How to create a virtual bookshelf?

The virtual bookshelf available at Publuu is a branded website that allows you to keep all your online publications in one place. It provides a lot of benefits – one of them is the ability to read your digital publications anytime, on every device. It is a beneficial solution for enterprises that publish their digital magazines, eBooks, product catalogs, and many others on a regular basis.

Publuu’s virtual bookshelf creator is super intuitive and does not require any coding or graphic skills, so even the beginner will handle creating it using our simple guide below.

NOTICE!

The virtual bookshelf is available for Professional and Premium plan subscribers only. Thus, if you are subscribed to a Basic or Optimum plan, you need to upgrade your plan first to start using a virtual bookshelf.

To create virtual bookshelf for online publications, first log in to your Publuu account.

In the control panel, head over to the top bar where you can find a BOOKSHELF button. Click it to get started!

As soon as you enter the BOOKSHELF creator, you’ll see the following notification on the screen. If you are keen to start creating your virtual bookshelf, click the YES, GO AHEAD button.

Once clicked, it will show you a layout of your bookshelf. You can now personalize it to make it compatible with your brand using multiple customization options available on the left-hand menu.

TIP: Notice that when you hover your mouse over any of the tabs in the left-hand menu, it points the element in your online bookshelf’s layout that is about to be customized using this tab. You can also move the cursor on any component of the bookshelf’s layout, and once it gets backlit, click it and the proper tab with the settings devoted to this element will open instantly.

Let’s discuss the customization options one by one to make it easy for you to create a digital bookshelf tailored to your needs!

 

TOP BAR BACKGROUND

This tab allows you to change the background of the top bar of your bookshelf.

You can use the color palette to choose the color that suits your brand best and then set the transparency using the slider below.

TIP: Since the top bar is also the place where you put your brand logo, select the color that will highlight your logotype.

LOGOTYPE

Open this tab and add your own logo. It will be located in the middle of the top bar.

To add your logo, click the upload button to open the dialog and drag your logo in JPG or PNG format to the designated area.

Once your logo is uploaded, remember to press the SAVE button below.

NOTE: After every update, you can check how your bookshelf looks live by clicking the LIVE PREVIEW button.

 

COVERS

Now it is time to choose the flipbooks that will be shown as covers on the main page of your virtual bookshelf. You can add up to three online flipbooks at once.

Just click the UPLOAD button and select PDF files that will be automatically converted into interactive flipbooks and submitted to a virtual bookshelf.

Cover 1 will be also presented in magnification on the left.

You can replace the uploaded covers anytime – just click the UPLOAD button next to the cover you wish to replace. Choose the YES, REPLACE IT option, and upload another file from your hard drive.

 

BACKGROUND

As its name suggests, this tab allows you to change the whole background of the virtual bookshelf.

You may either have a one-colored background, apply your own picture as a background, or use both options simultaneously – the choice is yours.

If you want your background to be one-colored only, firstly select the radio button on the right side of the color palette,

then pick the color from the palette and set the transparency using a slider below.

 

But if you’d like to add your own image, you have to remove the default picture first. To do so, click the cross button,

and upload your own image. It needs to be in 2:1 format to fit your virtual bookshelf.

Remember to uncheck the color option if you wish to have your picture not covered by the color layer.

To have a background that combines both image and color, just turn on both options using the round buttons on the right side of each and play with a transparency slider to achieve the best final result.

 

COVER’S ICONS

Thanks to this tab, you can personalize the icons below each cover.

To do so, open the tab and select the color for the icon and its background. You can change the transparency level as well.

When you finish, click the SAVE button, otherwise, the changes won’t be retained.

TIP: To keep your online bookshelf consistent, you can use the same color for multiple elements. To do so, copy the hex code of one element and paste it into the input right above the color palette of another one. The color picker will move into the given color automatically.

 

MAIN COVER’S ICONS

If you wish to customize the icons located on both sides of the main cover, you are in the right place.

Again, you can select the color from the palette and set the level of transparency.

 

 

TEXT

To change the color of the font that is visible under each cover, go to the TEXT tab,

and move the cursor on the palette until you find the color you like the most.

 

 

BANNER AD

Publuu allows you to add a banner ad to your virtual bookshelf to boost your revenue. It will be located above the covers of your flipbooks.

 

Add a 1500x250px banner in JPG or PNG format, and anyone who clicks it will be redirected to a place on the web you choose.

You can transfer your clients to your website or an online store – just paste its URL in the field below and click SAVE.

So as you can see, you are in control of every single element of your virtual bookshelf.

When your bookshelf project is complete, it’s time to publish it online. To do so, press the PUBLISH button in the right-hand corner.

It will launch the pop-up window where you’ll be asked to set the name for your bookshelf.

After typing the name of your virtual bookshelf, click the SAVE button.

Now you can copy the link to the bookshelf to share it online or publish it on your website using the embed code available after clicking the LINK button.

 

It will open the pop-up that shows a link or an embed code and share your virtual bookshelf with your clients!

Your online bookshelf is ready, but thanks to Publuu, you can also publish your flipbooks in your own mobile app – visit the below article to learn how to do it:

How To Create My Own Mobile App?