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Help Centre

What is Litalist and why should I use it?

Litalist is a UK built platform designed to help readers make recommendations, discover more books for themselves and to help everyone buy books locally and ethically.

How do I find someone to follow?

A good place to start is to click the Discover tab at the top of the homepage. When you follow another user, any new shelves they post will show up in your own library. 

How do I build up my own library?

It’s easy. Once you’ve registered you’ll be given three empty shelves to get started. It is very quick to add a new shelf, give it a title and fill it full of your favourite books. There is no limit to the number of books you can put on a shelf or the number of shelves you can have in your library.

Why can’t I change the title of Reading Pile or Wish List?

Reading Pile and Wish List are standard shelves that every user has in their library. They won’t be visible to other users until you add a book to them. If you want to call your Reading Pile something else, you can add a new shelf and give it any title you want. (We’d really like you to use these standard shelves though, as we have exciting plans for them.)

I have found a book I want to buy, but my local bookshop is not one of the available buying options

Your local bookshop needs to be registered with Litalist in order to show up as a bookseller. You can help by encouraging them to register as a Litalist bookseller or email us at [email protected] and we will contact them. In the event there are no local booksellers to you we will always have other ethical buying options available to you. If there is no physical bookshop within 25 miles of your home postcode, let us know at [email protected] and we will send you a free p&p voucher until this has been resolved.

I have paid for my book but not received it yet.

You will be able to track the delivery via your order reference with our courier partner. Email us at [email protected]

How do I get a blue tick by my name?

Businesses, brands, authors and notable contributors can be verified to assure other Litalisters that their profiles are genuine. If you would like an account verified, please email [email protected] and we will send you a very short form to complete. We aim to complete all requests within 48 hours.

I want to get in touch with another Litalister

Litalist enables you to follow other Litalisters, add other Litalisters shelves to your own library and of course browse, like and share their shelves both on and off the platform via social email and Whatsapp. There is no direct messaging or comments functionality on Litalist.

I don’t seem to be able to review a book

Litalist is a recommendation site not a review site. We are only interested in hearing about the books you like enough to share with other people. If you click on the book you can answer the question “how did this book make you feel.” This will keep a permanent record of your emotional response to that book in your library alongside the date you read it. We won’t share individual responses with any other reader.

How do I share a shelf?

If you find a shelf you want to share then click the orange arrow next to Options to the right of the shelf and then select the relevant share icon. You can share through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp or you can copy a link and share it via email or through any other messaging service you use. You can also generate an image of your shelf to share.

Can I put other people’s shelves in my library?

You can like a shelf, you can pin a shelf or you can follow another user. You’ll find a quick guided tour here.

I can’t find the book I want

Litalist indexes over 6.5M titles and we are adding other book sources regularly. Our search returns results on authors, titles, Litalist shelves and Litalisters themselves and you can filter the results simply. An ISBN search is the most precise way to locate as book. If you’re using Litalist on a mobile device then you can scan any book you have access to using the barcode scanner – click the scan icon next to the search icon on the header. If you continue to have problems finding a particular title then email us at [email protected] NB we only enable sales of physical books at the moment on Litalist.

Why can’t I buy an ebook on Litalist?

Litalist only sells physical books because we want to support the independent bookshops that sell them.

I don’t seem to be able to add more books to my shelf

Litalist will regularly feature different shelves on our homepage as a way of introducing people to new Litalisters and sharing a diverse range of books. If we select one of your shelves to be featured, then it becomes locked for the duration of its display on the homepage. You should get a message telling you your shelf is temporarily locked but if you are having other problems unrelated to a homepage selection, then email us at [email protected]

How do I get wallpaper behind my shelf?

You must be signed in. Click on the shelf you want to spotlight. Click on Options and choose Manage Shelf from the drop down menu. Switch on the spotlight button (it will turn from brown to orange.) This shelf is now featured with wallpaper behind it and will display at the top of your library. You can only spotlight one shelf at a time.

How do I change the order or books on my shelf?

You must be signed in. Click on the shelf you want to rearrange. Click on Options and choose Manage Shelf from the drop down menu. Your books are arranged in a bookcase and from here you can drag books into your preferred order or you can use one of the shuffle tools.

How do I delete a book from a shelf

You must be signed in. You can only delete a book on one of your own shelves. Click on the book and the book drawer will open. Click on Remove from shelf (just below Add to my shelf).

Other people can’t see the shelf I have made.

Check that the shelf isn’t private. Click on the My Library tab and go to the shelf in question, select the options drop down on the right of the shelf and then Manage Shelf. Make sure that the private shelf button is switched off and click save. Reading Pile and All My Books are both automatically set to private when you first visit your library so you’ll need to make them public if you want other users to view these shelves.

How do I get featured in the Discover tab?

If you’ve posted a shelf, you’ll be discovered on Discover. New shelves, tags and Litalisters are served up constantly. 

How do I get my shelf featured on the homepage?

Start by inviting people to visit your library and make sure you spotlight your favourite shelf. We’ll find you! 

"I'm a publisher, how do I get involved in Litalist?"

If you’re interested in promoting your authors, their backlist, or your new title releases in curated book lists then get in touch here: Editor@litalist books. If you are unable to find a book or you think there is missing information, including a missing or incorrect jacket then please email [email protected] with the ISBN and a note of the missing or incorrect information.

I’m a professional bookseller, how do I sell books on Litalist?

If you want to register as a professional bookseller then email booksellers@litalist to be confirmed and verified. We’ll need a bit more information from you, including your customer service email address and telephone number to ensure you can be put directly in touch with customers. 

What do you mean by professional bookseller?

A professional bookseller is a bookseller whose sale of books contribute to an author’s royalty statement. A professional bookseller sells new books supplied by a wholesaler or directly by a publisher. If you are in any doubt as to which category you belong to, just email [email protected] and we’ll chat.

I’m an amateur bookseller, how do I sell books on Litalist?

When you register your account, answer yes to “register as a bookseller”. Click on your profile (top right) and click on Become a Seller. You will be asked for an email address and a mobile phone number. This does not have to be the same email address and telephone number you used to register your account with Litalist but they must be details you are comfortable sharing with future customers. Once you’ve completed this information and Litalist has performed its security checks, you will be able to access the Seller Area and from there you can upload stock and start to make it available to customers.

I'm an author, can I sell my own books on Litalist?

We suggest you link up with your favourite local bookseller and ask them to feature a shelf of your signed books on their account. That way you can ensure the sale of your books contributes to Bookscan (and the data used to generate bestseller lists) whilst still offering the added value your readers want. Your readers can reserve their copies for publication day and can join in with any activities your bookseller might organise in the local area. If you are not stocked by your local bookseller, email us at [email protected] and we will see what we can do to help.

As an author, how am I paid my royalty through litalist?

New books sold will feed through the usual channels and the price of the book the customer pays is royalty inclusive, under the terms you have with your publisher. We value the recycling of second hand books (it’s good for word of mouth marketing, makes books more accessible and affordable and is better for the environment too), but we are aware that this can rob you of the royalty that you would earn on a new book. To compensate, Litalist will also pay you 10% of the price received for a second hand book to ensure you are not cut out of the equation . We will also share our data with publishers, publicists, authors and their agents so that all stakeholders can begin to understand just how many times your books are really changing hands. 

Somebody is knocking on the door of my private library. How do I let them in?

You can give them a code to use to access your library or you can wait for a visitor to knock on your door. To use a code, you must be signed in. Visit your library, click on the private icon in the top left hand corner. A window opens and you can set a code to share with your chosen visitors. To let a visitor in to your library you must be signed in. Go to your account, click on knocks in the dropdown menu. You’ll see a list of people wanting to be let in. Click on the orange tick against the visitors you’d like to enter your library. They’ll receive a notification telling them they are now able to visit.

How are the royalties on second hand books handled?

We do not pay a royalty but we offer a profit share. We’ll deduct 20% of the net receipts on a second hand book and will keep 8% to cover our costs including bank charges. 2% is VAT, so reclaimable by the vendor if they are registered for VAT. 10% will be remitted to ALCS (The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society) who will ensure the onward distribution to the author. You will need to register with ALCS to ensure you receive your payment. (Lifetime membership to register with ALCS costs £36. If this sum feels prohibitive email us at [email protected] and we’ll help.)

What happens to unclaimed author payments?

Unclaimed author payments will contribute towards a fund designed to support literacy projects.

Booksellers How to docs

How to register as a pro-bookseller

How to accept a click and collect order

How to process a 24 hour tracked order on Litalist

How to get a 24 hour tracked order in the post (pro shipping)

How to reassign an order to Gardners for direct shipping

How to bulk add books

New Pro Bookseller Checklist

How to process a Delivered by Seller Order on Litalist