Frequently Asked Questions

What is bookfriend.me?

Amazon and Barnes and Noble both support book lending on their Kindle and Nook platforms. Their lending features are very similar:

  • You can lend supported books one time for a period of 14 days
  • Not all books are supported (the publisher must agree)
  • Once you loan the book once, you may not loan it again

Our site acts as a "matchmaker" connecting people who have purchased a book with others who wish to borrow the book. We do not actually do the lending. The book lending is done on the B&N and Amazon sites.

Search for books you've purchased or books you'd like to borrow. If another user wants a book you have available to loan, we'll provide their email address to you so you can type it into the loan screen on the B&N or Amazon web site.

Why do you list books that cannot be loaned?

Because we don't have an easy way to know whether a book is lendable. In the future we plan to provide a way to mark whether books are lendable to improve this experience.

The e-book landscape is quite dynamic. Amazon and B&N are frequently modifying the lending rules for their books, so if a book is not lendable today, that could change tomorrow.

Do you loan the books?

No. Amazon and B&N each provide a way to loan books from their respective web sites. We just connect people by providing a simple way to list the books you have and want.

How do I get started?

Enter an author or book title into the search box, then click 'I Want' if you would like to borrow the book from another user, or 'I Have' if you have purchased the book and have it available to loan.

I clicked 'I Want'. Now what happens?

Now you wait. When another user clicks 'I Have' for the same book they will receive an email telling them someone wants to borrow their book. When they loan the book to you, you'll receive an email from us asking you to acknowledge that you received the book.

It looks like I earned some points. What's that all about?

Short answer: To reward loaning and limit mooching

Long answer: You earn points when you do various things on the site. You get more points for loaning books, but you also earn points for acknowledging that you received a book. If more than one user wants a book, the person with the most points will receive the book. This will probably become more useful once the site gets bigger and there are longer waiting lists for popular books.

Will you send me email? I already get too much.

We send out two types of email:

  • Pending tasks. We send this 3 times a week to users who need to loan a book to someone or acknowledge that they received a book. To opt out of these you need to remove all books using the 'My Books' link. At that point you're no longer actively participating on the site.
  • New available books. We send this 2 times a week to all users who have not opted out. This email lists available books that no one has clicked 'I Want' for yet. You can opt out of this email using the link at the bottom of the email, or from the 'Settings' box.

I found a bug. How do I contact you?

Use the 'Feedback' bar on the left. This posts to our uservoice forum. You can also contact us on Twitter: @bookfriendme

What if I don't own a Nook or a Kindle?

No problem! Although dedicated e-readers are the best way to read eBooks, you can download free e-reader applications for your computer, iPhone, or Android phone:

Even if you own an e-reader, I suggest trying out the smartphone software. I own a Nook e-reader but frequently buy Kindle books and read them on my iPhone and MacBook.

Who built this site?

This site was built by James Cooper and Ben Fogarty . James runs a consulting company Bitmechanic LLC that specializes in web app development.

It is awesome that you built this. How can I help?

 
Some users think this book is not lendable. This means that while it is an e-book, the publisher is not allowing users to share it with others. This may change in the future.