diff --git a/server/controllers/account.js b/server/controllers/account.js
index 54434f5..1d08eed 100644
--- a/server/controllers/account.js
+++ b/server/controllers/account.js
@@ -133,14 +133,20 @@ class Account {
   async createUser (email, username, displayName, password, needsConfirmation) {
     const hashData = Account.hashPassword(password);
     // The data should already have gone through Account.cleanCreateAccountFormData()
-    return await this.model.create({
-      email,
-      username,
-      displayName,
-      passwordHash: hashData.hash,
-      passwordSalt: hashData.salt,
-      accountConfirm: needsConfirmation ? crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex') : null,
-    });
+    try {
+      return await this.model.create({
+        email,
+        username,
+        displayName,
+        passwordHash: hashData.hash,
+        passwordSalt: hashData.salt,
+        accountConfirm: needsConfirmation ? crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex') : null,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      return {
+        error,
+      };
+    }
   }
 
   async confirmUser (id, accountConfirm) {
@@ -210,6 +216,10 @@ class Account {
       id: existingUser.id,
     };
   }
+
+  async deleteUser(user) {
+    return await user.destroy();
+  }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/server/controllers/shelf.js b/server/controllers/shelf.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..932e0d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/controllers/shelf.js
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+class Shelf {
+  constructor (shelfModel, shelfItemModel) {
+    this.model = shelfModel;
+    this.itemModel = shelfItemModel;
+  }
+
+  async createDefaultShelves (user) {
+    try {
+      const defaultShelvesCreated = await this.model.bulkCreate([
+        {
+          userId: user.id,
+          name: 'Reading',
+          isDeletable: false,
+        },
+        {
+          userId: user.id,
+          name: 'Want to Read',
+          isDeletable: false,
+        },
+        {
+          userId: user.id,
+          name: 'Finished',
+          isDeletable: false,
+        },
+        {
+          userId: user.id,
+          name: 'Did Not Finish',
+          isDeletable: false,
+        }
+      ]);
+
+      if (defaultShelvesCreated.some(result => !result)) {
+        return {
+          error: true,
+          shelfResults: defaultShelvesCreated,
+        };
+      }
+
+      return defaultShelvesCreated;
+    } catch (error) {
+      return {
+        error,
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  async getLastUpdatedTimestamp (shelf) {
+    const lastEditedItem = await this.itemModel.findOne({
+      attributes: ['updatedAt'],
+      where: {
+        shelf: shelf.id,
+      },
+      order: [
+        [
+          'updatedAt',
+          'DESC'
+        ],
+      ],
+    });
+
+    if (lastEditedItem && lastEditedItem.updatedAt > shelf.updatedAt) {
+      return lastEditedItem.updatedAt;
+    }
+    return shelf.updatedAt;
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = Shelf;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/routes/account.js b/server/routes/account.js
index 53da987..fd6a55b 100644
--- a/server/routes/account.js
+++ b/server/routes/account.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
 const Account = require('../controllers/account');
+const Shelf = require('../controllers/shelf');
 
 async function routes(fastify, options) {
   fastify.get('/api/accounts/test', async (request, reply) => {
@@ -31,8 +32,19 @@ async function routes(fastify, options) {
 
     const newUser = await account.createUser(formData.email, formData.username, formData.displayName, formData.password, fastify.canEmail);
 
-    if (typeof newUser.error !== 'undefined') {
-      return reply.code(400).send(newUser);      
+    if (typeof newUser.error !== 'undefined' && newUser.error !== false) {
+      newUser.message = 'api.account_create_fail';
+      return reply.code(400).send(newUser);
+    }
+
+    const shelf = new Shelf(fastify.models.Shelf, fastify.models.ShelfItem);
+    const defaultShelvesCreated = await shelf.createDefaultShelves(newUser);
+
+    // If some of the default shelves are not created successfully, delete the user and send an error
+    if (typeof defaultShelvesCreated.error !== 'undefined' && defaultShelvesCreated.error !== false) {
+      account.deleteUser(newUser);
+      defaultShelvesCreated.message = 'api.account_create_fail';
+      return reply.code(400).send(defaultShelvesCreated);
     }
 
     if (fastify.canEmail) {
@@ -69,20 +81,16 @@ async function routes(fastify, options) {
             error: false,
             message: 'api.account_confirm_email',
           });
-        })
+        });
       } catch (ex) {
         console.error(ex);
-        return reply.send({
-          error: false,
-          message: 'api.account_create_success',
-        });
       }
-    } else {
-      return reply.send({
-        error: false,
-        message: 'api.account_create_success',
-      });
     }
+
+    return reply.send({
+      error: false,
+      message: 'api.account_create_success',
+    });
   });
 
   fastify.post('/api/account/confirm', async (request, reply) => {
@@ -140,11 +148,12 @@ async function routes(fastify, options) {
       })
     } catch (ex) {
       console.error(ex);
-      return reply.send({
-        error: false,
-        message: 'api.account_confirm_success',
-      });
     }
+
+    return reply.send({
+      error: false,
+      message: 'api.account_confirm_success',
+    });
   });
 
   fastify.post('/api/account/login', async (request, reply) => {