BookLikes

BookLikes operates as a global blogging platform tailored for book enthusiasts, positioning itself as a hybrid of a social cataloging service and a content-rich blog. The company was established in June 2011 by the husband-and-wife team, Dawid Piaskowski, a software engineer and e-business analyst, and Joanna Grzelak-Piaskowska, a linguist and literary scholar. Their combined expertise in technology and literature shaped the platform's foundation.

The initial version of the platform launched in 2011 functioned as a book recommendation engine and social network. However, the founders fundamentally redesigned the service into its distinctive Tumblr-like blog format before its public launch on May 14, 2013. This strategic pivot proved successful, attracting 8,000 bloggers during its beta phase and winning awards for innovation, including the Microsoft BizSpark People's Choice Award in July 2013.

The platform's core offering is a space where users can create personalized book blogs, catalog their reading, post reviews, and engage in discussions. It integrates the features of a social cataloging site with the expressive freedom of short-form blogging. BookLikes serves a global community of readers, with a significant user base in the United States, Poland, Belgium, Canada, and the UK. Its business model appears to involve partnerships with bookstores, as it works with over 30 retailers, including major players like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In October 2016, the company was acquired by Legimi, a Polish ebook and audiobook subscription service.

Keywords: book blogging, social cataloging, reading community, book discovery, online book reviews, literary social network, Dawid Piaskowski, Joanna Grzelak-Piaskowska, Legimi, digital bookshelf, reader engagement, book discussions, social reading platform, book recommendation engine, publishing tech, book lovers platform, Poland startup