BookAnd: A "How To" Series (Part I)

Welcome to TNBBC's very first bookish video mini-series!

What is BookAnd?

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to a new website called BookAnd. Still in its infancy stages, operating in  beta / invite only mode, BookAnd allows tablet users to create their dream bookstore. 

Placing an emphasis on 3D technology, BookAnd woos with you a call to build your own bookstore from the ground up - choosing from four different storefront locations and using coins to purchase an array of products with which to decorate your space - showcasing your literary personality. 

With BookAnd, you design your store, fill its bookshelves with your favorite books, write reviews for them, visit other Bookander's bookstores and add their books to your bookshelves  - all at the tap of the screen.

And who am I to turn down an opportunity to try out a new book-related social media site? This one in particular intrigued me... curiosity gnawed at me over how it will compare to bookish giants like Goodreads, Shelfari, and LibraryThing which already allow you to add, review, and share books and have the added community of bookish groups, forums, and live video chats with authors - things that BookAnd doesn't offer. 

Displaying MY Literary Personality

I had a lot of fun designing my bookstore - which is temporarily named TNBBC's Bookshop (until the name field is expanded to allow for more characters). I went for a simple, modern look. I'm using two bookstands to display the current and future Author/Reader Discussion Books - this month's The Baker's Daughter, and next month's The Sovereignties of Invention - and I already have three bookshelves filled with books of various categories: TNBBC's Past Group Reads, Recommended Indie Lit Reading, and books that are currently on my To Be Read / Reviewed shelf. I plan on using one of the other bookshelves for Audiobooks, and I haven't decided what I want to place on that last one just yet.

My littlest guy, when watching over my shoulder as I designed my store, fell in love with the site and begged me to add some of his favorite books to my bookstore shelves. Being the extremely picky booknerd that I am, I refused! But I did the next best thing and got him registered on BookAnd with his own account, and he's been working hard at designing and building his bookstore ever since!

He loves the site so much that he begged me to record him using it - to demonstrate to the world just how fun and easy (and addictive) it is to use BookAnd. Thus, TNBBC's very first bookish video mini-series was born. 

The How-To Series is Born

I am no professional camera-girl. I want to make that clear from the start. So no laughing at my camera or lack-of-editing skills. But I did think my kiddo was onto something. The videos we will be sharing with you will give you a much better idea of how the site works and what you can expect from it  - better than that boring ole screen shot of my shop up there can. 

We plan on releasing these in short 2-3 minute videos that focus on one aspect of the site at a time - from designing a store to adding and reviewing books, visiting other bookstores, and how to gain more coins with which to decorate your store...

So... without further ado, my cutie-pie book loving son demonstrates how to view his recently designed bookstore and bookshelves:

What do you think? Do you like what you've seen so far? It's pretty cool, actually. And, as a previously reluctant eBook reader, I kinda dig the whole virtual shelving aspect, cause now I feel like I can actually show off the eBooks I've been reading...

If you are a tablet owner (Kindle Fire / iPad) I strongly recommend that you check out the site - you can register here by clicking on the Request an Invite link. Once you're in, and you've built your bookstore, come visit ours - TNBBC's Bookshop and Books 'n Stuff - and say hello. There are lots of upgrades on their way, the site keeps getting better and better. I'm looking forward to being able to export my books and reviews from Goodreads, and there's a 3D Cover Lab app in the works that will allow you to upload 3D images of the books...

Stay tuned for more review/video info on BookAnd soon.

(If you're up to it, leave a comment letting my son know what you thought of his first  "How To" video. He's super excited about being featured on my blog!)