Bestselling books, delivered to your door.
Bestselling books, delivered to your door.
Remember when reading was supposed to be an easy escape, before retail prices for books skyrocketed and the library had waiting lists seven months long for new releases? We believe every reader has the right to affordable, hassle-free reading with no due dates, late fees, or endless waiting lists to crack open the latest hardcover bestseller.
That's why we're America's favorite online book rental club, delivering New York Times bestsellers and enduring classics to our members' doorsteps. Enjoy reading the books you want at your pace. Return your finished books in our included prepaid return bags, and we automatically ship your next selections. Affordable, convenient, and simple to use, BookSwim lets you enjoy reading again.
March 2006 - George Burke and Shamoon Siddiqui spent their Thursday night, as always, freeloading books in the local behemoth bookstore café. When asked to pay for the books along with the coffee, they replied, "No, we're just gonna read them and put them back... but thanks for asking."
Now this kind of behavior should never be condoned, but George and Shamoon noticed a pattern: everyone else was doing it, although maybe not so openly. The local libraries closed their doors long before most people got home from work, but bookstores charged too much for the books. There had to be a better way to read.
March 2007 - BookSwim mailed out its first rental book, The Richest Man in Babylon, to the first of many members who knew they could do better than bookstore prices. It didn't take long for beleaguered readers to notice. Since then, tens of thousands of readers have enjoyed the affordability & convenience of at-home book rental.
With no need to rearrange schedules around library times or spend $25 (or more!) for each new hardcover, BookSwim members can concentrate on simply enjoying their books. A single click will add a title to your Rental Pool— your personal to-read list. We'll automatically ship your first package to your door: no need to check out a shopping cart! When you're done with a few books, drop them in the mail using our prepaid mailing bag. When we receive your return, the next selections in your Pool will automatically ship out-- no hassle, no need to finalize the next order. Reading could only be easier if we helped you turn the pages.
Everyone is concerned about our planet's dwindling resources, and the easiest first step we can all take is conservation.
Twenty million trees are cut down every year for American book production. BookSwim encourages book rental, rather than purchasing new books, in part because it helps reduce that staggering figure.
BookSwim knows that it's both good business and good conscience to take care of the Earth, so we go a step further - for every gift card we sell, we plant a tree through a partnership with EcoLibris.net. As a combination of these efforts, we have planted or otherwise saved enough trees to reduce 10 TONS of carbon emissions! That's like taking 14,000 cars - all the yellow taxicabs in New York City - off the street.
Georg Richter, Chairman
Jeevan Padiyar, Chief Executive Officer
George Burke, Chief Marketing Officer
Nick Ruffilo, Chief Technology Officer
Have a comment, suggestion, or request, or just feeling lonely? Get in touch via phone, email, or even snail mail at our Contact Us page. If you're a journalist or simply interested in reading more, we've got everything you need at the Media center page.
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