Bedside Reading
Bedside Reading is a literary hospitality platform that places curated physical books and a digital QR-code library in luxury hotels, resorts, hospitals, and short-term rentals, serving both hospitality partners seeking differentiated guest amenities and authors seeking marketing exposure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersStamford, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Bedside Reading does
Bedside Reading, LLC is a private literary hospitality company founded in 2017 by Jane Ubell-Meyer and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The company operates a curated book placement platform — branded "Room Service for Readers" — that places physical books and provides digital library access in luxury hotels, boutique resorts, hospitals, Airbnbs, and co-working spaces. Its core technology is a QR-code-accessible digital library containing 100+ ebook and audiobook titles, podcasts, and guided meditations, with content remaining accessible to guests after checkout. The digital layer complements traditional monthly-rotating physical book placements (minimum six titles per property) and seasonal programs such as the Hamptons initiative covering 11+ luxury properties.
The company's customer base is two-sided. On the B2B side, it partners with hospitality brands — including Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Sonesta International, Fairmont Miramar, Conrad New York Downtown, Acqualina Resort, Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, The Pierre New York, and a network of Hamptons hotels — placing curated physical and digital books as a differentiated guest amenity. On the direct side, it sells marketing programs to authors seeking visibility beyond Amazon, including the $3,500 Hamptons Weekend program (placement in 10-15 luxury hotels plus four months of social media and magazine promotion), the International Book Cover Awards competition ($69 submission fee, now in its 5th year with 3,000+ voters from 60+ countries), and advertising in Bedside Reading Magazine (full-page $1,650, half-page $650, quarter-page $550). Revenue is generated through recurring hotel partnership fees, author service fees, award submission fees, and magazine advertising.
The company operates as a bootstrapped, founder-led business with 1-10 employees and no disclosed institutional funding. It has built an earned media presence across WSJ, Forbes, Skift, Publishers Weekly, KTLA-TV, and a 5,000-subscriber newsletter. While the business model is asset-light and the category niche, the combination of multi-year hotel relationships, the registered "Bedside Reading®" trademark, and recurring author engagement across multiple book launches forms the foundation of its current operations.
Bedside Reading firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bedside Reading
- Legal name
- Bedside Reading, LLC
- Website
- https://bedsidereading.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bedside Reading is a literary hospitality platform that places curated physical books and a digital QR-code library in luxury hotels, resorts, hospitals, and short-term rentals, serving both hospitality partners seeking differentiated guest amenities and authors seeking marketing exposure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bedside Reading industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Hospitality Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH), Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)
Keywords
Where Bedside Reading is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stamford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bedside Reading business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Hotel Partnership Programs: Bedside Reading charges hotels for curated book placement programs, providing physical books and digital access as guest amenities. Hotels pay for the service to differentiate their guest experience.
- Author Marketing Programs: Authors pay for placement in luxury hotels, media exposure, social media promotion, and author spotlight features. Programs like the Hamptons Weekend ($3,500) include hotel placement, digital program access, and 4 months of marketing support.
- Book Cover Awards: International competition where authors pay submission fees ($69 promotional rate) for book cover recognition, featuring placement in hotel programs, digital library, magazine exposure, and social media promotion valued at $6,700.
- Magazine Advertising: Authors and publishers pay for ad placements in Bedside Reading magazine distributed in Hamptons and Palm Springs properties, with full page ads at $1,650 and quarter page ads at $550.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Hamptons Weekend 4-Month Program |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 5th International Book Cover Awards Submission |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Magazine Advertising - Full Page |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Magazine Advertising - Quarter Page |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Magazine Advertising - Half Page |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Bedside Reading product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bedside Reading is a literary hospitality platform that places curated physical books in luxury hotels, hospitals, Airbnbs, and co-working spaces, accompanied by a digital library accessible via QR codes offering ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, and guided meditations. The company also provides paid marketing programs for authors, including hotel placement, media exposure, social media promotion, and an annual International Book Cover Awards competition. Additional offerings include print magazine distribution and book-to-screen adaptation marketing supplements.
Product overview
Bedside Reading operates as a literary hospitality platform offering "Room Service for Readers" through multiple integrated programs. The core offering combines physical book placement in luxury hotels with a digital program (Hotel Digital Programs and Bedside Reading Digital) providing QR code access to e-books, audiobooks, podcasts, and guided meditations. The company runs seasonal programs like the Hamptons Program, manages the International Book Cover Awards, and publishes Bedside Reading Magazine and Books to Screen Magazine. The Reading Room provides editorial content including essays and author interviews. Together, these products create a comprehensive literary discovery ecosystem spanning hospitality venues, digital channels, and media publications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,000+ international voters from 60+ countries participated in Book Cover Awards
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bedside Reading
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bedside Reading technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Bedside Reading partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Hyatt Regency San FranciscocoreNew partnership announced May 2026. Hyatt Regency San Francisco partnered with Bedside Reading to provide hotel guests complimentary digital and physical access to over 100 book titles. Guests can read on-site or download the free application to use while exploring nearby areas such as parks or the waterfront.
- Sonesta International Hotels CorporationcoreNew amenity partnership announced December 2025 providing guests at participating properties complimentary digital access to curated e-book and audiobook library via QR codes. Rolling out across Sonesta Denver Downtown, Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach, Sonesta Los Angeles Airport LAX, and additional Sonesta properties. The program offers over 100 titles ranging from mysteries and memoirs to children's literature.
- Fairmont Miramar Hotel & BungalowscoreLong-term partner (2+ years) receiving physical book placements. The hotel's Director of Marketing reports guests love the program and it is one of their most talked-about amenities. Jane places books from bestselling authors including Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Chris Bohjalian, and Salman Rushdie.
- Conrad New York DowntowncoreMulti-year partner who worked with Bedside Reading through COVID-19. The program evolved to include digital experience, social media content from authors, and media support. General Manager praised the company's strong leadership, network, and marketing support.
- Acqualina Resort & ResidencescoreLong-term partner where Bedside Reading program has proven very successful. Director of Sales reports guests truly enjoy the literature provided and it is a wonderful amenity to enhance their experience.
- Waldorf Astoria Monarch BeachmajorLuxury resort partner receiving Bedside Reading book placement programs.
- The Pierre New York (Taj Hotel)majorLuxury boutique hotel partner in New York City receiving Bedside Reading programs.
- Valley Care Health SystemsminorHospital partnership with 7 affiliated hospitals providing comforting reading materials for patients and families.
- Air HamptonsminorMedia partnership featuring founder Jane Ubell-Meyer discussing book discovery and literary hospitality on the Air Hamptons show.
- Hamptons Hotels NetworkcoreNetwork of 11+ Hamptons luxury properties including 1708 House, Baker House 1650, Beachcomber Resort, Canoe Place Inn & Cottages, Capri Southampton, Hotel Moraine, Journey East Hampton, Maidstone Hotel, Marram Montauk, Mill House Inn, Southampton Inn. Seasonal literary discovery programs introduce thousands of guests to new authors.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bedside Reading competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PressReader: PressReader provides digital newspaper and magazine content to hotels, cruise lines, airlines, and libraries via mobile apps and in-room tablets. It is a direct competitor in delivering curated digital reading content to hotel guests.
- Library Pass: Library Pass operates a digital library platform (Libby/OverDrive ecosystem) providing e-books and audiobooks to schools, libraries, and other institutions. Comparable technology and content-licensing approach to Bedside Reading's digital library.
- Book of the Month: Book of the Month is a curated book subscription club that selects and distributes featured titles to paying subscribers monthly. Comparable in curating a small, themed set of books and in the consumer-facing book discovery model.
- Literati: Literati runs subscription-based book clubs targeting children and families with curated titles and author-led experiences. Comparable curation and subscription flywheel, with stronger children's literature focus.
Broad incumbents
- Scribd: Scribd operates a broad digital subscription library of ebooks, audiobooks, and documents. A larger incumbent in digital subscription reading, though consumer-direct rather than hotel-distributed.
- Audible: Audible (Amazon-owned) is the dominant audiobook subscription platform. While broader in scope and B2C, it competes for the same digital-reading wallet share that Bedside Reading's audiobook library targets.
- Reese's Book Club: Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine-owned book club is a high-profile curation brand that drives book sales through selection alone. Comparable author-discovery influence, though operating at consumer-brand scale rather than hospitality placement.
Others
- Smith Publicity: Smith Publicity is a book PR and marketing agency serving authors and publishers. Adjacent in serving the same author clientele with publicity services, though it does not provide hotel placement.
Emerging players
- She Writes Press: She Writes Press is a hybrid publishing imprint offering editorial and marketing services to authors. Comparable in bundling publishing support with author marketing, though it controls the publication process rather than placement.
- Mango Publishing: Mango Publishing Group is an independent publisher offering editorial, design, and author-marketing services. Comparable in serving independent authors with distribution and promotional support, though book-trade focused rather than hospitality-focused.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bedside Reading social profiles
Digital presenceBedside Reading financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bedside Reading leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bedside Reading funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bedside Reading M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bedside Reading
What does Bedside Reading do?
Bedside Reading is a literary hospitality platform that places curated physical books in luxury hotels, hospitals, Airbnbs, and co-working spaces, accompanied by a digital library accessible via QR codes offering ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, and guided meditations. The company also provides paid marketing programs for authors, including hotel placement, media exposure, social media promotion, and an annual International Book Cover Awards competition. Additional offerings include print magazine distribution and book-to-screen adaptation marketing supplements.
Is Bedside Reading a public or private company?
Bedside Reading is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bedside Reading founded?
Bedside Reading was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bedside Reading based?
Bedside Reading is headquartered in Stamford, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bedside Reading make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hotel Partnership Programs are the primary driver. The others are author Marketing Programs, book Cover Awards and magazine Advertising.
Who are Bedside Reading's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PressReader, Library Pass, Book of the Month and Literati. Broad incumbents are Scribd, Audible and Reese's Book Club. Smith Publicity is listed as an others. Emerging players are She Writes Press and Mango Publishing.
Does Bedside Reading have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bedside Reading.
What industry is Bedside Reading in?
Bedside Reading's product category is Literary Hospitality Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAB, E-book Subscription & Bundling Services, with a secondary code of MPAJAAAH, Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.