Readwise launches ebook platform with social reading features
Readwise has launched Readwise Books, a beta platform for buying, reading and discussing ebooks, as it seeks to challenge Kindle and Kobo. It combines reading tools with social features inspired by Strava, including session tracking and a feed where users can see what friends are reading.
The app lets readers organise books, rate and review them, and track some Kindle purchases by photographing the opening and closing pages. Readwise has secured deals with all five major US publishers, giving it a broad catalogue under agreements that shape prices and sales. The service is currently available by invitation or to Readwise subscribers; its developers say growth in digital reading and new Android-based E Ink devices make this a promising time to launch.
In short
- Readwise Books combines an ebook store with social reading features.
- Deals with all five major US publishers support its book catalogue.
- The beta is available to invitees and existing Readwise subscribers.
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The case for
Readwise Books could give readers a useful alternative to established ebook shops by bringing purchasing, reading tools and social discussion together. Its tracking and discovery features may help people build reading habits and share recommendations, while publisher agreements could provide a broad catalogue from launch.
The case against
A reading platform built around feeds, ratings and session tracking may turn a private, focused activity into another source of social pressure and distraction. Challenging established shops will also be difficult, and readers may question whether a new service offers enough value to justify dividing their libraries or buying books within another platform’s catalogue and pricing arrangements.
Explained simply
Readwise is a software company best known for tools that save and organise highlights from books and articles. Its new ebook service brings book buying and reading into the same app, alongside features for keeping track of reading and sharing activity with friends.
The established ebook market includes Amazon’s Kindle and Rakuten’s Kobo, which sell books and make them available through their own reading devices and apps. Publishers supply the books and set terms that affect their prices and how they can be sold, so agreements with major publishers help determine how much choice a new service can offer.
Ebooks let people read on phones, tablets and dedicated electronic paper devices. Readwise’s launch comes as companies explore ways to combine digital reading with social features, while readers weigh up which services, devices and book catalogues suit them.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Readwise is taking on Kindle and Kobo for ebook supremacy”.