Share new arrivals, take book requests and bring readers back for events and recommendations.
The Reading Room
Bookshop • Local and independent
Browse Books
Discover new arrivals
Browse Books
Order a Book
Book Events
Reader Rewards
The Reading Room
Book Events: check the app for the latest details.
0%
commission
Readers miss new arrivals that suit their tastes
Give customers a clear way to discover new arrivals without another missed call or message.
Special orders disappear into handwritten notes
Give customers a clear way to request a title or edition without another missed call or message.
Event seats fill by word of mouth alone
Give customers a clear way to author talks and reading groups without another missed call or message.
Big online shops are always a tap away
Give customers a clear way to thank regular readers without another missed call or message.
Bring book requests and author events together in one app under your own name.
Browse Books
Discover new arrivals; set up for your business in the app editor.
Order a Book
Request a title or edition; set up for your business in the app editor.
Book Events
Author talks and reading groups; set up for your business in the app editor.
Reader Rewards
Thank regular readers; set up for your business in the app editor.
A marketplace listing
Customers see your own business, not a directory of competitors.
A replacement for your existing systems
Keep your specialist tools and choose which pages to use.
Ready-made business content
Add your own real prices, availability and policies before inviting customers.
A promise of automatic results
You decide what to publish and when to contact customers.
Share new arrivals, take book requests and bring readers back for events and recommendations.
Discover new arrivals. Keep the details up to date from your own app.
Request a title or edition. Keep the details up to date from your own app.
Author talks and reading groups. Keep the details up to date from your own app.
Thank regular readers. Keep the details up to date from your own app.
Send relevant app notifications to people who have opted in, such as a change to opening hours or a new availability update.
Put your own name, logo and contact details in front of customers.
Three steps to your own bookshops app
Choose your app name, colours and logo. Add your website if you have one.
Start with Browse Books, Order a Book, Book Events; edit or remove anything that does not fit.
Review your content, then share your web app. Store publishing is available separately.
Your prices, services and policies are yours to set and check before launch.
Use your own figures to decide what an extra visit means
| Extra visits / week | Spend per visit | Weeks | Illustrative sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | £15 | 50 | £1,500 |
| 5 | £15 | 50 | £3,750 |
| 10 | £15 | 50 | £7,500 |
These are examples, not a forecast or a promised result.
Change the visit and spend assumptions to suit your business; costs and margins are not included.
Start with the parts of the app that fit your day-to-day work.
Independent Bookshop teams
Book requests and author events
Local teams
Share clear hours, contact and service details
Appointment-led teams
Organise requests and availability
Regular customers
Make returning easier
A timely update from The Reading Room can reach customers who choose to receive notifications from your app.
Choose when and what to send. Notifications require customer permission and should follow your own policies.
Source: industry avg., Airship 2024
Start Sending Push NotificationsBook Events: check the app for the latest details.
Free forever for up to 10 app users. No credit card required.
App users = the people who use your published app (your customers)
Start free or launch for $49 — scale your app without switching platforms.
*Requires your own Apple Developer ($99/yr) and Google Play Developer ($25 one-time) accounts. Full refund if we can't get your app live.
Start with pages for book requests and author events and make them your own.
Build Your App