Announcing Bookship, a social reading app

Recently I had the chance to jointly read Dune with my son Erik, Evicted with my daughter Kristen, and (gulp) Thucydides with a dear friend in Utah and one of my nephews. I reconnected with people I care about in a really meaningful way. I read books I wouldn’t have otherwise read and got more out of the books I would have read anyway. It was like our own private book club.

Reading is better with friends.

Social media is awash in book-related content. Goodreads and Facebook reviews, Instagram photos (check out #bookstagram for a cuteness overload), #fridayreads on Twitter, the list goes on. But there’s no good place to share the complete experience of reading a book.

Sure, I can write a review on Goodreads when I’m done — and it will be lost in the ocean of other reviews there. And it’s after-the-fact anyway. By the time I’m done reading, I’ve forgotten most of my special moments or insights. Sure I can post on Facebook — but nobody has any context for why I’m posting, and it’ll be lost in the sea of noise that is Facebook. I may not even be friends with the people I want to share with.

Reading a book together is a unique way of strengthening a relationship or getting the most of out a book. It deserves a purpose-built, books-aware experience, where you can share your thoughts and reactions as they happen, not two weeks later when you’re done with the book. An experience that creates companionship and context while you’re reading. An experience that helps you learn from other readers.

Introducing Bookship.

Bookship is a mobile app purpose-built for sharing your reading experiences with your family, friends and co-workers. Perfect for your book club, or just staying in touch with your friend across the country. Better still it creates a reason for you to stay in touch with them! And it’s as easy as snapping a picture or posting a note.

Here’s a quick look at it in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2AbXKD36aE

With Bookship you can invite friends, family and co-workers to read along with you, whether they are reading a physical book, an ebook, even an audio book. Post and react to comments, thoughts, photos/videos, quotes, links and questions, all in an easy-to-use chat-style interface. Get notified when others post and keep in sync with them while you read by sharing your location. Dogear passages with a quick photo with your phone, even have Bookship extract the text from the page you took a picture of!

Whether it’s reading a great novel with your best friend across the country, a business book with your co-workers, or participating in a neighborhood book club, Bookship enriches your reading experience and your relationships.

Bookship is available now for iOS and Android, and it’s free to start. Get it here: https://www.bookshipapp.com