Startup of the Week - Ownshelf

by Startacus Admin
When you think about the last book that you read, chances are that it was recommended to you by someone - perhaps a friend read it first and suggested you read it too. It was once the done thing when in a friend’s house to take a look at their bookshelves and then if a particular book took your fancy, ask if you could borrow it. Of course with the rise in popularity of e-readers, such things tend not to happen any more. However, thanks to this week’s Startup of the Week, that could all change.
Ownshelf is a cloud based bookshelf which allows you to store and share your ebooks across devices.
Currently still in beta, Ownshelf allows users to let friends see each others’ digital bookshelves and borrow and lend books from them.
Basically a user can upload any epub ebook to their shelf and this can be accessed by their select group of personal friends. Since the Ownshelf tool is accessed through Facebook, it is easy to see which of your friends are using it and what books they have uploaded or added to their own shelf. The addition of this social sharing element is what helps make Ownshelf unique.
Also, although other platforms such as Kindle and Nook do allow their users to ‘lend’ books, this is generally only for a defined limited time period and there are no such restrictions with Ownshelf. The only real restriction currently is the type of books that can be shared - all books must be free to share i.e. freely in the public domain or freely available under a Creative Commons licence. This restriction is not however a bad thing, since it has the content creator’s interests at heart and is protecting their copyright and related rights.
There can be no denying that the e-reader is here to stay and is bound to help spawn a plethora of innovative startups like this one. At the end of the day, if ereaders and services like Ownshelf encourage more of us to read, that can only be a good thing - something I’m sure even the most ardent traditionalist would have to agree with.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Planning to launch a fashion brand this year? Here are a few basic tips that will help you do just that and get your business off to the right start

Bippit is an online platform and app that helps companies to support the financial needs of their employees - not just via their salary

2021 may be a challenging time to start a business, but these tips should help you get it right...

Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event

Keeping customers engaged is vital for any small business - these basic tips will help you do just that

Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity

For the first time ever, the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge has both a British winner and runner up in the form of innovative startups SoluBlue and Jiva Materials

The innovative Italian company that has created Handshield, a hand protection wrap to protect users from bacteria and viruses

If you’re thinking about starting an ecommerce business, these tips will help you do just that...

The lowdown on Pentaform, the London-based startup that has created an easy-to-use and eco-friendly personal computer that is globally accessible
Published on: 2nd January 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Startacus and Hatch Enterprise offer speed networking IWD-inspired event 24th Feb 2021 Startacus and Hatch Enterprise celebrate International Women’s Day by partnering with NetMinds to bring together female founders for a virtual speed networking event
- Alchemy Technology Services receives Bronze Diversity Mark NI Award 23rd Feb 2021 Alchemy Technology Services, the Derry-based centre of excellence for insurance software implementation receives recognition for its commitment to diversity
- Groundbreaking British inventions win global sustainability prize 23rd Feb 2021 For the first time ever, the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge has both a British winner and runner up in the form of innovative startups SoluBlue and Jiva Materials
- Wombat lands £2m investment as appetite for thematic, fractional trading grows 9th Feb 2021 The innovative investment platform Wombat secures major funding to help with further development and to expand the shares and investments on offer