 | |
Type of site | Content discovery, eCommerce |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Key people | Ardy Khazaei (CEO), Chris Sim (CTO) |
| URL | www.bookish.com |
| Advertising | Web banners |
| Launched | February 2013 |
Bookish.com is a content discovery and ecommerce website, which launched in February 2013, devoted to books. The site allows users to browse an extensive database of books and authors, add books to user-created digital "shelves", get custom book recommendations, read editorial content and purchase physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks.[1]
History[edit]
Bookish was founded in 2011 in a joint venture backed by three of the big six publishing companies – Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group (USA), and Simon & Schuster – with the goal of increasing the presence of book publishers in the book-buying industry (which was becoming increasingly dominated by Amazon.com due to the increased popularity of online bookstores), as well as to expand the overall book-buying market.
The site was expected to launch in the summer of 2011, but the launch was delayed due to technical issues relating to data compilation,[2] as well as a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice in 2012 against Apple Inc. and five major publishing companies regarding the pricing of ebooks.[3] The site officially launched in February 2013 with the support of sixteen additional publishing companies.[4]
Features[edit]
- Online bookstore
- Custom book recommendations
- User-created digital bookshelves
- Goodreads shelf-import feature[5]
- Book lists, reviews, and listicles
- eReader app for Android/iPhone
- Articles, newsletters, and author interviews
Acquisition[edit]
In early 2014, online ebook retailer Zola Books, attracted by the site's sophisticated “algorithmic software” that offers reading suggestions, acquired Bookish.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Publishers Launch Online Site, Bookish.com, To Attract Readers, Sell Books". Huffington Post. 5 February 2013.
- ^ Bosman, Julie (6 May 2011). "Publishers Make a Plan: A 'One Stop' Book Site". The New York Times.
- ^ "United States v. Apple, Inc., Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C., Verlagsgruppe Georg Von Holtzbrinck GmbH, Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC d/b/a Macmillan, the Penguin Group, a Division of Pearson PLC, Penguin Group (USA), Inc., and Simon & Schuster, Inc".
- ^ "Our Partners". Archived from the original on 2013-06-27.
- ^ "Bookish FAQ". Archived from the original on 2013-07-02.
- ^ Kaufman, Leslie (Jan 6, 2014). "Online Retailer Zola Books Buys Bookish". New York Times. Retrieved Mar 24, 2014.