For independent publishers
A Shopify store for publishers that shows your whole list
If you sell books direct to readers, your store should look like a publisher's catalog, not a wall of identical thumbnails. InShelf turns each series or collection into a shelf of a 3D bookcase, where every title can be pulled out and added to the cart.
Why a publisher's online store is different
Most readers arrive at a publisher's website looking for one book: the one from the newsletter, the review or last night's reading. The real opportunity is everything around it. Your backlist, the rest of the series, the other titles in the same imprint.
A standard product grid hides that depth. Before you add any app, a few things make a direct-to-reader store work better:
- One collection per series, imprint or subject. It's how you already think about your list, and how readers browse it.
- A New releases collection that you update every season.
- Clean cover files and the author on every product. Our guide on adding author and ISBN to Shopify books shows how.
If you're still setting up, start with how to sell books on Shopify.
What InShelf does with a publisher's catalog
Series and imprints as shelves
You choose which collections become shelves and in what order. A reader who finishes book one sees books two and three right next to it.
A shelf for new releases
Put your new-releases collection at the top and mark titles with the New badge on the cover.
Spines from your own covers
InShelf picks each spine's color from the cover and sets the title and author in the font you choose. Nothing to design.
Always in sync
Products, covers, descriptions and collections are imported automatically, and the shelf follows the changes you make in Shopify.
Numbers per title
See how many times the bookshelf is opened, which books get looked at and which ones are added to the cart, by day and by book.
From catalog to bookshelf
Everything happens inside Shopify. There's no code to touch in your theme.
Install InShelf
From the Shopify App Store. It reads your products, covers and collections.
Pick your shelves
Choose the series and imprints that become shelves and leave out anything that isn't a book, such as tote bags or prints.
Choose a look
Start from one of 12 styles and adjust wood, colors and fonts with a live preview.
Show it in your store
Add a
#shelflink to the menu, a bookshelf hero on the homepage or a sliding bookshelf strip on any page.
Which plan fits your list
| Plan | Books | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 20 | Trying it with one season's titles |
| Starter · $9.99/month | Up to 150 | A small press with a few years of backlist |
| Pro · $19.99/month | Unlimited | A deep backlist, plus the Living room scene |
What it doesn't do (yet)
InShelf is a way to display and sell what's already in your Shopify store. It doesn't connect to distributors or ISBN databases, it doesn't import book data from outside Shopify and it doesn't show a look inside the book. There's no search inside the bookshelf either; your store's own search keeps working as usual.
Frequently asked questions
Can a publisher sell books direct to readers on Shopify?
Yes. Each title is a product with its cover, price and description, and your series or imprints become collections. Our guide on selling books on Shopify covers the basics.
Can I take preorders for upcoming titles?
InShelf doesn't have its own preorder feature. It shows the products you have in Shopify and adds them to your theme's cart, so how an upcoming title is sold depends on how you've set it up in Shopify.
Can I leave merchandise off the shelves?
Yes. You choose which collections become shelves and you can remove individual products, such as tote bags or bookmarks.
Will it work with my theme?
It works with any Online Store 2.0 theme, such as Dawn or Horizon, without touching its code. If you uninstall it, your store stays as it was.
What if a title has no cover image yet?
It still appears on the shelf with a typographic cover showing its title and author, so announced books don't leave a gap.