Love books, but can’t always remember which ones you own or have read? Book Tracker can help with that – and more.
What is Book Tracker?
An app to help you manage your book collection and your reading. You can keep tabs on books you own across all formats – physical and digital – along with which ones you’ve read and what you thought of them.
What makes Book Tracker great?
Of the many book-tracking apps and systems I’ve tried, this is the one that really clicked. The interface is superb – sleek, polished, and designed for Apple gear. And although Book Tracker is easy to use, it also has a rich feature set.
How can you get started with Book Tracker?
Book Tracker lets you experiment with up to five books for free. To unlock the app, you pay a single lifetime fee.
Use multiple devices: If you only own an iPhone, you have access to the entire Book Tracker feature set. But if you also use a Mac or iPad, it’s best to scan and check your library on the go with your iPhone, and then do all your editing on a larger screen.
Import books: Tap + to start importing books. Scanning barcodes is fastest – and you can process a whole stack of books in one go. If scanning doesn’t work for a specific volume, use the online search. Entering an ISBN tends to work best.
Use Goodreads: For rarer and more obscure books, scanning and searching may not work – but, chances are, someone will have added those titles to Goodreads. Create a list there, export a CSV, and import that into Book Tracker by tapping the cog icon and then Import. This will add to, not replace, your existing library.
Edit details: Don’t sweat the small stuff when important details aren’t perfect. But if you want to fine-tune anything, select a book, tap Edit, and make your changes. A smart thing to consider is adding story titles to the Description field for any compilation books. Tap Save when done.
Bulk edit: When you need to make a change across multiple books, head to your library or any book list, go to … > Select books, choose the books you want, and then go to … > Assign. Finally, pick the change you’d like to make.
Define series: When you own a series of books you’d like to view or read in order, bulk edit them to assign a series (create one if needed). Then edit each book’s Number in the series value. Series appear on the main Book Tracker screen (or the iPad sidebar).
Use tags: To group books in a more flexible fashion, add some tags. These can be for anything, such as to identify books you are considering selling or ones that are absolute favorites.
Log loans: Library loans can be added to the dedicated Borrowed list. For books you lend to others, use each title’s Loans section. All loaned titles can be quickly accessed from the main screen (iPhone) or sidebar (iPad).
Track reading: When you finish a book, select it from your library and mark it as read. All unread books can be accessed from Book Tracker’s main screen. If you’re into stats, use the Start reading button and log your daily progress by page count.
Rate books: With a large collection, it helps to flag duds so you can make space for better books. Tap a book, choose Rate it, and add notes for further context. The ratings system is defined in the Configuration section of the app’s settings. You can also quickly get at books with certain ratings by using smart lists: Filter > User rating > Match all of the selected and both ≥3 and ≤3 would isolate three-star titles.
Tweak the interface: Customize the main screen by tapping Edit and removing/reordering sections to suit. Tap Library and then … and Layout to choose between layouts that prioritize cover art or details. Sort options then allow you to rapidly rearrange your collection, such as by title or author.
Backup your data: In Book Tracker’s settings, use Backup & restore to view and manage recent backups. Under Export, you can save CSV or PDF versions of your collection. PDF simply gives you a list of titles and authors, whereas CSV includes full details, including external links, format, ISBN, and custom info added to the Description field.
Visit the Book Tracker website or get Book Tracker (free + $16/£16) for iPhone/iPad from the App Store. A separate Mac version (free + $20/£20) is available. Learn more at the Book Tracker tutorial website.