New bookshelves are 90% done + updates on user testing the full reader app.
Summer is here with a big heatwave!
Every 3 weeks, I share my notes on building Shepherd.com.
Join the rebellion and help me create the indie book platform readers and authors deserve! Three hurrahs for our 800+ members who keep us independent and fund new features. Readers and authors can become members (both get special perks, and more perks are coming as we grow).
I am feeling…
Things are flowing!
I’ve been doing a lot of user testing with mockups of the full reader app and learning a ton. User testing involves video interviews with readers to understand what they expect from this app and what excites them. I want to ensure we nail our core features before we build the first MVP.
The new bookshelves are ~90% done!
We are getting very close to being ready to upgrade all our existing bookshelves. I am incredibly excited as I’ve wanted this for a long time.
Today, I will review all the mobile, tablet, and desktop designs for the little bugs.
I will have a big launch party once these are ready 🥳🎊🍾!
And an even bigger one after we improve our genre and topic systems.
Updates on our full reader app!
User testing is helping a ton to find our weak spots.
What am I testing this week?
Testing to ensure our “My Book DNA” tab delivers what readers expect. This is our crucial feature as it is how we deliver deep personalization.
Testing to ensure our “book review” process is super smooth, asks for the minimal info we need to deliver deep personalization, and delights readers with their Book DNA breakdown.
I am trying to figure out the best way to show past reads on the reading log. I am struggling with what data to include, as we don’t want to overwhelm (hard balance).
If you are interested in testing and can spare 20 minutes for a Zoom, please email me at ben@shepherd.com. I’ll be doing testing all this summer.
Book series update!
We’ve published 3,008 book series. We have 3,577 in our queue that we are working on, and I am sure more will pop up.
Cathy is about 98% done with all the authors who sent us a book series. She will reach out soon if you are still wondering (or email forauthors@shepherd.com if you haven’t gotten an email saying that your series has been added). Eventually, I want to build a dashboard for authors, but we need to hit 1,500 members to make that happen financially.
What is going on outside of Shepherd?
I have some good friends from Dublin visiting this week! I am looking forward to showing them around Bordeaux. Apart from that, I am doing a lot of bike training to prepare for the summer rides.
What am I reading now?
I just finished…
The Venetian Heretic by Christian Cameron. Christian is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this book was fantastic. I do not know enough about 17th-century Venice, and this book puts you in the middle of that period along with espionage, murder, and politics. I look forward to more books with this character and setting. And hopefully, Christian will soon have a sequel to his space opera series 😀.
I am reading...
I am trying 12 Miles Below by Mark Arrows (progressive fantasy series). I am on book 2 and digging it. Mark has created this incredibly original world, and that pulled me in. I found it from a recommendation on Reddit LitRPG—some fun summer reading.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunger by Stephen Graham Jones: I don’t read much horror, so I am trying something outside my wheelhouse. I am pausing this one for a bit, but I will pick it up soon.
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933 - 1945, by Milton Mayer. I am doing a long-running deep dive into the rise of fascism historically. This book examines how Germans view this period.
Have a great weekend,
Ben
P.S. From one of my recent gravel rides…
