Pick a Book

What Pick a Book does

Pick a Book is a Sri Lankan community-based reading platform founded in 2019 as an internal initiative of digital agency Epitom Digital, and now operating as a public, multi-format reading community with headquarters in Colombo and chapters in Kandy, Badulla, Jaffna, and the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi). The company serves members across the full demographic spectrum through six distinct club formats: Kids Club (ages 6-12), Teen Club (13-18), Public Club (adults), PAB Nexus (corporate organizations), The Conclave (invitation-only senior leadership council for CEOs, Founders, MDs and Directors), and Entrepreneurs' Reading Club (founders with 2+ years). Members engage through monthly in-person and online facilitated sessions built on a structured format of reading, presentation, and applied learning, supplemented by quarterly Readathlons and an annual Readers Conference.

The underlying technology stack is minimal — the platform operates primarily through a website (pickabook.lk, pickabook.club, pickabook.ae), WhatsApp and telephone communication, and physical doorstep book delivery. There is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed software integrations; the core product is a community experience rather than a software platform. Curated content comprises 300+ titles refreshed monthly, including books sourced on request that are not otherwise available in Sri Lanka.

Revenue is generated through recurring subscription memberships: corporate clients pay LKR 700-2,500 per employee per month on PAB Nexus (minimum 20 employees, 12-month contracts); individual adult, teen, and kids clubs charge monthly membership fees processed via PayHere; the Entrepreneurs' Reading Club charges LKR 18,000 annually (redeemable in books); and The Conclave charges LKR 3,750 per session for its twice-monthly executive meetings. Customer acquisition is primarily community-led through word-of-mouth and social media, with enterprise sales conducted via direct outreach to HR and L&D leaders. Named enterprise customers include Shangri-La Group, Ceylon Agro Industries, and Rizing Consumer Industries. The company operates as a private, bootstrapped entity under parent company Epitom Digital with 11-50 employees and no disclosed external funding.

Name

Pick a Book

Legal name

Pick a Book

Website

https://pickabook.club

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pick a Book is a Sri Lankan community-based reading platform operating six club formats — Kids, Teen, Public, corporate PAB Nexus, executive Conclave, and Entrepreneurs — serving 500+ members across Sri Lanka and the UAE through monthly facilitated sessions and recurring subscription memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Reading Services

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)

Keywords

• Community reading clubs
• Book-based learning
• Corporate learning programs
• Reading community platform
• Social reading experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership (PAB Nexus): Monthly per-employee subscription for corporate book-based learning programmes. Three tiers: Explorer (LKR 700/employee/month), Scholar (LKR 1,900/employee/month), and Luminary (LKR 2,500/employee/month). Minimum 20 employees, 12-month engagement. Includes doorstep book delivery, monthly sessions, engagement reporting, and access to cross-company events.
2. The Conclave Membership: Private senior leadership council with 12 seats for CEOs, Founders, MDs and Directors. Sessions held twice monthly at premium Colombo hotels at LKR 3,750 per session. Membership is by invitation only.
3. Entrepreneurs' Reading Club: Annual membership at LKR 18,000/year for founders with 2+ years of entrepreneurship. Includes two sessions per month, guest entrepreneur sessions, and full LKR 18,000 redeemable in books at Pick a Book.
4. Public Club Membership: Monthly membership fees for individual adult readers joining the Public Club. Payments processed via PayHere. Sessions held in-person (Colombo) and online.
5. Kids and Teen Club: Club memberships for children (ages 6-12) and teenagers (ages 13-18) with monthly sessions, guided reading activities, and badge/reward systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pick a Book operates a subscription-based reading community platform offering six distinct club formats (Kids, Teen, Public, PAB Nexus corporate, The Conclave for senior leaders, and Entrepreneurs' Reading Club) across Sri Lanka and the UAE. Members receive curated book titles, attend facilitated in-person or online sessions, engage in debates and presentations, and have books delivered to their doorstep. The platform monetizes through monthly/annual club memberships, per-employee corporate subscriptions, and per-session executive council fees.

Product overview

Pick a Book is a reading community platform offering six distinct club formats across Sri Lanka and the UAE: Kids Club (ages 6–12), Teen Club (ages 13–18), Public Club (open enrolment adults), PAB Nexus (corporate reading programmes with Explorer/Scholar/Luminary tiers), The Conclave (invite-only senior leadership council), and Entrepreneurs' Reading Club (for founders with 2+ years experience). The company also operates special interest circles including Women's Circle and hosts quarterly Readathlon events. All clubs centre on a shared reading format: members select books, read and research deeply, present summaries to peers, and apply insights to their lives and work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAB Nexus: Corporate reading programme for organisations with structured book-based learning, featuring Explorer, Scholar, and Luminary pricing tiers for enterprise clients.
• The Conclave

Products and services

• Kids Club A monthly reading club for children ages 6–12 featuring guided sessions, creative activities, storytelling, character role-play, and badges and rewards for completed books, designed to build vocabulary, imagination, and a lifelong love of reading.
• Teen Club A monthly reading club for young adults ages 13–18 offering live debates, reflection journals, and peer presentations to build critical thinking, argumentation, and public speaking skills.
• Public Club An open-enrolment monthly reading club for adults featuring curated titles, live in-person and online discussions, and member presentations centred on honest conversation about books.
• PAB Nexus (Company Club) A corporate reading programme that brings structured, book-based learning into workplaces with monthly sessions, engagement reporting, guest presenters from other companies, Readathlons, cross-company events, and three monthly per-employee pricing tiers (Explorer, Scholar, Luminary) for team culture and leadership development. Requires minimum 20 employees and 12-month engagement.
• The Conclave A private senior leadership council for 12 non-competing CEOs, Founders, MDs & Directors, featuring two monthly sessions anchored by a book at premium Colombo hotels under Chatham House Rules.
• Entrepreneurs' Reading Club A members-only annual reading circle for founders with 2+ years of experience, offering two monthly sessions, guest entrepreneur talks, an LKR 18,000 book credit fully redeemable at Pick a Book, and access to other PAB clubs.
• Women's Circle A specialty reading circle for women seeking intentional conversations around mindfulness, leadership, personal growth, and purpose-driven living.
• Readathlon A live stage book marathon event where members present books, debates, and performances, symbolising personal transformation through reading and serving as a recurring community engagement programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• Turnover dropped within 3 months using applied learning model
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Roar MediaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Media partnership for Junior Book Bash 2025, a children's reading event. Roar LK covered the event for Children's Day celebrations, featuring young Pick a Book Kids Club readers sharing their reading experiences.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MasterClass: Premium subscription learning platform featuring world-class experts across disciplines. Comparable to Pick a Book's PAB Nexus in positioning curated expert content as professional development for adults and executives.
• Audible: Amazon-owned audiobook subscription platform serving millions of subscribers globally. Comparable as a recurring reading/listening subscription offering curated content, though digital rather than community-led and serving a much broader audience.
• Scribd: Subscription-based digital reading platform offering ebooks, audiobooks, and documents. Comparable as a subscription reading service, though broader in scope and lacking Pick a Book's curated community-club structure.

Direct peers

• Book of the Month: US-based subscription book club delivering curated titles monthly to members. Closely comparable to Pick a Book's Public Club in offering recurring, curated reading experiences with community engagement around shared titles.
• Literati: Book club subscription service targeting professionals and families with curated titles and discussion-based community features. Comparable to Pick a Book's Public and Entrepreneurs' clubs in its subscription book club model.
• Epic!: Digital reading platform for kids 12 and under with curated content and educational angle. Comparable to Pick a Book's Kids Club (ages 6–12) in its focus on building literacy and a love of reading among children, though delivered digitally rather than through in-person sessions.

Regional players

• Crossword Bookstores: India's largest bookstore chain with community events, book clubs, and curated recommendations. Comparable to Pick a Book as a South Asian reading community, though retail-chain based rather than subscription-club based.
• Kitab Khana: Iconic independent bookstore and literary hub in Mumbai, India, hosting author events and community gatherings. Comparable to Pick a Book as a regional South Asian reading community hub, though retail-led rather than subscription-led.

Emerging players

• Reading Eggs: Online reading program for children ages 2–13 with structured learning paths. Comparable to Pick a Book's Kids and Teen clubs in targeting young readers with structured reading engagement, though digital/SaaS rather than in-person.
• BookBub: Discovery and recommendation platform for ebooks and audiobooks, connecting readers with curated deals and titles. Comparable to Pick a Book in curating book discovery for engaged readers, though focused on deals rather than community sessions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EpitomPickABook

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pick a Book