Create and manage bookshelves as professional content collections

Learn how to organize your flipbooks into personalized collections called bookshelves

Table of contents

Step-by-step guide

  1. Create a bookshelf
  2. Access the bookshelf settings
  3. Share your bookshelf
  4. Customize the look and behavior
  5. Embed your bookshelf
  6. View statistics
  7. Send bookshelf via email
  8. Send bookshelf via QR code
  9. Delete your bookshelf
  10. Navigate your bookshelf

Troubleshooting tips

Next steps

Overview

Bookshelves in Flipsnack allow organizations to create customized collections of digital publications, making it easier to organize and share multiple flipbooks in a professional, branded format. This guide will help you understand how to create, customize, and manage bookshelves effectively for your business needs.

Benefits

  • Digital library management: Store and organize all your publications in one professional, branded space.
  • Simplified sharing: Share multiple publications privately with a single link or embed them on your website.
  • Professional reading experience: Provide customers and partners with a smooth, consistent way to browse your content.
  • Performance analytics: Track engagement metrics for each publication in your collection to optimize content strategy.

Requirements

  • A published or unlisted flipbook in your Flipsnack account
  • Professional plan or higher for bookshelf and statistics access
  • Business plan or higher for branding customization
  • Intended for workspace owners and editors

Step-by-step guide

1. Create a bookshelf

  • Go to the main dashboard and click the Create button in the top-right corner
  • Select Bookshelf from the dropdown menu:
create bookshelf
  • Select from your published flipbooks each flipbook you want to include and click Next step.

select flipbooks for bookshelf

  • If needed, rearrange your flipbooks by dragging and dropping them, then click Share now.

Note: You can only add published and unlisted flipbooks to a bookshelf. Once a bookshelf is made public, it cannot be changed to unlisted.

organize-the-flipbooks-in-your-bookshelfIn the publishing modal:

  • Enter a title for your bookshelf
  • Add a description
  • Set the visibility to Public or Unlisted
  • Click Publish now

publish your bookshelf

Note: If you ever decide that you no longer want a flipbook from the bookshelf to be available to everyone, there are a few options you can consider:

  1. change the visibility setting for the flipbook
  2. remove the flipbook from the bookshelf

Here's what an embedded bookshelf looks like: 

Looks super clean, right? See how it looks as a full-view link bookshelf, too. 

2. Access the bookshelf settings

Once you've created and published your bookshelf, you'll land on its Details page — the control center for everything related to that bookshelf.

Settings are divided between two areas:

  • The left-hand panel (main navigation)

details page on dashboard

  • The bottom of the bookshelf preview

details bottom of the page

3. Share your bookshelf

After finishing your bookshelf and clicking Share now, you're directed to the Details page. This is where you decide how to share the bookshelf:

You can:

  • Share directly to social media platforms
  • Send it via email
  • Copy the public or unlisted link and share it manually

share your bookshelf

There's also a Download QR code option available both in the preview area and the side panel.

download QR code-1

4. Customize the look and behavior

To fully brand your bookshelf, go to the Customize section from the left panel or the preview controls.

Here's what you can adjust:

  • Bookshelf name: Rename it as needed.
  • Logo: Upload, link, replace, or delete your logo. 

Note: Logo upload is available with Business and Enterprise plans.

  • Background: Choose a transparent, solid color, or image background. Solid colors can be selected via HEX code, default palette, or team colors. Images can be positioned using scale-crop, center, or tile.
  • Bookshelf color: Customize using the same options as above — great for aligning with your brand palette.
  • Thumbnail size: Adjust the preview thumbnails from 75px to 300px wide.
  • Flipbook behavior:
    • Open flipbooks in a new tab
    • Enable search within the bookshelf
    • Show flipbook titles on mouse hover

Once you’re done, click Save changes above the preview.

Important: If these options don’t work on older bookshelves, republish the shelf first. Go to Edit, click Share now, then Publish now. After that, you'll be able to customize it properly.

5. Embed your bookshelf

To embed the bookshelf on your website, select Embed from the left panel.

Here, you can:

  • Choose the embed size
  • Copy the embed code
  • Restrict where it appears by enabling domain restrictions — add allowed websites manually

embed bookshelf

6. View statistics

Under Statistics in the left menu, you’ll find both high-level and detailed insights:

  • Summary: Impressions, views, average time spent
  • Breakdown: Flipbook-specific data, device types, traffic sources, and top viewing locations

bookshelfs-statistics-page

7. Send bookshelf via email

Choose Send email from the side panel to build a fully branded message.

You can:

  • Add your logo, title, description, and custom label
  • Set background and accent colors
  • Preview and send it directly. Or, embed the bookshelf into your own email client using the snippet from the Embed section

send bookshelf via email

Important: Fully branded emails are available with Business and Enterprise plans.

8. Send bookshelf via QR code

Whether for print or digital campaigns, you can generate a branded QR code linked to your bookshelf. Find this option on the left-hand menu and at the bottom of the page while in the Details preview.

download QR code-2

Once you click on Generate QR code, you have these options:

  • Download it in multiple formats
  • Add your logo for consistent branding

generate QR code

9. Delete your bookshelf

Deleting your bookshelf will not impact the publications within it or remove them from your account. Each individual publication will remain unchanged.

To delete a bookshelf, go to your Dashboard, hover over the bookshelf, click the three-dot menu, and select Move to trash.

three dot menu-1

move to trash

10. Navigate your bookshelf

Bookshelves are fully accessible with keyboard navigation and screen reader support.

To begin:

  • Go to My Flipbooks in your main dashboard.
  • Hover over the bookshelf you want to access and click View.

view bookshelf

Once inside the bookshelf:

  • Use the Tab key to move through the flipbooks.
  • When you reach the one you want, press Enter to open it.

navigate bookshelf using keyboard

Troubleshooting tips

  • If unable to customize older bookshelves, republish them through the Edit menu
  • For visibility issues, verify individual flipbook settings
  • When embedding fails, check domain restriction settings

Next steps

Need help? Our team is here for you. Contact our team experts or message us via the in-app chat for personalized assistance.