BookU gained so much popularity at Florida State University that it blocked it from distributing its flyers on campus, according to its founder Tom Shields.

Shield’s app — now available on the Apple Store —  just made another stop on the way to Shield’s goal of expanding to the top 25 universities in the country by the end of the year.  

“We’ve currently been operating at FAU for the past 2 weeks and it couldn’t be going better,” Shields said in an email. “It’s spreading like wildfire.”

After having graduated from the University of Tampa, Shields made it a priority to make connections on South Florida campuses.

Shields came up with the idea after being involved with the private jet company, JetSmarter, and seeing how certain apps could revolutionize the virtual marketplace.

BookU allows users to search for a book they may need for class or want to sell by scanning the ISBN code on the back.

One problem students face when they come back to school is having to buy expensive textbooks.

“I had two sets of friends, some that could afford textbooks and some that couldn’t,” said Shields. “Unfortunately for those fellow students that couldn’t afford textbooks, their grades suffered.”

Most students don’t know what to do with their textbooks after the semester ends and have found that the campus bookstore normally pays students a lower price to buy back their books.

On top of purchasing books, BookU allows students to rent textbooks daily, weekly or monthly. Users set their own prices and as stated by the App Store description students can “save an average of 35 percent compared to bookstore pricing.”

Shields’ cousin and business partner, Alex Jordan, has been working with him to grow their team.

“It’s been a long road with a lot of late nights, but we all believe in what we are building here,” said Jordan. “It’s not just about growing our numbers, but about having users that interact with the platform.”

Shields’ designed the app with students’ safety in mind, as the textbook exchange process may involve meeting someone dangerous.

“The app actually shows popular swap spots on campus,” said Shields. “I hope to build a model where there will be a main spot students can swap their textbooks.”

“It would help me out having people to sell it to,” said Bailey Paulovich, senior exercise science and health promotions major. “I feel like it should have to be on campus with people around as witnesses.”

After being released in early 2016, BookU gained popularity at Florida State University and the University of Central Florida.

The company currently has brand ambassadors publicizing the app by wearing BookU merchandise and distributing flyers. According to Shields, ambassadors can earn “internship hours for their degree and extra income.”

There are 25 at FSU, 15 at UCF and now 10 at the Boca Raton campus.

Several FAU students have expressed interest in the app after hearing about it around campus.

Sophomore biology major Jose Suarez said, “I like the fact that you can rent it for a day. I rent all my books because they’re too expensive.”  

Another student is concerned with the prices of textbooks he needs in the bookstore.

“Textbooks are way too expensive here with many bookstore prices being out of reach for many students,” said Berkens Jean-Baptiste, sophomore biology major.

Connor ball is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @connortball.