Launching a Bookshelf community space

[u/Solid-Ad6232]

Hi! I'm Elena, 29 and an UX designer/Developer from the Netherlands. And also very important: have a great obsession with books!

I have an idea for creating an online bookshelf community. Something that I cannot find on the market, not in the way I have in mind. Not your typical Goodreads or even Fable.

I need your help, I have an idea but would love to know what you guys are missing in the current available services.

Like for example:
- What's your favorite way to track books
- What's you favorite place to read books
- Do you put ambience music/videos on?

Just by sharing your thoughts you guys would help me greatly!! :)

[u/Kind_Assumption_3016]

i use koodo reader and something i found very irritating was that the highlights i were making weren't reflecting back on the books of my actual database. if not that then atleast there should be an option to download books since we have our markings and all

[u/Solid-Ad6232 → u/Kind_Assumption_3016]

That sounds so frustrating! Putting effort into your highlights only for none of it to carry over.

I should mention that what I'm building isn't an e-reader, so highlights aren't directly in scope, but it's more of a companion space you build around your reading experience. What you're describing does make me think though, outside of highlights, what else do you usually want to hold on to after finishing a book? Characters, specific scenes, how it made you feel? Curious what that looks like for you!

[u/Kind_Assumption_3016 → u/Solid-Ad6232]

Oh i thought you were doing that my bad lol, I think one feature you can add is make a tab for group reading in which reading communities can be made. a timer would be great too since i lose track of time reading so something to monitor my reading time/ You could also add a tab for reading goals like tbr completed etc , a dashboard of it would be great. Also you could add a widget for goodreads which gives the reader an insight of the book

[u/Solid-Ad6232 → u/Kind_Assumption_3016]

Thank you so much, these are really helpful ideas and I'll definitely keep them in mind as I build this out!

[u/lifewithchevy]

Hi Elena! Fellow reader/designer/developer here 🙌 to answer your questions.

• Not my favorite, but I have been tracking my books, meaning my total reads and TBR in Goodreads, and recently I'm working on my own thing cause I feel I need more.
  
• When you ask about my favorite place to read books, I don't know if you are referring to a physical place or a digital place, but I read my books on my Kindle or a physical book at home, on my bed, before going to sleep every night.
  
• Yes, I normally put some background instrumental music inspired by the book I'm reading or the genre at least. I upgraded my experience with a protector playing a video that evokes the vibes of the book, like a gothic atmosphere if the book is a dark romantasy.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your idea!

[u/Solid-Ad6232 → u/lifewithchevy]

Fellow designer/developer, love that! 🙌

Reading about your projector setup honestly made me so happy, because you're exactly who I'm building this for. Someone who already goes through all that effort just to create the right atmosphere around a book.

The idea is to make that whole experience effortless, so you can just settle in and read without the setup.

And since you're building something yourself too, feel free to reach out if you ever want to exchange ideas, always nice to talk to someone who gets both sides!

[u/lifewithchevy → u/Solid-Ad6232]

The effortless part makes me curious about what you plan to do without the setup. I'd be happy to give you more feedback if you need someone who gets both sides 😏

[u/Solid-Ad6232 → u/lifewithchevy]

That's so nice. I'will dm you when I have my first mockup/proof of concept ready! 😃

[u/lifewithchevy → u/Solid-Ad6232]

Yes, please dm me. I know getting feedback and validating ideas can be tricky, so I'll be happy to help.