IndieBound.org Introduces New Book Lists, Widgets

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This week, IndieBound.org launched several exciting new features for consumers and booksellers that focus on indie bookstores and spreading the word about great books.

IndieBound.org's new Book Lists build on the Wish List functionality introduced during the 2008 holiday season. Each IndieBound community member can now have an unlimited number of lists, and each list can be given its own name and description.

"The description field is a great place to add a ship-to address, tax-deductible information, or book group meeting dates," said Web Content Coordinator Matt Supko. "These are all requests we've had from member bookstores as well as from consumers, and we designed these new lists to be flexible enough to accommodate all the different ways people have found to use IndieBound.org."

A new Book List Builder, which enables users to build lists faster than ever, has also been introduced. The List Builder includes a search field on the left side of the page to look up books by title, author, or ISBN, as well as a queue of books already on the list on the right. Books can be moved up and down to rearrange the list, or they can be moved from one book list to another. Users can also add notes to any book on the list -- to request a signed copy, for example, or to specify the month when their book group will be reading each title.

Each Book List can also be shared in a variety of ways. The user can e-mail the list to their friends on IndieBound.org, or they can enter additional e-mail addresses to send the list to other friends and family. Each list is provided in a printable format for in-store shopping and as an RSS Feed that can be plugged into any feed reader or Facebook widget.

Lists can be added directly to any website or blog using new Book Widgets. Like YouTube videos or Google ads, these widgets provide a small bit of code that can be embedded in a website. Widgets can be created in a variety of sizes, with a completely customizable palette of colors, using the Indie Next List, the Kids' Next List, the Indie Bestseller Lists, or any custom book list. Users can choose whether the links go to IndieBound.org or to any e-commerce-capable store that they're a fan of.

"As all booksellers know, there's a certain magic that happens when you curate a list of books," said Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith. "Its value is much greater than the sum of its parts. We can't wait to see the ways booksellers and consumers find to use these new lists and widgets. We think they'll form the foundation of something very exciting for independent bookstores."

See the latest Book Lists.

See some early examples of the widgets in action: