# Kyle Colley: Co-Founder of Bookum

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/clay-cane-extended-6903160/kyle-colley-co-founder-of-bookum
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/clay-cane-extended-6903160/kyle-colley-co-founder-of-bookum.md
Podcast: [Clay Cane Extended!](https://stenobird.com/podcast/clay-cane-extended-6903160)
Published: 2026-03-18T13:49:32+00:00
Episode link: https://clay-cane-extended.simplecast.com/episodes/kyle-colley-co-founder-of-bookum-B5hsFSH1
Audio file: https://afp-375592-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/2b9c5cec-33f3-4251-894b-1afb8540afb3/episodes/93330e97-a904-4016-bb1e-a7067b619422/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=2b9c5cec-33f3-4251-894b-1afb8540afb3&awEpisodeId=93330e97-a904-4016-bb1e-a7067b619422&feed=SJOaGvUi
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Duration seconds: 968

## Resource

Bookum was born from a need to vertically integrate the book club experience during the pandemic. The platform moves beyond social media snippets to facilitate deep, real-time community discussions around literature.

## Highlights
- Main idea: Bookum serves as a centralized hub for book communities to engage in real-time, long-form dialogue
- Practical takeaway: The platform allows users to share book annotations and participate in live, interactive author Q&As
- Failure mode: Relying on fragmented tools like Zoom and email can break the community experience for book clubs
- Branding strategy: The name 'Bookum' (short for Book Community) is designed to be inclusive of all genres and backgrounds
- Vision: The long-term goal is to build a powerful platform for intellectual property and storytelling, similar to major media empires

## Topics

Bookum, Creator Economy, Digital Communities, Entrepreneurship, Literary Discussion, Mobile Apps, Storytelling, Book Clubs

## Chapters
- 1:00 — The Origin of Bookum: How a pandemic-era education company evolved into a dedicated digital space for book clubs.
- 2:00 — The Need for Community: Why digital book clubs require more than just video calls to foster true connection.
- 6:00 — Building the Product: Leveraging engineering talent to create a user-centric experience for readers and creators.
- 8:00 — Inclusive Branding: Discussing the intentional decision to create a brand that transcends specific racial or genre-based labels.
- 13:00 — Long-term Vision: Scaling Bookum into a major platform for stories and intellectual property.
- 14:00 — Influential Literature: A look at the authors and business books that shape the founder's perspective.

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## Transcript

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