Help / Frequently Asked Questions

General

Where can I use Litsy?

As of April 2019, Litsy is available on the web.

Litsy is also available an app for iOS and Android platforms. Find there here: Apple App Store, Google Play.

Posting

What types of things should I post?

The best way to get ideas of what to post is to browse Litsy. Our members post photos of book covers, favorite passages, author readings, and non-book related images that evoke the feeling of a specific quote. We see selfies with books, libraries, and authors. Have fun with your posts! There’s no wrong way to express what you’re reading.

How do I make a post?

Click the plus button. Select what type of post you want to make: Review, Blurb, or Quote. Then, tag the book you’re talking about. In the text box below, write the content of your post. Below that are options to add images, tag other Litsy members, and hide your spoilers. Then, click Post!

Do I have to post a picture with each post?

Nope.

How do I post pictures when using Litsy on the web?

To upload a picture, drag and drop it from your computer into the yellow image upload area, or click the link to select a file from your computer. In the case of tablets, you will need to click to select a file, which will bring up further options to choose the image you want to use from your tablet’s file system. Litsy has a built-in image editor you can use.

What’s the difference between a Review and a Blurb?

A Review is a review. When you review Litsy prompts you to rate your overall experience with a book using our Litsy rating system (Pick, So-So, Pan, or Bail).

A Blurb is a general comment—it can be used for anything and everything. Have thoughts while you’re reading? Want to post a picture of a page you love? Are you excited about seeing an author read from the book? Are you reading it in a cool location? Blurb it!

I can’t find the book I want to post about. How can I add a book to Litsy?

If the book you want to post about isn’t on Litsy, you can add it.

Stacks

How do I find a book and add it to my stack?

The first way you can find a book is to use the Search tab to access our book database. Once you select a book, you can click the icon to add the book to your Stack (Have read, To read, or Now reading).

A second way is through your friends and influencers. Since every post is directly attached to a book, you can save the title to your “To Read,” “Reading” or “Have read” stack directly from that post by clicking the .

If I have already read a book in my stack, how do I mark it as Read?

Once you’ve posted a Review of a book, that book will automatically be moved to your “Read” stack. You can also add a book to your “Read” stack wherever you see the “Stack” icon.

Litfluence

What is Litfluence?

Litfluence is a number based on a combination of likes on your post, the number of comments you’ve received, and how many of your books other members have stacked from your posts.

Your Litfluence page also shows you fun facts, like how many books and pages you’ve read.

Is Litfluence competitive?

It’s not meant to be, no. We found this quantitative data fun, and we hope you do, too!

Why does my Litfluence start at 42?

42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything (we’re big fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). Plus, we like the sound of 42 better than 0.

Privacy

Who can see my Litsy?

By default, anyone can see your profile and posts online.

To make your account private, go to your Preferences. When private, only members who follow you can see your posts, and all follow requests must be approved by you first.

Can People Google Me on Litsy?

To enhance member privacy, by default, Litsy profiles, feeds and most other pages are excluded from Google and other search engines. (Technically-speaking, we use on-page "robot" directives to prevent search engines from indexing Litsy pages.) Avatars and other profile information is always visible.

Some members may want people to be able to find their Litsy on Google. To open your Litsy up to the world, change the setting "Allow Google to index your profile?" on your Preferences.

See our Privacy Policy for our legal policy, including information for EU users.

Account Questions

How do I change my username, profile picture, etc.?

Go to your Preferences, also available from your Profile.

Web Features

What is the down arrow on my Litsy web feed?

On the web version of Litsy, you will sometimes see a down arrow ( ) at the top left of your feed. Clicking this will take you to the last place you viewed in your feed, to save you from having to scroll down for it.

How do I import my Goodreads shelves into Litsy?

Here’s how:

1. In your browser, open Goodreads and navigate to the “My Books” page. On the bottom left under Tools, there is an Import/Export tab. Click it.
2. At the top of the new page, click “Export Library.” This will download your Goodreads data, generally into your computer’s Downloads folder.
3. Go to Import Stacks, also available from your Preferences. Click “Settings/Import” and select or drag your Goodreads data from your computer into the Import section. All done!

Litten @DannyHattan made a post with images showing the process.

Company

Who makes Litsy?

Litsy was created in 2015 by the bibliophiles who founded Out of Print. In 2018, Litsy was acquired by the people who make LibraryThing, another small, bookish service.

How does Litsy make money?

Mostly, we don't. Litsy is owned by LibraryThing, which develops products and services for libraries and others in the book world. See Syndetics Unbound, LibraryThing for Libraries and TinyCat. Litsy makes a very small amount of money from affiliate links to Amazon and other retailers.

Who works on Litsy?

The staff of LibraryThing works on Litsy. Meet us all here.

Need to Reach Us?

Email us at litsy@librarything.com.