How to Build a Book Tracker in Notion ( + free template)

 

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a simple book tracker using Notion. A book tracker is a handy tool for keeping tabs on your reading list and organizing your books.

So, let’s dive right in and get started on making a book tracker Notion template

Setting Up Your Notion Page

1. Page Title: Begin by opening a blank Notion page and giving it a title. Let’s call it “Simple Book Tracker.”
2. Adding a Cover Photo and Icon: To make your Book Tracker visually appealing, consider adding a cover photo and an icon. You can find a large library of stock images on Unsplash. Type a search keyword (e.g., a forest) and choose the image you like. Position it as desired. Then, add an icon that matches your theme, such as a bookmark icon in a green color.
3. Expanding Page Width: Maximize your workspace by clicking on the top-right corner’s three dots and selecting “Small Text Full Width.”

Now that your Notion page is set up, we can start creating the Book Tracker.

Creating the Book Tracker Database

1. Gallery View: Begin by creating a gallery view database for your books. Type /gallery and select “Gallery View.” Then, click on “+ new database”.
2. Title Your Database: Name your database something like “My Books.”
3. Adjusting Card Settings: To display book covers in your gallery view, go to “Layout” and select “Card Preview” with “Page Cover” and “Fit Image” settings. This way, you can see the entire book cover.

Now, let’s start adding books to your Book Tracker.

Adding Books to Your Tracker

Customizing Properties – To enhance your Book Tracker, customize the properties you’d like to track:

1. Author: Create a property named “Author” and use “Select” or “Multi-select” to choose one or multiple authors.
2. Genre: Add a property called “Genre” with “Multi-select” to assign multiple genres to a book.
3. Status: Track the reading status by adding a property named “Status” with options like “Want to Read,” “Reading Now,” and “Finished.”
4. Rating: Include a “Rating” property using emoji star icons. Create options from one to five stars using these icons.
5. Start Date and End Date: To record when you start and finish a book, add properties for “Start Date” and “End Date.”

As an example, we’ll add a book called Atomic Habits. The properties would be filled as follows:

• Title: Atomic Habits
• Author: James Clear
• Genre: Self-improvement
• Status: Want to Read
• Rating: Not rated yet
• Start Date: Not started

To add the book cover, search for an image of the book cover online, copy its image address, and paste it as the cover image.

Creating Book Entry Templates

To streamline the process of adding notes, summaries, or quotes for each book, you can create a book entry template:

1. Click on the arrow next to “New” and add a new template inside the “My Books” database.
2. Add things like “Summary,” “Quotes,” and/or “Notes” using headings and dividers inside this template.
3. Whenever you add a new book you can click this database template!

Filtering and Sorting Your Books

Notion allows you to filter and sort your books based on various properties. Here’s how:

• Filtering by Genre: Create separate tabs for different genres (e.g., Fantasy, Self-improvement, Memoirs) and use filters to display books by each genre.
• Grouping by Genre: Enable “Group by,” and choose “Genre” as the grouping option. This organizes your books by genre.
• Customize Your Tabs: You can create as many tabs as you need to organize and view your books the way you prefer.

Creating a Book Tracker in Notion is a fantastic way to keep your reading list organized and easily accessible. You can personalize it further by adding more properties, such as summaries, quotes, or favorite passages. With the ability to filter, sort, and group your books, Notion offers a flexible and efficient solution for book lovers.

Let’s start building your Book Tracker in Notion!

We hope this build-with-me tutorial will help you get started with Notion and create a functional book tracker Notion template. We recommend you open your Notion workspace and follow our video at the same time so you can learn faster by building. You can also download the finished template for free below!

New to Notion?

Learn more about Notion from our classes: We recommend you check out our tutorials and build-with-me tutorial series to learn Notion more efficiently by practicing and building. Keep experimenting with Notion functions and you will surely find a way to adapt them to your specific needs!

✨ Interested in trying out Notion? Notion has free plans for all users as well as paid plans for more advanced features and you can sign up here
✨ Interested in Notion AI? If you like to try to see how Notion AI automates your workflow, find the link to sign up here.
Full disclosure: we are a Notion Partner, so when you sign up with our link, you also help support us and our content!

Download our Templates

For the finished version of the template that we built during the build-with-me tutorial, download it for free below and check if everything is the same as your version!
✨ Although it’s free, we would greatly appreciate any support so that we can continue doing this. ❤️

If you prefer a pre-made template with more built-in functions, be sure to check our premium Book Library and Journal Notion Template. This is the perfect template for all readers and book lovers!

 

 

If you have any questions or need further clarification on any of the steps discussed, please don’t hesitate to ask us!