Once upon a time, books did something called “going out of print.” The publisher decided to stop printing new copies and readers had to scour garage sales for a used copy. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Then the ebook came along. Not only would new books live forever, but old titles could be purchased as well. In no time at all there were millions of books available to readers … who soon developed headaches sifting through it all.

A few people tried to solve the problem but no one really figured it out – until now.

The Fussy Librarian is the first website to match readers not only with the genre of books they like but also their preferences about content. Do you only read mysteries without profanity, violence and sex? Then we’ll tell you only about cozy mysteries. Read just memoirs and gory horror novels? No problem.

We also only bother with the good stuff so you know you’ll see great reads every time you open our daily email. There’s a reason we’re called The Fussy Librarian, after all.

So sign up today and start enjoying great books. We’ll take care of the rest!

Jeffrey Bruner (Founder)

A native of Pittsburgh, Jeffrey Bruner grew up in Maryland and started writing stories for his weekly newspaper for $3 as an eighth-grader. He worked in journalism for more than 25 years, first as a reporter, then as managing editor of The Daily Tribune in Ames, Iowa, and later in multiple roles at The Des Moines Register. He has been an assistant metro editor, a film and theater critic, a copy editor, wire editor, and was national wire editor for Gannett's 80+ daily newspapers.

After surviving five years of annual layoffs, Bruner decided in 2013 he needed a Plan B and launched The Fussy Librarian in his spare time. The book marketing business grew enough in its first year that he left journalism in 2014 and made The Fussy Librarian his full-time job.

Bruner lives in Des Moines with his wife, Stephanie, and a small herd of cats and dogs. He enjoys traveling, has had two plays produced (Katrina: State of Emergency and Camp Angel), written two books (Signs and Wonders, Finding Grace) under a pen name, and hopes the Pittsburgh Pirates win another World Series during his lifetime.

Sadye Scott-Hainchek (Web content coordinator/copy editor)

Sadye Scott-Hainchek’s bookworm credentials can be best summed up by the fact that in her youth, she wasn’t just sent to her room — she was sent to her room and told not to read. (Fortunately, she was a relatively well-behaved child, as most young readers are.)

Scott-Hainchek spent several years as a copy editor at the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star, Gannett, and The Des Moines (Iowa) Register before joining The Fussy Librarian. In what turned out to be an omen, she self-published two books long before Fussy’s inception, both of them family-history memoirs.

Scott-Hainchek lives in Des Moines with her husband and two cats, whose cuddling demands make owning an ereader absolutely essential. When not reading, she can be found cooking, enjoying a craft beer, and running or biking so that she can continue to indulge in the former two hobbies.