Readwise Opens an Ebook Store Aimed at Kindle and Kobo Readers

Readwise, the company behind a popular tool for saving Kindle highlights, has started selling ebooks. Its new app, Readwise Books, lets readers buy, read and track books in one place, and it is currently in beta. Existing Readwise subscribers get access immediately; everyone else can join a waitlist or come in by invitation, according to the company and to The Verge, which reported the launch on October 28.

On its product page, Readwise says it carries "both print and digital formats including 1M+ ebooks from all major publishers." A footnote limits that for now: "Currently US only. Other territories coming soon."

Deals with the major publishers

Cofounders Tristan Homsi and Daniel Doyon told The Verge they spent several years negotiating with all five of the large U.S. publishers to build a catalog that could compete. They described long rounds of contract talks, security reviews and debates over digital rights management before the agreements were signed. Because those contracts govern prices and many terms of sale, The Verge reported, the store starts on close to even footing with larger retailers.

The pair said the idea predates the company itself. "We feel like Kindle could be so much better," Homsi said. "We really didn't think it would take nine-plus years to be able to get to this point."

A tracker first, a store second

The company is leading with reading data rather than price. Each time someone reads in the app, it logs a "reading session" with time, words, pace and progress; Readwise calls the result "the Strava of Reading." Readers can also log print, audio and other ebook reading by hand. The home screen is a feed of what other users are reading, with ratings, reviews and comments.

Readwise is also making it easy to arrive with an existing library. The app imports reading history from Kindle and Goodreads, and The Verge reported that it can track Amazon purchases by having readers photograph their starting and ending pages. The cofounders were blunt about where they see an opening: "Everybody hates Goodreads." The Verge described the long-term goal as getting readers to stop buying Kindle books and buy them from Readwise instead.

The app runs on phones and tablets and on E Ink devices that use Android, such as the Boox line. Doyon said the company may still build its own e-reader.

What it means for authors

At launch, the catalog is built on the deals with the large publishers. Neither Readwise's product page nor The Verge's report describes a route for independent or self-published authors to list books directly, and no distribution partners are named. Authors who publish wide may watch for whether ebook distributors add Readwise as a sales channel. The social feed and review features could also matter for discovery if the app gains readers who now rely on Goodreads.

The beta is limited to the United States, and the company has not given dates for other territories.

Sources

• Readwise: Readwise Books product page
• The Verge, October 28, 2026: Readwise is taking on Kindle and Kobo for ebook supremacy

Photo: An Onyx Boox Tab X E Ink reader. Photo by Johannes Eva, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.