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December 26, 2014

Librify – A Shared Reading Experience

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Reading has traditionally been viewed as a solitary activity. However, as book clubs increase in popularity — an estimated 5 million people now belong to at least one — reading is transforming into a shared experience. Librify helps to facilitate that sharing, providing avid readers with tools they can use to track their friends’ progress through books, share personal notes, and see which parts of specific novels were most loved and loathed by the people they care about the most.

An ebook platform and online subscription service that’s still in Beta, Librify turns reading into a shared experience. For a flat monthly fee, you can get access to a new “recommended” book each month. You also get a discount on other ebooks that you purchase through the service. More importantly, Librify has developed a social connection platform that you can use to create virtual book clubs with your friends. Find out what your friends are reading, how far along they are in particular books, and leave comments that they can see from within the web-based application. You can also “invite” friends to read books with you, which is an ideal solution for book club members.

Another major part of Librify is the platform’s recommendation engine. Members can see which books their friends loved, and they can purchase books based on Librify’s top picks. For people who love book clubs and use e-readers, Librify is worth checking out.

Practical Uses:

  • See how far along your friend is in a novel to avoid any spoilers
  • Find out what books your best friends are reading
  • Get insight from bestselling authors during live online discussions
  • Share notes with friends while reading the same book

Insider Tips:

  • Sign up through Facebook to get alerts when your friends join Librify
  • Get a discount on books purchased through Librify
  • Create custom bookshelves based on your favorite categories of books
  • Target has partnered with Librify to offer e-books

What we liked:

  • Librify has found a way to make reading more interactive
  • People can access most Librify features without signing up for a subscription
  • Users can “follow” their friends’ bookshelves
  • Subscribers get discounts on other books, in addition to receiving a new book each month

What we didn’t like:

  • Librify doesn’t offer as many books for sale as competitors like Amazon

Alternatives:

  • Nothing

Company Info:

  • Launched: March 2014 (Beta)
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: New York, New York
  • Founded by: Joanna Stone Herman
  • Web site: https://librify.com

Costs:

  • Free features
  • Membership is $6.99 per month

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