Changelog

You can now share book by book with other bookstores and earn a free month when they become a paying customer! 🎉

What's New

Share a referral link

• Actively paying organizations can now copy a referral link from the Settings page
• Share that link with another bookstore to send them into the normal signup and onboarding flow

Automatic reward tracking

• Referrals are tracked automatically once the new bookstore completes onboarding
• When the referred store becomes a paying customer, the reward is applied automatically to your billing account
• The free month matches your current monthly subscription price, including founder pricing when applicable

Check referrals in Settings

• See how many free months you’ve earned

• See how many referrals are still pending conversion

• Credits are shown right alongside your billing details, so it’s easy to keep track of referral rewards

• You can see whether or not your next payment is covered by a referral in the Stripe billing portal

  

Getting Started

1. Open Settings by clicking your store name on the top right of the page
2. Find the Referral Link section in your billing settings
3. Copy your referral link and share it with another bookstore
4. Once they sign up and become a paying customer, your credit will be applied automatically toward the next available payment

Referral links are available for organizations with an active paid subscription. As always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Inventory adjustments now include unit cost in Square, so Square’s Cost of Goods Sold report stays in sync with the costs you’ve already tracked in book by book.

Until recently, Square’s Inventory API couldn’t accept cost on stock adjustments. That meant book by book could only update quantity when receiving books and Square had no cost to use for COGS, so profit and margin in Square’s reports could look off.

What’s New

Cost on inventory adjustments

Square has since added support for cost on inventory changes. When you process an order with auto-adjust inventory updates, book by book now sends the unit cost with the stock increase. Square can use that cost for COGS as those books sell, matching what you see in book by book.

Catalog items also get a default unit cost written when they’re created or updated, so physical counts and other untracked movements have a sensible cost to fall back on.

Works with Square Retail or Restaurants Plus

Sending cost on inventory changes requires Square’s Retail Plus or Restaurants Plus plan. If your Square account doesn’t support cost writes, inventory quantity still updates as usual; only the cost attachment is skipped.

If you’re on one of those plans and currently use purchase-order (XLSX) mode to keep Square’s COGS in sync, consider trying auto-adjust inventory updates instead. Inventory and unit cost are pushed to Square when you process orders, so you can skip the manual purchase order import while keeping Square’s COGS report accurate.

Purchase-order mode is still available if you prefer to import inventory into Square yourself.

How to use it

1. Process an order as usual with auto-adjust inventory updates and known unit costs.
2. In Square, open Reports → Cost of Goods Sold after those books sell.
3. Confirm COGS, profit, and margin line up with what you expect from the costs in book by book.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

The Restock Planner is easier to work through when you’re placing wholesale orders. You can now search for specific titles, sort the list the way you think about inventory, and see (or filter by) the last vendor you bought each book from.

What’s New

Search by title, author, or ISBN

• Type a title, author, or ISBN into the search bar above the table
• Scan a barcode with your device camera to jump straight to that book
• Status filters still apply to search results, so you can narrow to Urgent titles while searching
• Clear search to return to the full priority-ranked list

Sort by status, title, stock, or vendor

Click those column headers to sort the planner by what matters most for your next order:

• Status — urgency / priority
• Title — A–Z or Z–A
• Stock — current on-hand quantity
• Vendor — last purchase vendor

Click again to reverse the direction, or a third time to return to the default priority sort.

Last purchase vendor

Each row now shows the Vendor you most recently bought that ISBN from, so you can tell at a glance whether a restock should go to Ingram, a publisher, or another wholesaler.

You can also filter the planner to a single vendor when you’re building an order for one supplier.

How to use it

1. Open the Restock Planner from your Dashboard.
2. Choose your analysis window and optional status filter.
3. Search for a title, sort a column, or filter by vendor to focus your list.
4. Export a CSV when you’re ready to order from Pubeasy or Ingram.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

There’s a new Catalog Sync Mode setting that lets order processing update books already in your Square catalog — not just create new items and adjust inventory.

Previously, when you processed an order for a title that already existed in Square, book by book left the catalog item alone and only updated inventory. That’s still the default. If you opt in, existing items can get their titles synced to your naming format, and missing descriptions or covers filled in from book data.

What’s New

Choose how existing Square items are handled

In Settings, under Catalog Sync Mode, pick one of:

• Create new items only — books already in Square keep their current title, description, and cover image (the default)
• Create new items and update existing items — updates titles to match your naming format, and fills in missing descriptions or cover images

Existing descriptions and covers are never overwritten — only blank ones are filled in.

See what changed after processing

When Catalog Sync Mode updates existing items, the order processing results screen now includes an Updated Catalog Items section. You’ll see which books were updated, which fields changed (title, description, cover, or categories), and any sync failures — without blocking inventory updates.

How to use it

1. Go to Settings and find Catalog Sync Mode.
2. Choose Create new items and update existing items if you want order processing to refresh existing Square catalog items.
3. Process an order as usual.
4. On the results screen, review the Updated Catalog Items list for titles that were synced.

Leave the setting on Create new items only if you prefer to manage existing Square item details yourself.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

You can now search the books already in your Square catalog by title, author, or ISBN — right from book by book.

Finding a title in Square used to mean digging through Square’s item library. Catalog search gives you a bookstore-friendly way to look up what’s already stocked, inspect how it’s categorized and priced, and jump straight to the Square item when you need to make a change.

What’s New

Search by title, author, or ISBN

• Type a book title, author name, or ISBN into the search bar
• Partial matches work, and ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 both work
• Scan a barcode with your device camera to look up an ISBN instantly

See Square details at a glance

Each result shows the book alongside its Square item details:

• List price
• Categories and reporting category
• SKUs
• Square item name

Click any result to open that item in Square.

One-time catalog indexing

The first time you use Catalog Search, book by book indexes the ISBNs already in your Square catalog so titles and authors become searchable. After that, you can search as usual.

How to use it

1. From your Dashboard, open the Square Catalog card.
2. If prompted, click Index catalog and wait for indexing to finish.
3. Search by title, author, or ISBN — or use the camera icon to scan a barcode.
4. Click a result to open the matching item in Square.

Catalog search is available on paid plans.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

You can now import used inventory into book by book using the new Used Bookstore CSV format.

This format is designed specifically for used bookstores and makes it easier to bring condition-based inventory into your ordering workflow, especially if you already use spreadsheets to help manage your inventory.

Supported Columns

• ISBN
• Quantity
• Price
• Condition
• Title
• Author
• Binding

Title, Author, and Binding are only used when ISBN enrichment data is unavailable.

What's New

• Added a dedicated Used Bookstore import format
• Supports condition-aware inventory imports
• Allows the same ISBN to exist in multiple conditions
• Automatically enriches books using ISBN data when available
• Uses the same import workflow as existing supported order formats

This makes it easier to import and organize used inventory without needing to manually create separate entries for different book conditions.

There’s now a more complete workflow for handling book conditions in book by book. If your store sells used books alongside new copies, you can now define the conditions you use in Settings, optionally map each one to a Square category, and apply those conditions during order review. When books are pushed to Square, new and used copies of the same ISBN can be represented as separate item variations, with condition-specific pricing preserved or updated as needed and books categorized automatically based on the condition you selected.

This makes it much easier to manage used books in book by book without needing to create separate products by hand or clean up categories after syncing.

Here are the steps to get started:

1. Go to Settings and open the Book Conditions section.

2. Add the conditions you want to use for your inventory, or rename the defaults to match your workflow.

3. Optionally choose a Square category for each condition, such as a used books category.

   

4. During order review, assign a condition to each book as needed.

   

5. When books are pushed to Square, each condition will be represented as its own variation for that ISBN, and any configured condition category will be applied automatically.

   

This should make used book inventory much easier to manage, especially for stores that regularly stock both new and used copies of the same title.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

You can now import order files from both Gardners UK and Penguin Random House directly into book by book. These imports work the same way as existing supported order formats, making it easy to continue building and managing orders regardless of supplier.

What's New

• Added support for Gardners UK order file imports
  • Note, these are PDFs rather than spreadsheets like other formats.
• Added support for Penguin Random House order file imports
• Imported files automatically populate order details including titles, quantities, pricing, and related metadata

If you've already used order imports in book by book, there's nothing new to learn — just upload the files and continue working as usual.

We’ve improved how upcoming releases appear in book by book, making it easier to spot books that shouldn’t be sold yet before you update Square.

When a book has a future release date, book by book now highlights it during review so it stands out from other books in the order. This helps catch preorder titles and prevent unreleased books from being prematurely shelved and picked up by customers.

What’s New

Unreleased books are highlighted

• Books with future release dates are now clearly called out during review

• Makes it easy to identify titles that shouldn’t be sold yet

  

Release dates in Square descriptions

• Release dates are now added to the top of the book description

• The date is immediately visible in Square item details

• Staff and customers can quickly see when a title becomes available

  

---

As always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

There’s now a more complete vendor tracking workflow for incoming books, with vendor-specific discount settings, smarter cost calculations, and better tools for assigning vendors during order review.

You can now save discount rates for your vendors at the organization level and use them to automatically calculate unit costs from MSRP when a book has a matching vendor. We have a broad selection of common book vendors and publishers to choose from, or you can add your own. When you import orders, new vendors can be added to your saved settings automatically, with discount rates inferred from imported pricing when possible.

Order review is also faster. While reviewing an order, you can assign a vendor to a title, apply that vendor to other books in the order that do not have one yet, and use your saved vendor rates to help fill in missing costs.

For example:

1. From Order Review, open the Vendor Rates dialog to review or update your saved vendor discount settings.

   

2. In the Vendor Rates dialog, add or edit vendors and their discount rates. This is also where you can create custom vendors.

   

3. After saving your vendor rates, open a book in the order.

4. Choose a vendor from your saved vendor list to automatically apply.

5. If other books in the order do not have a vendor yet, you can apply that same vendor to them in one step.

   

6. Your saved vendor rates will be used to help fill in unit costs during review.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

There’s now better support for bookstores operating beyond a USD-only workflow, with BookNet CataList import support, improved multi-currency handling, and more consistent use of your configured Square integration currency.

When creating items in Square, pricing now uses your organization’s configured integration currency instead of assuming USD. Imported and enriched pricing data also does a better job preserving the right currency, which helps unit costs and list prices stay aligned with the market and vendor context you’re actually working in. Money amounts are also shown throughout the interface using the appropriate currency format.

If you use BookNet CataList, you can now import those spreadsheets directly:

1. From the Dashboard, select Import Order File.
2. Upload your CataList spreadsheet.
3. The format will be detected automatically.
4. Review the imported books, then continue with your import.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

We're excited to announce the Restock Planner—a powerful new report that tells you exactly which books to reorder, and when, before you run out of stock.

Know What to Reorder

• See which titles are running low based on actual sales velocity
• Priorities automatically ranked from "Urgent" to "Dead Stock"
• Color-coded status highlights what needs immediate attention

Avoid Stockouts

• Predicts days until each title sells out
• Filter items stocking out within 7 or 30 days
• Stay ahead of demand on your bestsellers

Order from Your Wholesaler

• Export CSV files formatted for Pubeasy or Ingram
• Quantities automatically calculated based on sales velocity
• Customize coverage to match your preferred stock levels

Track Inventory Health

• See how long books have been on your shelves
• Identify slow movers that may need promotion
• Clear out dead stock before it ties up cash

Getting Started

Find the Restock Planner from your Dashboard.

How to use it:

1. Choose your date range for analysis
2. Filter by status to focus on urgent reorders
3. Click Export CSV to generate your wholesaler order

The Restock Planner connects to your Square catalog and sales history, giving you data-driven restock recommendations without the guesswork. Perfect for keeping your bestsellers in stock and your cash flow healthy.

As always, let us know if you have questions or feedback!

We're excited to announce support for team collaboration! You can now invite other users to join your organization and manage your inventory together, with everyone having their own secure login.

What's New

Invite Team Members

• Invite colleagues to join your organization by email from the Settings page
• Invited users receive a secure invitation link via email
• Invitations expire after 7 days for security

Seamless Onboarding

• New users can accept invitations using Google, Facebook, or email login
• Invited users automatically join your organization upon completing signup

User Management

• View all team members and pending invitations in one place
• See when each member joined your organization
• Remove pending invitations or deactivate members as needed

Getting Started

1. Navigate to Settings
2. Go to the Users section
3. Enter your teammate's email address and click Invite
4. They'll receive an email with instructions to join

Your teammates will have access to the same inventory, scanning tools, and Square integration that you do. Perfect for stores with multiple staff members managing book inventory!

As always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

We're excited to introduce Order Search, a powerful new feature that makes finding and managing your book orders effortless.

What's New

You can now search through all your orders instantly using multiple methods:

• Search by book title - Find orders containing specific books
• Search by author name - Locate all orders with books by a particular author
• Search by ISBN - Jump straight to orders containing a specific ISBN
• Search by order name - Find orders by their custom names
• Scan to search - Use your device camera to scan an ISBN barcode and find related orders

How It Works

Finding Orders by Book Content

The most powerful aspect of order search is the ability to search inside your orders. Looking for all orders that include books by a specific author? Just type their name. Need to find which order contains a particular title? Search for it directly.

Example scenarios:

• Search for "Colleen Hoover" to see all orders containing her books
• Search for "Fourth Wing" to find which orders include this title
• Scan an ISBN barcode to instantly see if that book is in any pending orders

Finding Orders by Name

Every order has a name (either one you've assigned or an auto-generated one based on the order source). You can search by these names too.

Example:

• Search for "Spring 2024" to find all orders you've labeled with that term
• Search for "Ingram" to find orders imported from Ingram

Smart Search

The search is intelligent and flexible:

• Partial matches work - Searching "fourth" will find "Fourth Wing"
• Case doesn't matter - "COLLEEN HOOVER" and "colleen hoover" both work
• ISBN formats supported - Works with both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13

How to Use It

1. Navigate to your Orders page - Click "Orders" in the main navigation or search straight from the dashboard
2. Enter your search - Type in the search bar at the top of the page, or click the camera icon to scan an ISBN
3. View results instantly - Your matching orders appear immediately
4. Click to open - Select any order to view its details and continue scanning

Tips

• Active orders only - Toggle "Active only" to filter your search to unprocessed orders
• Clear your search - Delete your search text to return to viewing all orders
• Quick ISBN lookup - The fastest way to check if a book is in an order is to scan its barcode

Why it matters

Without order search, it can be time consuming or impossible to find a single order among many. Now you can:

• Save time - Find orders in seconds instead of minutes
• Reduce errors - Quickly verify if you've already ordered a book before placing a duplicate order
• Better workflow - Use the camera scanner to check incoming shipments against your orders
• Stay organized - Easily locate orders by author, title, or name even with hundreds of orders in the system

---

Ready to try it? Head to your Orders page and start searching! As always, let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions to improve your workflow.