A Shopify app for bookstores
A Shopify app that makes your online store feel like a bookshop
InShelf is a Shopify app for bookstores and publishers. It turns each collection into a shelf and each product into a 3D book your customers can pull out, look at and add to the cart without leaving the page.
Why books need more than a product grid
Most Shopify themes show books the same way they show T-shirts: a grid of covers, a filter sidebar and a sort menu. That works when people already know the title they want. It works less well for the thing a bookshop does best: letting someone wander, notice a spine and pick up a book they weren't looking for.
InShelf adds that browsing layer on top of the store you already have. Your collections become shelves, your products become books with spines generated from their covers, and the whole bookshelf opens full screen over the page from a menu link, a floating button or a block in your theme. When a shopper clicks a book, it slides off the shelf and shows the cover, title, author and price, with an add-to-cart button that uses your theme's own cart.
Your product pages, checkout and theme stay as they are. For a closer look at the shopper side, read about the 3D bookshelf itself, or try the live demo with a sample bookstore's catalog.
What the app does for you
Imports your catalog
InShelf reads the products, covers, descriptions and collections you already have in Shopify and stays in sync when you change them. No spreadsheet, no second catalog to maintain.
Makes spines from covers
Each book gets a spine built from its cover: the color, plus title and author in the font you choose, with readable contrast. Products without an image get a typographic cover.
Lets you curate the shelves
Pick which collections become shelves and in what order. Leave out products that aren't books, like tote bags or bookmarks.
Matches your shop
12 ready-made styles, from Classic and Nordic to Night and Kids, plus wood, colors and fonts, all with a live preview.
Adds theme blocks
A bookshelf hero for the home page, a shelf that sits inside any section, a bookshelf strip that slides as people scroll, and a bookshelf button.
Shows what gets attention
Opens, books viewed and add-to-carts, by day and by book, so you can see which titles people stop at.
How setup works
There's nothing to design from scratch and no theme code to edit. Most of the work is deciding what goes on which shelf.
Install from the Shopify App Store
InShelf works with any Online Store 2.0 theme, such as Dawn or Horizon. You start on the Free plan.
Let it import your books
Products, covers, descriptions and collections come in automatically, and every book gets its spine.
Choose shelves and style
Decide which collections appear and in which order, hide non-book products, and pick a style, wood and fonts while you watch the preview.
Open it from your store
Add a menu link to
#shelf, turn on the floating button, or add an InShelf block in Online Store → Customize.
Plans at a glance
| Free | Starter | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $9.99/month | $19.99/month |
| Books | Up to 20 | Up to 150 | Unlimited |
| All design options | No | Yes | Yes |
| Scenes | Studio | Studio | Studio and Living room |
| Stats history | 7 days | 90 days | 90 days |
| InShelf badge | Shown | Removed | Removed |
| Priority support | No | No | Yes |
Who it's for
InShelf is built for shops where the product is the book and the collection means something: an independent bookstore with staff picks and themed tables, a publisher selling its own list by series, a shop of used and rare books, or a comics and manga store where bright spines do a lot of the selling.
If you're still setting up the store itself, start with our guide on how to sell books on Shopify. InShelf sits on top of a working catalog; it doesn't replace it.
Paid plans include a 7-day free trial, once per store, and are billed on your Shopify invoice. Full details are in the pricing section.
What InShelf doesn't do (yet)
Better to know this before you install:
- There's no search box inside the bookshelf. Shoppers use your theme's search to find a specific title.
- It doesn't connect to book distributors or ISBN databases, and it doesn't import book data from outside Shopify. Your Shopify catalog is the only source.
- Shoppers can't preview the inside pages of a book.
- It only runs on Shopify.
If author and ISBN aren't consistent across your catalog yet, our guide to adding author and ISBN to Shopify books walks through the options.
Frequently asked questions
Does InShelf work with my Shopify theme?
It works with any Online Store 2.0 theme, including Dawn and Horizon, without editing theme code. The bookshelf opens over your pages, and the add-to-cart button uses your theme's own cart.
Do I have to re-enter my books or upload spine images?
No. InShelf imports products, covers, descriptions and collections from Shopify and generates each spine from the cover. When you edit a product in Shopify, the bookshelf stays in sync.
Will a 3D bookshelf slow down my store?
The 3D engine only downloads when someone opens the bookshelf, or once the page has finished loading if that page has a bookshelf block. On mobile, the scene is lighter.
Can I keep some products off the shelves?
Yes. You choose which collections become shelves and their order, and you can remove individual products such as tote bags or bookmarks.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan covers up to 20 books with the Studio scene and 7 days of stats, and shows an InShelf badge. Starter and Pro come with a 7-day free trial.
What happens if I uninstall it?
Your store stays as it was. InShelf doesn't touch your products or your theme; the bookshelf is only there while the app is installed.