This is brilliant. The NFC tag integration is clever, but the mention of using the existing tags in library books is the real killer feature here. It solves the biggest friction point of needing to buy and set up your own tags.

I can imagine a magical workflow where you just tap a library book as you leave and it’s automatically added to your 'Currently Reading' list in the app, ready to be timed. That's a fantastic bridge between the physical and digital worlds.

Really clever idea, congrats on the launch!

Thanks so much! Yes, the embedded NFC chip in library books really removes the biggest friction point: you don’t need to buy your own tags (they’re only about $0.30 each, but most people simply don’t have one at hand).

In BookPace, every NFC tag, whether it’s your own or one from a library book, is treated as a black box. The app associates the book with the unique ID of the tag. Setup takes less than a minute and only needs to be done once — after that, every tap automatically recognizes the book.

I do wish we could read more structured info directly from library tags (like title, author, or ISBN) so users don't need to add the book info in the first place, but that data is usually encoded in a vendor-specific format that varies across library systems. Even so, just leveraging the existing tag IDs already creates a surprisingly smooth bridge between the physical and digital worlds.

The vendor-specific data format is a tough problem for sure, but the unique ID approach sounds like a great way to deliver a smooth user experience right now. Cheers!

> if you read physical books, you can attach an NFC tag to your book

I'm hearing this for the first time. Having a video demonstrating this would be nice.

I currently get a very productivity/measure all things vibe from the marketing site. Given how many readers read for pleasure, I would alter the site to position this as something that helps users become aware of their reading habits, not necessarily something to measure, and optimise their reading habits.

Congrats, looks great!

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback!

> I'm hearing this for the first time. Having a video demonstrating this would be nice.

You're absolutely right! I actually made one showing how you can attach an NFC tag to a physical book and have it trigger BookPace to toggle the reading timer associated with the book or navigate to the book detail page. It's also on the website (the light green "Watch Demo" link). Here’s the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALOsXeD-AA

> I currently get a very productivity/measure all things vibe from the marketing site. Given how many readers read for pleasure, I would alter the site to position this as something that helps users become aware of their reading habits, not necessarily something to measure, and optimise their reading habits.

You’ve raised a good point! It’s subtle, but it actually aligns closely with my original intention behind BookPace. The app is meant to help build your own pace — to be in a quiet game with yourself. It’s about being mindful of how small bits of progress can compound into something meaningful over time, like compound interest, which works well for readers reading for pleasure. Slowly but surely, reading becomes more natural. The tracking, stats, etc. the app offers should be just tools not the end goal. I'll think about how to convey this better to users!