Statistics after 10 years of Bookster: each subscriber read an average of 12 books per year

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Bookster brand, through which companies of all sizes and in all industries offer employees access to an extensive collection of books and reading resources online reveals Romanians’ preferences for consuming fiction and professional and personal development titles.The brand that brings books closer to more than 152,000 readers in over 1,300 companies reviews the most borrowed books of the past decade.

Top development:

1.”My Story” by Michelle Obama;

2.”Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind” by Yuval Noah Harari;

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3.”The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman;

4.”Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki;

5.”Man in search of themeaning of life”, by Viktor E. Frankl;

Top literature:

1.”Happy people read and drink coffee” by Agnes Martin-Lugand;

2.”Oscar and Aunt Pink” by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt;

3.”The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides;

4.”Where the Crayfish Sing” by Delia Owens;

5.”A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Although Romania is at the bottom of the European rankings, given that the active population spends, on average, only 5 minutes a day reading, readers in the Bookster community exceed these statistics. On average, a Bookster subscriber reads 12 books a year, which is in line with reading habits in more developed countries such asEstonia, Finland and Poland.

In 2023, Bookster launched Booksy, the virtual librarian that uses artificial intelligence to provide users with personalized reading recommendations

Currently, Bookster provides its subscribers with approximately 5,000 unique book titles and3,500 online resources-articles, ebooks, videos and audio content. However, the company aims to constantly diversify the reading options available on the platform by strengthening partnerships with libraries and language institutes in Romania. Thus, in 2023 Bookster introduced content in German and Hungarian. These are in addition to the three languages already available on the platform-Romanian, English and French.

Moreover, it has invested resources to optimise the user experience. One approach is the integration of artificial intelligence that suggests books to readers based on their interests, with the help of Booksy, the virtual librarian. This is available on ai-carte.bookster.ro and can be used even without an account on the platform. Alongside the reading recommendations it makes, Booksy can pair each book with a song, quote or poem appropriate to each title for a unique experience.

For an even greater degree of personalization, Bookster uses algorithms that learn the reading habits of readers in the community. As such, the platform’s recommendations aim to meet the literary preferences as well as the learning and exploration needs of each subscriber.

“At Bookster, we see technology as an ally, allowing us to fulfill our mission of inspiring people to rediscover the joy of reading and to be as close to the community as possible. That’s why we’re constantly integrating innovative solutions designed to help users find the reads and resources that work best for them. So for 2024, we plan to launch a mobile app. In addition, in the coming period, we will put even more emphasis on bite-sized reads, including audio or digital, which can be easily slipped in during a break or on the way to the office,” says Teodora Rădulescu, CEO Bookster.

 In 2022, Bookster closed the year with a turnover of €3.7 million. The company currently employs around 50 people