If you have ever stood in front of your bookshelves thinking, “I know I own this book, but where is it?” this is for you.
Organizing bookshelves sounds simple until you actually start doing it.
You think you are going to move a few books around. Then suddenly there are stacks all over the floor, your unread books are mixed in with your read books, fantasy is sitting next to nonfiction, and you have found three books you forgot you bought.
Somehow, the shelves look worse than they did before you started.
The good news is that there is no single correct way to organize a bookshelf.
The best system depends on how your brain works, how you choose your next book, and how you want your shelves to look.
The goal is not to create a perfect bookshelf. The goal is to create a system that helps you:
- Find your books
- Remember what you own
- Choose your next read
- Make space for new books
- Enjoy looking at your shelves
Here are nine different ways to organize your bookshelves, plus the mixed system I personally use.
1. Separate Read Books From Unread Books
One of the most functional ways to organize your bookshelves is to separate books you have already read from books you have not read yet.
This is one of my favorite systems because it turns your shelves into a visual reading tracker.
When your unread books are mixed in with everything else, it is easy to forget what is actually sitting on your physical TBR.
You buy a book, place it on the shelf, and six months later find yourself wondering, “Wait, did I already read this?”
When read and unread books are separated, you can immediately see:
- What you have finished
- What you still want to read
- How many unread books you own
- How realistic or completely unhinged your TBR has become
No judgment. Mine is also fighting for its life.
This system is especially helpful if you are trying to read more of the books you already own before buying new ones.
The struggle is real.
2. Organize Books by Genre
Organizing books by genre is perfect for mood readers.
Sometimes you are not looking for a specific title or author. You just know you need a smutty romance, a fast-paced thriller, or a fantasy novel featuring some dragon daddies.
Genre organization makes that easy.
You can create sections for:
- Romance
- Fantasy
- Mystery
- Thriller
- Literary fiction
- Nonfiction
- Memoir
- Classics
- Historical fiction
- Horror
Your categories do not have to follow official publishing definitions.
You do not need to stress about whether a book is technically romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, or romance with fantasy elements.
Put it where you would naturally look for it.
That is the entire point of organizing your shelves.
3. Organize Alphabetically by Author
Organizing alphabetically by the author’s last name is one of the easiest ways to find specific books quickly.
It is clean, logical, and very bookstore-library energy.
This system works particularly well if you own several books by the same author because it keeps their work together.
If you are slowly collecting an author’s entire backlist, alphabetical organization makes it easy to see which books you already own and which ones you are still missing.
The downside is that adding new books can be annoying.
Depending on the author’s last name, one new purchase could require shifting half the shelf.
Still, if you love order and want to know exactly where every book is, alphabetical organization is a strong choice.
4. Organize by Publication Date
Organizing books by publication date creates a visual timeline.
You can begin with older books and move toward newer releases, or reverse the order so your newest books are the most visible.
This system works especially well for:
- Classics
- Literary fiction
- Nonfiction
- Historical collections
- Large author collections
- Long-running book series
It can also be interesting to see how an author’s work developed over time.
For example, I organize my James Patterson books in publication order, particularly when they belong to a series. I do something similar with my Nicholas Sparks collection, even though those books are standalones.
Publication order is not always the fastest system for locating a specific title, but it is satisfying if you enjoy seeing context and chronology.
5. Create a Rainbow Bookshelf
The rainbow bookshelf is probably the most visually satisfying system.
I use this method for my children’s books because I love how it looks. I also love The Home Edit, so putting everything in rainbow order was basically inevitable.
Color organization can work surprisingly well for visual readers.
Some people remember a cover or spine color much more easily than they remember the title or author.
If your brain says, “The book was blue,” rainbow organization may make perfect sense.
The downside is that your genres and authors will be spread across the entire shelf.
Fantasy, romance, nonfiction, and classics may all end up sitting together because their covers happen to be green.
Color organization works best when:
- Appearance is your main priority
- You have a smaller collection
- You remember books by their covers
- You do not mind separating authors or series
It may not be the most practical system, but it looks fantastic.
6. Organize by Height or Size
Grouping books by height or format can instantly make a shelf look cleaner.
You can separate:
- Hardcovers
- Trade paperbacks
- Mass-market paperbacks
- Oversized books
- Coffee-table books
- Special editions
Sometimes a shelf looks messy even when the books are technically organized.
Tall books, short books, floppy paperbacks, and giant hardcovers are all competing for attention.
Grouping similar sizes together creates a more balanced look and can help you use shelf space more efficiently.
Of course, this is also when publishers decide to make one book in a series a completely different height from the others.
Why would they do that to us?
This system is visually satisfying, although it may not be the easiest way to locate a specific title.
7. Organize Your Books by Vibe
Organizing by vibe is such a book-lover thing to do.
Instead of arranging books by technical category, you group them according to the feeling they create.
You could have shelves for:
- Cozy reads
- Dark academia
- Summer books
- Spooky season
- Comfort reads
- Books that emotionally destroyed me
- Fast-paced books
- Books I swear I am reading soon
- Books for when I need to cry
- Books that feel like a warm hug
This system works well because many readers choose books based on mood rather than genre.
Sometimes you do not specifically want a romance or a mystery. You just want something comforting, dramatic, atmospheric, or chaotic.
A vibe-based system is less traditional, but it can make your shelves feel much more personal.
8. Give Favorites and Priority Books Their Own Shelf
Not every book on your shelf serves the same purpose.
Some books are there because you have already read and loved them. Others are waiting to be read soon.
Some were purchased during a very specific emotional spiral and now simply live with you.
Creating a dedicated shelf for priority books can make your collection easier to navigate.
You could create:
- A favorites shelf
- A five-star reads shelf
- A monthly TBR shelf
- A current reads shelf
- A “read next” shelf
- A special-edition shelf
- An all-time favorite authors shelf
This is especially helpful if too many choices make it difficult to select your next book.
Instead of choosing from hundreds of titles, you can create a small “read next” section with a manageable number of options.
I personally rely on TBR jars to help me choose, but a priority shelf works well for the same reason.
9. Use a Mixed Bookshelf Organization System
For most readers, a mixed system is the most practical option.
One organizing method may not work for your entire collection.
You might organize:
- Unread books separately from read books
- Fiction by genre
- Nonfiction by topic
- Authors alphabetically
- Series by publication order
- Special editions by size
- Children’s books by color
- Favorites on their own shelf
You can also keep your most beautiful books on display while arranging less aesthetic, but still loved, books in a more practical way.
Your bookshelf system does not need to make sense to anyone else.
It only needs to make sense to you.
How I Organize My Own Bookshelves
My personal bookshelf organization system combines several of these methods.
First, I divide my books into two main categories:
- Books I have read
- Books I have not read
This makes it easy to see what I have already finished and what is still waiting on my TBR.
Within those sections, I organize by genre.
That means if I am in the mood for a thriller, romance, or another specific type of book, I do not have to search through the entire shelf.
Next, I organize alphabetically by the author’s last name.
Once I know the genre, I can quickly locate the author I want.
Finally, when it makes sense, I organize books by publication date.
This works particularly well when I own several books by the same author or have a complete series.
My system is:
Read or unread, then genre, then author’s last name, then publication date.
For me, that creates the right balance between practical and pretty.
I can find what I need, see what I still want to read, and keep the shelves looking good both in real life and on camera.
How to Choose the Best Bookshelf Organization System
Before you begin moving books around, ask yourself one question:
What do I want my bookshelves to help me do?
Do you want to:
- Find books faster?
- Choose your next read more easily?
- Keep track of what you own?
- Make your shelves look better?
- Display your favorite books?
- Stop forgetting about your unread books?
Once you know your main goal, choosing a system becomes much easier.
For functionality, consider organizing by read versus unread, genre, or author.
Want to go by appearance? Try color, size, or special displays.
For choosing your next book, try a mood-based system or priority shelf.
Get the best of everything by combining several methods.
There Is No Wrong Way to Organize Your Bookshelves
You can organize your books by genre, author, publication date, color, size, mood, favorites, or a mixture of everything.
There is no universal right way to organize bookshelves. The right system is the one that helps you find your books, remember what you own, and feel excited to use your collection.
And if your current system is not working, you can always change it. After all, reorganizing bookshelves is basically a hobby of its own.
How do you organize your bookshelves? Do you use one system, or have you created a mixed system that only makes sense to you?
