other.
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