Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I start using The Pigeonhole?

  We offer free samples of all of our books so that you can decide exactly what you fancy reading. Once you select a book, go to the book page and click ‘Join’. Follow the instructions to sign up to The Pigeonhole, if you haven't already, to get the book on your bookshelf.

• What is The Pigeonhole?

  The Pigeonhole is the book club in your pocket! We work with publishers to bring you fantastic new titles so that you can read along with our community. Browse our library and start reading today! As the largest digital book club platform in the UK, with over 15,000 members, The Pigeonhole's mission is to encourage people to discuss and share the books they love. The Pigeonhole experience combines the old – books delivered in Dickensian-style instalments – with the new – mobile apps that allow readers to share their thoughts as they read, often with the author. The Pigeonhole is now five years old and has worked with all the major UK publishers. Authors who have taken part in a Pigeonhole serialisation include Ken Follett, Sophie Kinsella, Anthony Horowitz and Jodi Picoult.

• How do I start reading?

  Simply browse our library to find a book that piques your interest. Then go to its page and click ‘Join’. Follow the instructions and read away!

• What does being a Pigeonhole Patron mean?

  It means you are supporting The Pigeonhole with a generous contribution - your contribution will allow us to keep bringing you the best books for free. If you are a legendary pigeon, you will receive priority access to every single book in your territory.

• How do I cancel my Pigeonhole Patron contribution?

  Email laurence@thepigeonhole.com to end your contributions.

• How do I add a book to my bookshelf?

  Pick any book from our library, go to its page and hit ‘Join’. If you’re not already logged in or haven’t signed up, it will ask you to do so before subscribing to the book.

• What are ‘staves’?

  This is what we call the instalments of each book: staves. We took inspiration from the father of serialisation, Charles Dickens himself, who called the instalments of A Christmas Carol staves.

• What is a serialisation?

  When a book is cut into bite-sized chunks and released to the public in instalments, or 'staves' as we call them!

• What if I can’t keep up with the serialisation?

  We are all about reading together in a community and we do all we can to encourage our users to keep up, but we understand that one can easily fall behind. Not to worry though! The book will be available in your bookshelf for 2 weeks after the end of the serialisation for you to read.

• What are the bronze, silver and gold badges which I can see next to readers' names when they leave comments?

  The Pigeonhole community is a big feedback loop: it's all about reading, sharing, interacting and giving feedback. The easiest way to provide feedback to authors and The Pigeonhole is by leaving reviews for the books you have read. We will provide links at the end of each serialisation to make it as easy as possible. We then find your reviews, add them to your account, and assign you the appropriate badge. The more reviews you leave, the shinier your badge gets! (Please send your reviews to laurence@thepigeonhole.com to make this process all the speedier.)

• Can I get all staves at once?

  If you join a public serialisation or join a private book club, you can only receive staves at the stated frequency. However, if you join in the middle of a serialisation or a book club, you will receive all released staves immediately followed by the remaining ones as often as it was previously determined. Once the serialisation is over, you will be able to access the full book at anytime.

• How do I create a private book club?

  Books that are not currently running in a public serialisation are available for you to read in a private book club. Browse the At Your Leisure section and select any book. Go to its page and click on ‘create private group’ and follow the instructions.

• I’ve set up a book club, now what?

  As part of setting up a book club you will be asked to send a start date and an invite link to your friends. You can find that invite link on the book page, or on your bookshelf in the app. We also send you an email including the link as soon as you create your group. Simply forward it to anyone that you want to invite. We recommend you make sure your friends join before the start date as from our experience when all group members get the chance to start reading at the same time, more members manage to keep up. This helps your discussion to be lively!

• How do I delete my account?

  To delete your account, go to your account settings on the Android or iOs  Pigeonhole app, or in settings on the website. From here you can delete your account. All data is deleted. The Pigeonhole does not retain any of your data once it has been deleted.

  If you require any assistance, please email help@thepigeonhole.com

• Can I read with my friends?

  Yes! Here at The Pigeonhole we believe in communal reading so we aim to build a community that reads books together. However, if you’d like to discuss a book only with those close to you, you can create a private book club and invite friends to join.

  
  

• What is the extra content?
  For all our books we add fun extras in the margins to enhance your reading experience. These can be interviews with the author, the context of a historic reference, a playlist we created specially for that book, the sky's the limit! Before launching every book we carefully consider what we can add for you to get deeper into the story. We invite you to explore this extra content and let us know what you think. We work hard to take advantage of the digital format and bring you a dynamic reading experience.

• Can I read a Pigeonhole book alone?

  Sure! All our books on the At Your Leisure section can be read whenever you like for free.

• How do I change my account details or password?

  On the web while logged in, go to the user icon on the top right and select my account from the drop down menu. On the app go to ‘Account’ on the bottom navigation bar and then tap on the gear icon on the top right. From there you can edit all your account details such as email, password, name and profile picture.

• How does your library work?

  We divide our library into three different sections: In Play, At Your Leisure and Pigeon Picks.

  
  

  In Play: these are books that are either about to start a public serialisation or are in the middle of it. Anyone is welcome to join and this is when you get to read with the Pigeonhole community around the world.

  
  

  At Your Leisure: these are books that you can either set up a private group with or read on your own. Go to the page of any of these books and click on ‘Create Private Group’ to set up a book club with that book.

  
  

  Pigeon Picks: these are our favourite books for each week. Some of them can be ‘In Play’ and others can belong to the ‘At Your Leisure’ section. They are just there because we recommend them at that moment.

• How do I post a comment in the book I’m reading?

  Highlight the piece of text you want to reference and then click on the speech bubble in the tooltip menu that appears. Here's a gif showing you how to do it! Also, you’ll find grey speech bubbles throughout the margins where other readers have already left comments. You can view and reply to these by simply tapping or clicking on each speech bubble.

• How do I turn on/turn off push notifications in the app?

  Go to ‘Account’ on the bottom navigation bar, then tap on the gear icon on the top right and then select push notifications. From there you can turn them on or off whenever you like.

• How do I get in touch?
  Please feel free to email us anytime at help@thepigeonhole.com. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

• How much do your books cost?

  Nothing! All of our books are completely free.

• What if I'm having trouble reading on the app or can't see the right books on my bookshelf?

  There are 3 steps you can take which resolve most reading issues. Firstly, pull down on your bookshelf to refresh it. Then you can restore bookshelf within Account > Settings. If problems persist, log out and then back in again. Your final option is to delete and reinstall the app. If this does not solve your problem, then please email help@thepigeonhole.com

• I'm having problems locating a 'back' button on my Android device.

  This can be fixed with an accessibility setting in your device. Please follow this link for more info.

• How can I download your app?

  For iOS visit the App Store and search for The Pigeonhole, for Android do the same in the Play Store. Or simply click this link for the iOS app, or this link for the Android app.

• Can I read Pigeonhole books if I’m travelling?
  Yes you can. Your bookshelf will always be accessible to you no matter where you go. The only thing to note is that if you want to read a book that is only available in your country, please make sure to add it to your bookshelf before you go abroad. Otherwise you won’t be able to access it until you’re back home.
• When will you have books in other languages?
  We are planning to expand to literature in other languages. Have any ideas or suggestions of books you’d like to see in a specific language? Email them to us at help@thepigeonhole.com. We’ll be happy to work on adding your suggestions.
• How do you source your books?
  We work with publishers and editors around the world to bring you brand new writing that we think will prompt great discussion and create lasting links between authors and their readers. Our classics are selected to fit nicely alongside major celebrations or cultural events – plus, we love getting suggestions from you, our readers.

• Can I read offline?

  Of course! Only make sure to update your bookshelf before going offline by tapping and dragging down to refresh it manually. This way, you’ll ensure all your books are up to date to the latest stave and then you can access them offline.

• How many books can I read at The Pigeonhole?

  You can read as many books as you like. You can add a limitless number to your bookshelf. However, if you’re reading in serialisation with a group or with our community we recommend you to do this one book at a time. It’s easier to commit to short reading times each day than trying to do all of them at once. Don’t worry, we often run books more than once so if you miss one you can easily join the next!

• The app is not working well for me, what should I do?

  We are working hard on optimizing our app round the clock and therefore we release updates quite frequently. If you’re experiencing difficulties with the app, deleting it and re-downloading it from the App Store or Play Store usually resolves your issues. If the problem persists, please contact us at help@thepigeonhole.com and we will resolve it as soon as we can.

• Are Pigeonhole books available in all countries?
  Some of our books are only available in certain countries. If this is the case, the website won’t allow you to add it to your bookshelf.

• How can I unsubscribe from email notifications?

  Visit your account page either from the web or app. Then select ‘email notifications’, from there you can customise what email notifications you receive per book or simply select general settings for all books you add to your bookshelf.

• After the serialisation is over, can I still read the book?

  Yes. Once the serialisation is over, your completed book will be available for one month.