Readwise Launches Readwise Books in Beta to Challenge Kindle and Goodreads
Digital reading tool developer Readwise has launched Readwise Books, a comprehensive platform designed for purchasing, reading, and discussing books. Currently available in beta to existing Readwise subscribers or through an invite, the new application represents an expansion of the company's product line as it seeks to compete directly with Amazon's Kindle ecosystem and Goodreads.
Readwise previously focused on niche utilities for heavy readers, offering its flagship Readwise service to store and organize Kindle highlights, alongside Readwise Reader, an app built for saving and reading web articles, newsletters, and PDFs. With Readwise Books, the company is attempting to unify reading, tracking, and digital book purchasing into a single service.
Social Features and Reading Analytics
Co-founders Tristan Homsi and Daniel Doyon describe Readwise Books as a "Strava for reading." The platform logs reading metrics such as time spent, reading speed, and total volume read, allowing users to share their statistics with friends inside the application. The app's main screen functions as a social feed displaying what other users are currently reading, alongside recommendations and comments.
According to the co-founders, building a digital book platform was part of Readwise's original vision. While initial efforts focused on creating a better e-reading experience than Kindle, Homsi and Doyon shifted their immediate focus toward replacing Goodreads, citing widespread user dissatisfaction with the Amazon-owned social reading catalog.
Readwise Books allows users to track books across three categories: titles they want to read, currently reading, and finished works. Users can post ratings and reviews while viewing feedback from other readers. To accommodate existing Kindle owners, the app integrates with Amazon Kindle accounts, permitting users to track physical or digital progress by taking photographs of their starting and ending book pages.
Publisher Deals and E-Reader Hardware Compatibility
The long-term strategy for Readwise Books involves transitioning readers away from purchasing titles through Amazon Kindle to buying ebooks directly from Readwise. To establish a competitive catalog, Homsi and Doyon spent several years negotiating agreements with all five major U.S. publishers.
The negotiations required passing extensive security reviews, settling digital rights management (DRM) terms, and establishing pricing structures. Because these agreements regulate digital book pricing and presentation across retailers, the deals put Readwise on an equal commercial footing with established market competitors.
The company noted that changing industry dynamics have created a favorable environment for their launch. Ebook consumption continues to grow, particularly on mobile phones and tablets among younger demographics. Additionally, modern E Ink devices, including the Xteink and the Boox Palma series, offer expanded hardware options. Readwise designed its software to operate on E Ink-friendly Android variants, though the co-founders stated they have not ruled out eventually manufacturing dedicated hardware of their own.
