Lesson 7 of 9 · Running it
Tracking print books, ebooks and audiobooks in one library
One reading life, three formats: how to log each without making a mess of your stats.
Best Book Tracker Apps editors · 4 September 2026 · 3 min read
Log the edition you are actually reading, use pages for print and percent for ebooks and audiobooks, and let syncs do the work where they exist, such as Kobo to StoryGraph. For audiobooks and print, a timer or a place-keeping app covers what a progress number cannot.
Contents
Why does the edition matter?
Every edition of a book, including its hardcover, paperback, ebook and audiobook, can carry its own ISBN, and since January 1, 2007 new ISBNs have 13 digits. Trackers use the edition to fill in the page count, the cover and sometimes the format. If you log the hardcover but read the paperback, your page progress will not line up. Scanning the barcode on the copy in your hands is the easiest way to get the edition right, and StoryGraph, Goodreads, Literal, Bookly and BookBuddy all publish barcode scanning.
Which progress unit suits each format?
| Format | Best unit | Why | Apps that help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page number | The number is printed on the page, and it matches the edition's page count. | The StoryGraph, Goodreads, Bookly timer sessions | |
| Ebook | Percent | Page counts change with text size and device, but percent does not. | StoryGraph accepts percent, and Kobo sends percent progress to StoryGraph automatically |
| Audiobook | Percent or time | There are no pages; the player shows elapsed time. | Bookly logs audiobook sessions; Magic Bookmark finds your place from the last phrase you heard |
What syncs on its own for ebooks?
Since June 29, 2026, reading on a Kobo e-reader or in the Kobo app updates your StoryGraph Currently Reading shelf, syncs percentage progress and marks finished books as read, at no extra cost. Kindle readers have imports rather than a live sync among the apps we rank: Fable's Google Play listing mentions importing Kindle lists, and Basmo imports Kindle highlights. Our article on automatic reading tracking covers the details.
How do you track audiobooks?
Most trackers let you add an audiobook as a format and update progress by percent. Two apps go further. Bookly's timer logs audiobook sessions the same way it logs print, so listening time shows up in your stats. Magic Bookmark takes the last phrase you heard and syncs to your place in a supported audiobook, then shows who's who without revealing anything past that point. It does not log the book in a library, so use it alongside your tracker.
How do you keep one library across formats?
- Log each book once, in the format you are reading now. If you switch from print to audio halfway, change the edition rather than adding a second copy.
- Keep one progress unit per book from start to finish.
- Use a tag or shelf for format if your app does not record it, so your stats can split print from audio.
- Mark library loans and borrowed copies so you remember to return them. BookBuddy records who has borrowed each copy you own, and Magic Bookmark works with library loans as well as books you own.
- Export once a quarter, whatever syncs.