Maybe try all of the above at first and see what members respond to? I have really no idea. D:

I would say start a discussion every couple of days on new chapters, and then when it's all done, do the topical posts? Or maybe intersperse topical posts with chapter-related posts.

I like the idea of a post every few chapters and then maybe one at the end to discuss the book as a whole. However, I also like the idea of the poster above me who mentioned trying them all at first and see what everyone likes best.

Personally, I like the idea of discussing themes, characters, quotes, etc. more than specific chapters.

Perhaps the first reply has the best idea of trying everything and seeing what people respond to the best :)

Are you planning on doing a suggestion/discussion post to pic books for the upcoming months?

I'm in favor of interspersed chapter and thematic questions. Chapter questions can be useful in keeping everyone on the same page, so to speak, but they could also deter people who are either behind or ahead from jumping in. I think thematic questions can be potentially best as an endcap discussion, but it can also work well to discuss them as they're developed in certain chapters. Like Werther's attitude towards class, women, etc.

I've seen other book communities (of course, given my luck, I cannot recall their names at the moment) where the moderators post chapter discussion posts and they seem to do pretty well.

One thing that appears to help break the ice is if the moderator posts their own personal reactions to the chapter, and their own ideas about symbolism and what they thought about certain quotes, etc. Being the first person to come out and start a discussion is daunting. Having the mod get the ball rolling in such a way appears to help because people can respond to what you say and then form their own ideas to add to the discussion.

Asking specific questions in the post also stimulates the conversation. E.g., "What do you think of character A's reaction to character B's betrayal?" When there is something specific to respond to it seems, in my experience, that people are more apt to comment because it isn't this big general bubble that they have to react to. You could, if you don't feel like posting your own general reactions to the chapter, post a series of questions about the chapter to help guide members in the discussion.

However, like others said, when it comes down to it you might want to try out different methods and then stick with the one the produces the best outcome in terms of quantity and quality. (Blah blah blah, I swear, I'm not normally such a blabby know-it-all.)

I like the idea of doing chapter discussion posts (it's a good starting point for talking about the book), interspersed with thematic post(s).

I agree with the others, let's try different things first and see which one works. :)