Readwise Books Takes on Kindle and Kobo, Betting on Discovery to Win Ebook Supremacy
A broader reading platform
Readwise has developed tools for readers, including a service that saves and organizes Kindle highlights and Reader, an app for newsletters, PDFs and saved web articles. Its newest product, Readwise Books, adds a platform for buying, reading and discussing books.
The service is in beta and available by invitation or to existing Readwise subscribers. Its founders, Tristan Homsi and Daniel Doyon, describe it as “Strava for reading,” a phrase Homsi uses to explain its tracking of reading time, amount and pace, as well as its option to share activity with friends.
Starting with book discovery
The founders say the idea of building a better Kindle had been part of their plans from the start. Homsi said he and Doyon discussed it when they first met, but it took more than nine years to reach this stage. Doyon said readers were not necessarily asking for a better Kindle; many, he said, wanted a better Goodreads.
Readwise Books lets users track books they plan to read, are reading and have finished. Readers can rate and review titles, see others’ responses and connect Kindle accounts to track Amazon purchases by photographing the first and last pages.
Building a competitive book catalog
Readwise’s longer-term aim is to persuade readers to buy books through its service rather than Kindle. Homsi and Doyon worked to secure agreements with all five major US publishers, navigating negotiations, security reviews and debates over digital rights management.
Those agreements cover book prices and other aspects of how titles are sold and presented, the article says, putting Readwise on nearly even footing. The founders say the process took longer than expected, but believe conditions may now be favorable as digital reading grows, particularly among young people.
Phones, tablets and E Ink
Much digital reading takes place on phones and tablets, while newer E Ink devices—including the Xteink and Boox Palma lines—have widened the hardware options available to Readwise. Doyon said the company once would have needed to build its own e-reader, and said it still might.
For now, the company can focus on ensuring Readwise Books works on an Android version suited to E Ink devices. The reviewer said the app looked better than Kindle or Kobo, offered extensive display customization and made reading-tracking features motivating, but also found bugs and some confusing aspects of its partial Kindle integration.
Key points
- Readwise Books combines book purchasing and reading with social features and progress tracking.
- The beta is available by invitation or to current Readwise subscribers.
- Readwise has agreements with all five major US publishers.
- The reviewer praised the app’s design but noted bugs and confusing Kindle integration.