Scribd has launched a new content offering called Snapshots. Scribd Snapshots offer curated previews of nonfiction books. The idea being to help Scribd subscribers decide whether they want to read a book in full, or whether the highlights are enough.

Scribd Launches Snapshots of Nonfiction Books

Scribd introduces Snapshots in a post on the Scribd Blog. The company describes Snapshots as "the literary equivalent of a movie trailer". And that's a perfect description for the feature designed to help readers discover nonfiction books on Scribd.

Snapshots are previews that offer the "key insights of a book in about 15 minutes". Snapshots are original content "created by Scribd’s in-house editorial content team". So, while they describe what's in the book, they don't quote authors directly.

Trip Adler, CEO of Scribd, said:

"We’re always looking for ways to improve content discovery on Scribd; with Snapshots, we’re going beyond recommendations and providing key insights that get readers excited about books they may not have considered reading otherwise."

"By providing quick, snackable previews of top nonfiction books, Snapshots can help publishers and authors to get their titles in front of large audiences who are likely to enjoy them."

Scribd's intention with Snapshots is to help you decide which books to read in full. However, if you haven't got the time and inclination to read 50+ books in a year, you could use Snapshots in order to pretend that you read more than you actually do.

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Scribd Snapshots originally launched in beta earlier this year. And now, after receiving a positive reception from readers, Scribd has launched the content offering in full. There are currently 500 Snapshots available, with many more planned for the future.

With so many books released each and every year, Scribed Snapshots is a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, Snapshots are only available to Scribd subscribers. Everyone else should check out the best books released in 2019 and the best books for geeks to read in 2019.