A New Social Network Promises to Help You Connect With Other Book Lovers

If you’re a bibliophile who’s not too crazy about Twitter or Facebook, Litsy—a new mobile app designed to connect book lovers—might make you reconsider your stance on social media.

Todd Lawton and Jeff LeBlanc, founders of literary-themed clothing company Out of Print, were inspired to launch Litsy after meeting fans at book festivals and comic book conventions, TechCrunch reports.

“We realized that there’s a really passionate conversation that happens face-to-face with readers that wasn’t necessarily captured digitally,” Lawton told the tech news site.

But wait, don’t book-lovers already form their own niche communities on platforms like Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter? Yes—which is why Litsy works a little differently.

One reviewer on the App store referred to Litsy as "Goodreads meets Instagram." It's a fitting description for the app's design, which keeps your book-related posts short and visual. Users are allowed to post 300-character comments, quotes, or reviews, along with a related image. The app is also connected to an extensive book database, which allows you to look up a specific work’s “profile,” read others’ reviews of it, and add the tome to your “to-read” list if it catches your fancy.

Not into giving away spoilers? You can hide them from other users, who will choose whether to read them or not. And if you want to see how you compare with other literary movers and shakers, a Klout-like “Litfluence” score lets you compare yourself with the app’s most influential users. (Authors like Joe Hill, bookstores like The Strand, and publishers like Penguin Random House and Harper Perennial are a few notable names that have already joined Litsy.)

Litsy is free for download on the App Store, but it’s currently only available for iOS. Visit the app's website for more information, or check out its Twitter and Facebook accounts.