diff --git a/example.yaml b/example.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c543d80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+- title: "Nature In The City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present and Future"
+  author: "Harini Nagendra"
+  published_year: "2016"
+  cover_url: "https://bookwyrm-social.sfo3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/covers/nature-in-the-city.jpeg"
+  cover_image_path: "Nature-In-The-City.jpg"
+- name: "The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs"
+  author:
+  published_year: "Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha"
+  cover_url: "https://bookwyrm-social.sfo3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/covers/3db732ea-49d6-4960-93c9-31f46db82f3d.jpeg"
+  cover_image_path: "The-Future-Is-Disabled.jpg"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/main.py b/main.py
index 10e0438..0e49d39 100644
--- a/main.py
+++ b/main.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import requests
 import argparse
 import os
 import jinja2
+import yaml
 
 
 # LIST_URL = "https://bookwyrm.social/list/2458/s/notplants-2023"
@@ -20,10 +21,10 @@ if not os.path.exists(STATIC_DIR):
     os.makedirs(STATIC_DIR)
 
 
-def build_site(output_dir, relative_template_path, template_vars):
+def build_site(output_dir, images_dir, relative_template_path, template_vars):
 
     # copy over static files
-    input_static_dir = os.path.join(STATIC_DIR)
+    input_static_dir = images_dir
     output_static_dir = os.path.join(output_dir, 'static')
     if os.path.exists(output_static_dir):
         os.system('rm -r {}'.format(output_static_dir))
@@ -130,10 +131,20 @@ def download_images(processed_items, output_dir):
             os.system('wget {} -O "{}"'.format(image_url, image_path))
 
 
-def load_csv(csv_path):
-    return {
-        "books": []
-    }
+def write_yaml(items, output_dir):
+    yaml_path = os.path.join(output_dir, "books.yaml")
+    output = yaml.dump(items, Dumper=yaml.Dumper)
+    with open(yaml_path, 'w') as f:
+        f.write(output)
+
+
+def load_yaml(yaml_path):
+    with open(yaml_path) as f:
+        contents = f.read()
+        books = yaml.load(contents, Loader=yaml.Loader)
+        return {
+            "books": books
+        }
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
@@ -154,7 +165,8 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
     bookwyrm_parser.add_argument('output_dir')  # path where images should be downloaded and csv should be written
 
     # generate-html subparser
-    build_parser.add_argument('csv_path')  # csv path to use as input
+    build_parser.add_argument('images_dir')  # path to folder containing cover images
+    build_parser.add_argument('yaml_path')  # yaml path to use as input
     build_parser.add_argument('-t', '--template')  # path to jinja file to use as a template for the html
 
     # parse args
@@ -171,12 +183,13 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
 
         processed_items = process_list(args.list_url)
         download_images(processed_items, output_dir=args.output_dir)
-        # TODO: write processed items to csv
+        write_yaml(processed_items, output_dir=args.output_dir)
 
     else:
-        # TODO: load values from csv
-        template_vars = load_csv(args.csv_path)
-        build_site(output_dir=OUTPUT_DIR, relative_template_path=args.template, template_vars=template_vars)
+        yaml_path = args.yaml_path
+        images_dir = args.images_dir
+        template_vars = load_yaml(yaml_path)
+        build_site(output_dir=OUTPUT_DIR, images_dir=images_dir, relative_template_path=args.template, template_vars=template_vars)
 
 
 
diff --git a/run.sh b/run.sh
index ccc9b24..b1ee6ee 100755
--- a/run.sh
+++ b/run.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # download
-python3 main.py bookwyrm-download "https://bookwyrm.social/list/2458/s/notplants-2023" "books-2023"
+#python3 main.py bookwyrm-download "https://bookwyrm.social/list/2458/s/notplants-2023" "books-2023"
 
 # build
-# python3 main.py generate-html "books-2023/books.csv" --template="bookshelf.html"
+ python3 main.py generate-html "example.yaml" --template="bookshelf.html"