Help & tips
Quick reference for getting the most out of Bookplate.
Library is the books you own. Journal is what you've read. Everything on this page builds on that split.
Adding books
A single book
Go to Add books → Add a single book. Enter an ISBN in the lookup field and Bookplate will auto-fill the title, author, synopsis, and cover. Alternatively, you can search by author name or title. There is also a manual option if the book does not have searchable attributes (self-published, family heirloom recipe book, etc.).
Using scanners or cameras
In both the single-book and multiple-books forms, tap the camera button next to the ISBN field. If using a camera on your desktop or mobile device, you will be prompted to trust the website to permit access to your camera. Point your phone's camera or barcode scanner at a barcode and it will flash green and scan automatically: no app required. Works on any modern mobile browser.
Multiple books
Go to Add books → Add multiple books. Use your camera or a barcode scanner (USB or Bluetooth) to scan as many ISBNs as you like; they'll queue up on screen. Already have your ISBNs written down? Paste the whole list (one per line, or comma separated) under the scan box to queue them all at once; long lists are added in batches. Price stickers can carry the store's own barcode rather than the book's ISBN, so scan the barcode printed on the book itself (it starts with 978 or 979) and peel back any sticker that covers it. When you're done scanning, review the list and set bulk attributes if applicable. Then click the import button to process all titles at once. This is the fastest way to add a large collection. Expect a confirmation screen next that will review the new books added to your library.
From a spreadsheet
Go to Add books → Import your library. Upload a CSV or Excel spreadsheet of the books you own: your own catalog, or our free library template. Bookplate fills in covers, page counts, and publication details from each ISBN as it imports. If your sheet has reading columns (status, rating, date read, notes), those flow into your Journal too. Books already on your shelves are skipped, never duplicated. This adds books you own; for reading history from another app, see Import your reading history.
Import your reading history
This fills your Journal from another app's export, including books you've read but no longer own. (For books you own, see Adding books.) Open your Journal, click Import reading history, and choose Goodreads or LibraryThing.
From Goodreads
- Go to My Books on Goodreads
- Click Import and export in the left sidebar
- Click Export Library and download the CSV
- Upload it on the Import page
From LibraryThing
- Go to librarything.com/export
- Choose Tab-Delimited Text and download
- Upload it on the Import page (.txt and .tsv files are accepted)
What gets imported
- Books already in your library — reading status is updated
- Books you've read but not in your library — added to your reading history
- To-read or currently-reading books not in your library — skipped
- Ratings from your import are preserved as historical records and won't overwrite your current Bookplate ratings
What about my shelves and tags?
Your reading shelves (read, currently reading, to read) become reading statuses. Custom shelves and tags from other services don't carry over, and they don't become Bookplate tags by design. Tags here are an owner-created list defined to reflect the uniqueness of your collection, rather than stale data you may not have looked at in years.
Reading status & history
Every book in your library has a status: Unread, Reading, and Read. Tap the badge on any book detail page or on a library card to cycle through them.
Two additional states sit apart from reading activity: DNF (Did Not Finish) and Won't Read. DNF is simple: you started a book but didn't finish it. Won't Read is for titles you know you'll never pick up, which happens a lot in shared libraries full of other people's books. It removes the title from your unread stats, and Let Fate Decide will never draft it.
You can review reading history via the Journal tab at the top of any page. This will be populated by reading logs from import, a reading status update in Bookplate, or by manually adding a read if you read a library book, a lent book, or even a Kindle Unlimited read. The historical data will always be present, even if you decide to gift or otherwise remove a book from your library.
On a book you've read, you can add a star rating (0.5–5 stars), a read date, and private notes. (And yes, we have implemented half stars. We are not monsters.) All of this lives in your Journal or on the book detail page.
Prefer something simpler than stars? In Preferences → Ratings you can switch to a three-option style (Loved it / Liked it / Not for me) or turn ratings off entirely. Anything you've already rated is kept either way, and housemates see your ratings the way you chose to give them.
TBR list & wishlist
TBR (To Be Read) is your reading queue. Add any unread book in your library to the TBR list and arrange them in the order you plan to read them. The first few books in queue will appear on your dashboard. Access it from the navigation or your dashboard. If you don't want the feature enabled, visit your settings and turn it off.
Patiently Waiting is the TBR's understudy. When your queue is empty (or TBR is turned off), the dashboard fills that spot with the unread books that have sat on your shelves the longest. They're two answers to the same question — what should I read next? — so you'll only ever see one of them: start a queue and TBR takes the stage; clear it and Patiently Waiting returns.
Wishlist tracks books you want to own or read that aren't in your library yet. You can add entries manually by title and author, or save a book to the wishlist directly from search results. There may also be historical data populated if you have completed a data import and had saved wishlist books. When you acquire the book, move it to your library with one tap.
Dashboard & stats
Your dashboard's shelves show what's happening now: Currently Reading, TBR, Recently Added, Just Finished. The little number next to a shelf's name is always the full count, even when the shelf previews only a few covers: "TBR 12" means twelve books in your queue, not the five you can see.
2026 by Month charts the books you've finished each month this year. The "on pace" line is a simple projection: your reads so far, stretched across the rest of the year. It's encouragement, not a deadline.
2026 in Genres shows your reading taste, not a tally. Each book you finish counts exactly once, and if it carries several genres the credit splits evenly between them: a fantasy-romance gives half a book to each. That's why the legend shows percentages, the slices always add up to the number in the middle, and Everything else gathers whatever didn't make the top of the list. Books without genres sit out of this chart entirely (the Suggestions card will nudge you when a few need tagging).
Where Should I Look? counts the books at each of your locations, so you know which shelf to wander to. And Let Fate Decide picks a random unread book when choosing is the hard part; books marked Won't Read are never drafted.
Search
The search bar at the top of every page searches your library, reading history, and authors simultaneously. Search by title, subject, author name, or ISBN; partial matches and slight misspellings are handled automatically.
Results are grouped by category and matching text is highlighted inline. Press / or ⌘K to focus the search bar from anywhere in the app.
Preferences & configuration
The menu under your name in the top right corner holds both Preferences and Configuration. Preferences are personal: they change the app for you and nobody else. Configuration (genres, locations, tags) is shared across the library and managed by owners. A few things worth knowing about:
Genres
You can define the genre list for your library under Configuration → Genres. Bookplate comes with a default set, but you can add, rename, or remove genres to match how you actually think about your books. When you use the AI genre suggestion feature, it picks from your defined list, so the more tailored your genres, the more useful the suggestions.
Locations
Under Configuration → Locations, owners can set up named shelf locations: for example, "Bedroom", "Office", or "Box in garage". Once defined, locations can be assigned to any book and used to filter your library by where books physically live.
Dark mode
Switch between dark and light under Preferences → Appearance. Your choice is saved to your account and applied on all your devices.
TBR list
A prioritized queue of what to read next, with drag-to-reorder. Turn it off under Preferences if the queue starts to feel like homework; nothing is deleted, and you can bring it back anytime.
Rating style
Rate with stars (half stars included), with three simple options (Loved it / Liked it / Not for me), or not at all. Pick under Preferences → Ratings. Switching keeps everything you've already rated, and housemates see your ratings the way you chose to give them.
Genre Suggestions
Matches each new book against your library's genre list to speed up categorization, using only public catalog details (title, author, ISBN). Never your notes or reading activity. Account owners can turn it off under Preferences → AI-Assisted Tools.
Your data: import & export
Your library is yours, and that includes leaving with it. Click your name in the top right corner and choose Import & export for one place with everything. The Library / Journal split matters here: your Library is the books you own; your Journal is what you've read. Each imports and exports separately:
- Export your library as a CSV spreadsheet: every book with its genres, formats, and reading status.
- Export your reading journal as a CSV: titles, dates, ratings, and your notes. In a shared library, your journal export contains your own reading record only.
- Import your library from a spreadsheet or our free template: books you own, added to your shelves.
- Import your reading history from Goodreads or LibraryThing: what you've read, added to your Journal.
Exports are plain CSV files that open in any spreadsheet app. No lock-in, no request forms, no waiting.
Plans & billing
Free plan
Every Bookplate library starts on the free plan, which holds up to 250 books. The limit is shared across all members of a shared library, and it counts only the books currently in your library: reading history and wishlist entries are never limited. You'll see a reminder when you get close.
Bookplate Collector
Collector removes the book limit, adds e-book and audiobook cataloging so every format lives in one library, and includes collector tags for marking signed copies, first editions, and more. It costs $3.99 per month or $35 per year (two months free). The subscription belongs to the library, not to one person: every member of a shared library gets the Collector features under the owner's single subscription, with no per-person pricing. To upgrade, the library owner opens the menu in the top right corner and chooses Billing. Checkout happens on Stripe's secure payment page, so your card details go directly to Stripe and are never stored on our servers.
Managing your subscription
The Billing page shows your plan, renewal date, and payment history; its Manage subscription button opens Stripe's billing portal for payment details, invoices, and cancellation. Only the library owner can manage billing. If you cancel, Collector stays active through the period you've paid for and your books are never deleted; the finer points live on the Billing page.
Complimentary accounts
If you joined during the beta, your account is complimentary: everything in Collector, no billing required. Thank you for helping us build Bookplate.
Keyboard shortcuts
Navigation
Actions
Get in touch
Have a question, found a bug, or want to share feedback? Send us a message and we'll get back to you.