Goodreads alternatives
Discover and share books you love on Goodreads, the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations The best Goodreads alternatives are: Kindle, LibraryThing, Likewise, Audible, VitalSource Bookshelf, Wattpad, Storygraph
Here are the latest news about Goodreads:
2023. Goodreads introduces new Giveaway marketing tool for authors
In the vast, improbably complex universe of bookish endeavors, Goodreads has embarked on a curious new adventure, launching the U.S. Giveaways program—a cunningly designed initiative packed with features that might well baffle even the most seasoned Vogon poet. This masterstroke of literary marketing wizardry comes in two gleaming packages, each engineered to propel books into the hyperspace of discovery while enticing readers to leave their invaluable reviews. Authors and publishers, long clamoring for more robust tools to dazzle audiences, will find their wishes granted with seamless audience connections and the magic of automatically updated Want-to-Read lists. For Kindle Direct Publishing authors, the previously mythical ability to host Kindle ebook giveaways is now a thrilling reality. At a mere $119, the Standard package boldly delivers up to 100 copies—Kindle or print—while the $599 Premium package boasts not only these same perks but also a dazzling "Featured" spotlight on the Giveaways page, perfect for showcasing your magnum opus to the galaxy’s most voracious readers. Ford Prefect would probably approve, though he'd insist on a towel being part of the deal.
2019. Goodreads starts Giveaways to help authors promote their books
The shiny new contraption known as Goodreads Giveaways is rather like handing a microphone to your book and letting it shout to the universe, "Read me!" Whether you're nervously launching your debut, keeping the flame alive for your latest masterpiece, or coaxing an old favorite back into the spotlight, this ingenious platform is a delightfully chaotic way to fling your creation into the hands of millions of readers. It’s not just a marketing tool; it’s a bit of a literary adventure, letting readers introduce your book to their friends with the same giddy enthusiasm as finding a really good towel. With Goodreads Giveaways, your book gets an all-access pass to the popular Giveaways section, a bustling place where readers trip over new titles they didn’t know they needed. Plus, your giveaway takes center stage on your book’s page, practically inviting readers to join the fun. Oh, and don’t forget the nifty bit where your Goodreads followers and the folks who’ve already clicked "Want-to-Read" get a cheerful nudge about your giveaway—because what’s better than spreading the word faster than a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster at a book club?
2018. Goodreads launched new Android App
Goodreads has introduced a new ebook discovery and social community app for Android. It allows to scan cover to quickly find a book on Goodreads, explore personalized recommendations and add a book you've just completed to your Reading Challenge. The new interface also works well on tablets.
2018. New Goodreads app for Android is available
In the vast and tangled cosmos of social bookery, where pages are digital and opinions flow like treacle through a sieve, the mighty behemoth GoodReads—the largest social book community, now snugly nestled in the grasp of Amazon—has given its Android app a shiny new overhaul. Dubbed the GoodReads BETA app, it’s been redesigned to be faster (because who has time for lag when there are 12 million books waiting?) and generally more user-friendly, all while looking rather splendid on those pocketable slabs of silicon we call mobile phones and tablets. This marvel of literary utility lets you search, rate, and review just about any book ever catalogued, snoop on your friends' reviews and updates, and even indulge in the voyeuristic thrill of commenting on their literary adventures. Add status updates! Share page numbers! Use the barcode scanner to impose order on your bookish chaos by zapping tomes straight onto your Goodreads shelves. Frankly, it’s like strapping a rocket engine to your love of reading—without the worry of cosmic radiation.
2017. GoodReads is rolling out the ReRead system
Many GoodReads users set a reading goal for the year. Sometimes you just want to revisit the Harry Potter series or one of the Divergent books, but previously, these would not count towards your goal. This has changed with a new BETA ReRead feature that will be introduced globally in the coming months. Next time you decide to reread a book that you've already marked as Read on Goodreads, simply label it as Currently Reading. When you finish, just mark it as Read. You can do this from the Goodreads iOS and Android apps, on Goodreads.com and also in the About the Book feature on Kindle.
2016. Amazon is closing book cataloging service Shelfari, merging it with Goodreads
Amazon is to close Shelfari, a social network for book lovers with various recommendation and cataloging features. Since Amazon purchased Goodreads back in 2013, it has been neglecting Shelfari for years and now it’s officially getting the ax. If you login to Shelfari you get greeted with the following message: "Shelfari is in the process of merging with Goodreads and is no longer accepting new accounts. We recommend joining Goodreads.com if you haven’t already done so". Calling it a merger is just a nice way of saying Shelfari is closing down for good.
2015. Goodreads adds Audible integration to let you listen free audiobook samples
Amazon's Goodreads, that quirky corner of the internet where bookworms congregate to catalog their literary conquests, has unveiled a shiny new “Listen” button. This marvel of modern technology invites users to sample snippets of 180,000 audiobooks straight from Audible’s vast digital treasure trove, whether or not they’re card-carrying Audible aficionados. Of course, because nothing in the universe comes entirely without strings, the button comes with a gentle nudge toward a 30-day free Audible trial (Amazon-owned, naturally, because corporate synergy is the universe’s second-favorite joke). For now, the feature lives on Goodreads’ website but will soon grace the mobile site and apps, assuming no improbable galactic hitch occurs. Publishers and retailers, meanwhile, appear to be testing just how many formats one human brain can juggle before collapsing into a puddle of literary bliss.
2014. Goodreads mobile app gets a makeover
Amazon's Goodreads has introduced a major redesign on iOS (with an Android version coming soon) – a change that many regular Goodreads users have been requesting. Instead of opening to an outdated, grid-like home screen, the app now immediately shows a “news feed” featuring your friends’ latest updates on the network, including books they've read, rated, reviewed and more. You can easily like and comment on posts from friends, enhancing Goodreads’ role as a social network for book lovers rather than just a tool for tracking your own reading progress.
2014. Goodreads allows to import books, purchased on Amazon
Goodreads users can now automatically transfer the print and ebooks they’ve purchased on Amazon into their Goodreads accounts. One benefit of linking the accounts, according to Goodreads, is that “more books added to your Goodreads shelves means better recommendations to help you discover more great books to read. The advanced algorithm driving our recommendations engine examines the books you rate to provide the best book suggestions tailored to your unique reading preferences.” The linking also allows Amazon to identify which of its customers are Goodreads users, although Goodreads emphasizes that “We give you full control over which books to include so you can avoid adding any books bought as gifts. Any book not rated or added to a shelf will not be included on Goodreads.”
2014. Amazon adds Goodreads integration to Kindle Paperwhite 1
Amazon is rolling out a software update for the first-gen Kindle Paperwhite that introduces Goodreads integration and other new features to the e-reader. The currently available Paperwhite, a second-generation model, already includes Goodreads support, which was added last November. The update also brings Kindle FreeTime, which curates books for children and allows parents to schedule reading time, Cloud Collections for organizing content and Page Flip for browsing through material without losing your spot. The Bookmarks, Highlights and Notes feature can now be accessed more swiftly. The update will be rolled out over the next few weeks to devices in the United States, Canada and Australia.
2014. Goodreads competitor Slice Bookshelf shuts down
Slice Bookshelf, a social platform for readers aimed at challenging Amazon-owned Goodreads by offering a more contemporary experience and one less reliant on manual user input, is closing down. The company states that, moving forward, it will concentrate on enhancing its primary product, the mobile shopping assistant, Slice. With Bookshelf, Slice had explored using its proprietary inbox-scanning technology in a new area: rather than tracking general purchases, it specifically identified your book and e-book receipts. By integrating data from Facebook, the service could automatically compile your library, eliminating the laborious data entry that competitor Goodreads still necessitates.
2013. Amazon integrates Goodreads into Kindle Fire OS
Earlier this year, Amazon—like a particularly ambitious hitchhiker attempting to integrate a galaxy’s worth of whims—decided to meld the popular bookish hub Goodreads (which it acquired in a fit of bibliophilic enthusiasm back in March) directly into its tablets. But with the latest Fire OS release, Goodreads hasn’t just been invited to the party; it’s taken up permanent residence in the reading experience itself. Now, without so much as a detour into another app, readers can merrily dive into the Goodreads community, capturing and sharing quotes from the pages they’re devouring, spying on what others are reading, and delivering ratings and reviews with the efficiency of Vogon bureaucracy. Even better, Amazon allows you to summon your entire hoard of print and Kindle purchases into Goodreads—a boon for those whose Goodreads accounts have been floating adrift in the vast uncharted territories of neglect.
2013. Kobo stops showing Goodreads ratings and reviews
As you recall, Amazon acquired the book-review social network Goodreads in March, so it's understandable that Kobo has ceased using the Goodreads API on its website and in its apps. This means no more Goodreads ratings and reviews on Kobo book pages. It appears this decision was made by Kobo rather than Goodreads or Amazon: The company’s chief content officer Michael Tamblyn mentioned to Good E-reader that Kobo may potentially reintegrate the Goodreads API in the future. However, this situation highlights the risks of depending on what is now a rival retailer’s API. Goodreads faced a similar issue in early 2012 when it stopped using Amazon’s API for book data and switched to data from book wholesaler Ingram. Currently, Goodreads states that it utilizes metadata from a combination of sources — Ingram, WorldCat and ONIX feeds.
2013. Amazon to acquire Goodreads
Amazon has announced today that it will acquire Goodreads. Goodreads is the top book discovery platform with 16 million members and over 23 million book reviews. It enables users to join book-discussion groups and share recommendations, reviews, books they've read and liked or disliked, as well as their "want to read" lists. Goodreads also features its own recommendation engine. Currently, the Goodreads site makes it fairly easy for users to download or purchase books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other websites. It's somewhat difficult to imagine that Amazon will continue to permit links to non-Amazon stores in the future.
2023. Goodreads introduces new Giveaway marketing tool for authors
In the vast, improbably complex universe of bookish endeavors, Goodreads has embarked on a curious new adventure, launching the U.S. Giveaways program—a cunningly designed initiative packed with features that might well baffle even the most seasoned Vogon poet. This masterstroke of literary marketing wizardry comes in two gleaming packages, each engineered to propel books into the hyperspace of discovery while enticing readers to leave their invaluable reviews. Authors and publishers, long clamoring for more robust tools to dazzle audiences, will find their wishes granted with seamless audience connections and the magic of automatically updated Want-to-Read lists. For Kindle Direct Publishing authors, the previously mythical ability to host Kindle ebook giveaways is now a thrilling reality. At a mere $119, the Standard package boldly delivers up to 100 copies—Kindle or print—while the $599 Premium package boasts not only these same perks but also a dazzling "Featured" spotlight on the Giveaways page, perfect for showcasing your magnum opus to the galaxy’s most voracious readers. Ford Prefect would probably approve, though he'd insist on a towel being part of the deal.
2019. Goodreads starts Giveaways to help authors promote their books
The shiny new contraption known as Goodreads Giveaways is rather like handing a microphone to your book and letting it shout to the universe, "Read me!" Whether you're nervously launching your debut, keeping the flame alive for your latest masterpiece, or coaxing an old favorite back into the spotlight, this ingenious platform is a delightfully chaotic way to fling your creation into the hands of millions of readers. It’s not just a marketing tool; it’s a bit of a literary adventure, letting readers introduce your book to their friends with the same giddy enthusiasm as finding a really good towel. With Goodreads Giveaways, your book gets an all-access pass to the popular Giveaways section, a bustling place where readers trip over new titles they didn’t know they needed. Plus, your giveaway takes center stage on your book’s page, practically inviting readers to join the fun. Oh, and don’t forget the nifty bit where your Goodreads followers and the folks who’ve already clicked "Want-to-Read" get a cheerful nudge about your giveaway—because what’s better than spreading the word faster than a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster at a book club?
2018. Goodreads launched new Android App
Goodreads has introduced a new ebook discovery and social community app for Android. It allows to scan cover to quickly find a book on Goodreads, explore personalized recommendations and add a book you've just completed to your Reading Challenge. The new interface also works well on tablets.
2018. New Goodreads app for Android is available
In the vast and tangled cosmos of social bookery, where pages are digital and opinions flow like treacle through a sieve, the mighty behemoth GoodReads—the largest social book community, now snugly nestled in the grasp of Amazon—has given its Android app a shiny new overhaul. Dubbed the GoodReads BETA app, it’s been redesigned to be faster (because who has time for lag when there are 12 million books waiting?) and generally more user-friendly, all while looking rather splendid on those pocketable slabs of silicon we call mobile phones and tablets. This marvel of literary utility lets you search, rate, and review just about any book ever catalogued, snoop on your friends' reviews and updates, and even indulge in the voyeuristic thrill of commenting on their literary adventures. Add status updates! Share page numbers! Use the barcode scanner to impose order on your bookish chaos by zapping tomes straight onto your Goodreads shelves. Frankly, it’s like strapping a rocket engine to your love of reading—without the worry of cosmic radiation.
2017. GoodReads is rolling out the ReRead system
Many GoodReads users set a reading goal for the year. Sometimes you just want to revisit the Harry Potter series or one of the Divergent books, but previously, these would not count towards your goal. This has changed with a new BETA ReRead feature that will be introduced globally in the coming months. Next time you decide to reread a book that you've already marked as Read on Goodreads, simply label it as Currently Reading. When you finish, just mark it as Read. You can do this from the Goodreads iOS and Android apps, on Goodreads.com and also in the About the Book feature on Kindle.
2016. Amazon is closing book cataloging service Shelfari, merging it with Goodreads
Amazon is to close Shelfari, a social network for book lovers with various recommendation and cataloging features. Since Amazon purchased Goodreads back in 2013, it has been neglecting Shelfari for years and now it’s officially getting the ax. If you login to Shelfari you get greeted with the following message: "Shelfari is in the process of merging with Goodreads and is no longer accepting new accounts. We recommend joining Goodreads.com if you haven’t already done so". Calling it a merger is just a nice way of saying Shelfari is closing down for good.
2015. Goodreads adds Audible integration to let you listen free audiobook samples
Amazon's Goodreads, that quirky corner of the internet where bookworms congregate to catalog their literary conquests, has unveiled a shiny new “Listen” button. This marvel of modern technology invites users to sample snippets of 180,000 audiobooks straight from Audible’s vast digital treasure trove, whether or not they’re card-carrying Audible aficionados. Of course, because nothing in the universe comes entirely without strings, the button comes with a gentle nudge toward a 30-day free Audible trial (Amazon-owned, naturally, because corporate synergy is the universe’s second-favorite joke). For now, the feature lives on Goodreads’ website but will soon grace the mobile site and apps, assuming no improbable galactic hitch occurs. Publishers and retailers, meanwhile, appear to be testing just how many formats one human brain can juggle before collapsing into a puddle of literary bliss.
2014. Goodreads mobile app gets a makeover
Amazon's Goodreads has introduced a major redesign on iOS (with an Android version coming soon) – a change that many regular Goodreads users have been requesting. Instead of opening to an outdated, grid-like home screen, the app now immediately shows a “news feed” featuring your friends’ latest updates on the network, including books they've read, rated, reviewed and more. You can easily like and comment on posts from friends, enhancing Goodreads’ role as a social network for book lovers rather than just a tool for tracking your own reading progress.
2014. Goodreads allows to import books, purchased on Amazon
Goodreads users can now automatically transfer the print and ebooks they’ve purchased on Amazon into their Goodreads accounts. One benefit of linking the accounts, according to Goodreads, is that “more books added to your Goodreads shelves means better recommendations to help you discover more great books to read. The advanced algorithm driving our recommendations engine examines the books you rate to provide the best book suggestions tailored to your unique reading preferences.” The linking also allows Amazon to identify which of its customers are Goodreads users, although Goodreads emphasizes that “We give you full control over which books to include so you can avoid adding any books bought as gifts. Any book not rated or added to a shelf will not be included on Goodreads.”
2014. Amazon adds Goodreads integration to Kindle Paperwhite 1
Amazon is rolling out a software update for the first-gen Kindle Paperwhite that introduces Goodreads integration and other new features to the e-reader. The currently available Paperwhite, a second-generation model, already includes Goodreads support, which was added last November. The update also brings Kindle FreeTime, which curates books for children and allows parents to schedule reading time, Cloud Collections for organizing content and Page Flip for browsing through material without losing your spot. The Bookmarks, Highlights and Notes feature can now be accessed more swiftly. The update will be rolled out over the next few weeks to devices in the United States, Canada and Australia.
2014. Goodreads competitor Slice Bookshelf shuts down
Slice Bookshelf, a social platform for readers aimed at challenging Amazon-owned Goodreads by offering a more contemporary experience and one less reliant on manual user input, is closing down. The company states that, moving forward, it will concentrate on enhancing its primary product, the mobile shopping assistant, Slice. With Bookshelf, Slice had explored using its proprietary inbox-scanning technology in a new area: rather than tracking general purchases, it specifically identified your book and e-book receipts. By integrating data from Facebook, the service could automatically compile your library, eliminating the laborious data entry that competitor Goodreads still necessitates.
2013. Amazon integrates Goodreads into Kindle Fire OS
Earlier this year, Amazon—like a particularly ambitious hitchhiker attempting to integrate a galaxy’s worth of whims—decided to meld the popular bookish hub Goodreads (which it acquired in a fit of bibliophilic enthusiasm back in March) directly into its tablets. But with the latest Fire OS release, Goodreads hasn’t just been invited to the party; it’s taken up permanent residence in the reading experience itself. Now, without so much as a detour into another app, readers can merrily dive into the Goodreads community, capturing and sharing quotes from the pages they’re devouring, spying on what others are reading, and delivering ratings and reviews with the efficiency of Vogon bureaucracy. Even better, Amazon allows you to summon your entire hoard of print and Kindle purchases into Goodreads—a boon for those whose Goodreads accounts have been floating adrift in the vast uncharted territories of neglect.
2013. Kobo stops showing Goodreads ratings and reviews
As you recall, Amazon acquired the book-review social network Goodreads in March, so it's understandable that Kobo has ceased using the Goodreads API on its website and in its apps. This means no more Goodreads ratings and reviews on Kobo book pages. It appears this decision was made by Kobo rather than Goodreads or Amazon: The company’s chief content officer Michael Tamblyn mentioned to Good E-reader that Kobo may potentially reintegrate the Goodreads API in the future. However, this situation highlights the risks of depending on what is now a rival retailer’s API. Goodreads faced a similar issue in early 2012 when it stopped using Amazon’s API for book data and switched to data from book wholesaler Ingram. Currently, Goodreads states that it utilizes metadata from a combination of sources — Ingram, WorldCat and ONIX feeds.
2013. Amazon to acquire Goodreads
Amazon has announced today that it will acquire Goodreads. Goodreads is the top book discovery platform with 16 million members and over 23 million book reviews. It enables users to join book-discussion groups and share recommendations, reviews, books they've read and liked or disliked, as well as their "want to read" lists. Goodreads also features its own recommendation engine. Currently, the Goodreads site makes it fairly easy for users to download or purchase books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other websites. It's somewhat difficult to imagine that Amazon will continue to permit links to non-Amazon stores in the future.
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