about goodreads
what is goodreads?
Goodreads is the largest social network for readers in the world. We have over 2,200,000 members who have added over 52,000,000 books to their shelves. A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more. Goodreads was launched in December 2006.our mission
Goodreads' mission is to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world.why we do it
Let's make reading fun again. Somehow, reading books seems to have gotten a bad rap. People are working too hard and not making time to read, people are watching TV because they can veg out and turn their brains off—hey, we feel it too! But every once in a while you run into a friend who tells you about this "great new book I'm reading." And suddenly you're excited to read it. It's that kind of excitement that Goodreads is all about.how we do it
Most book recommendation websites work by listing random people’s reviews. On Goodreads, when a person adds a book to the site, all their friends can see what they thought of it. It’s common sense. People are more likely to get excited about a book their friend recommends than a suggestion from a stranger. Our members also create trivia about books, lists of the best books, post their own writing and form groups and book clubs.who are we?
Otis Chandler
Otis is the founder of Goodreads. He is a software engineer at heart and loves tinkering on the site to make it the best product possible. Before founding Goodreads, Otis was a Software Engineer and Product Manager at Tickle.com. Monster Worldwide, the leading purveyor of online jobs, purchased the company in 2004. Otis graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Along with a passion for building websites, he’s also a voracious reader.
Elizabeth Chandler
Chief Librarian and cofounder Elizabeth Chandler initially provided moral support and a few literary insights. She now edits the monthly newsletter and helps with anything fuzzy and unrelated to engineering on the site. Before Goodreads, Elizabeth graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in English (with a focus in creative writing) and a Masters from USC Annenberg in journalism. She is also the former managing editor of Soma Magazine and a former editor at the Los Angeles Times. She's a big fan of old, musty fiction and anything with a bit of whimsy such as Calvino, Dahl, Kafka and Wilde.
Michael Economy
Before joining Goodreads, senior software engineer Michael Economy also worked at Tickle as the lead engineer of various products. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in computer science. His favorite kind of books are hard sci-fi and his hobbies include surfing and mountain biking.
Jessica Donaghy
As Community Manager Jessica is responsible for all sorts of areas, including being a head librarian, helping to grow our Author Program, producing the monthly newsletter, answering members questions, and helping grow the Goodreads community! She is particularly excited to help connect writers and readers on Goodreads. Jessica double majored in Human Biology and Drama at Stanford University. Since then she has pursued her interests by working in breast cancer research, theater, opera, and film, and as an editor and teacher. She loves authors with a bite (Margaret Atwood can do no wrong and Thomas Pynchon keeps her up at night), and also has a weakness for modern playwrights, science non-fiction and anything classically romantic.
Ken-ichi Ueda
Once upon a time, Software Engineer Ken-ichi thought he would be a paleontologist. Then he thought he'd be a computer scientist. Then a biologist. Then a cartographer. Then an informaticist. Then a biodiversity informaticist! Now he is a web developer. But while his goals grew and shifted, he always knew he was a reader: from Dune to Pride & Prejudice, from field guides to programming manuals, Ken-ichi loves a good book. When he's not breathlessly awaiting the next David
Mitchell novel, you can find him exploring the land and sea of California in search of spineless wonders!
investors
Our investors are a tight knit group of Internet entrepreneurs with vast experience running successful websites.- James Currier, founder of Ooga Labs and Tickle.com
- Michael Birch, founder of Bebo.com
- Stan Chudnovsky, cofounder of Ooga Labs and former General Manager & SVP of Tickle.com
- Mike Jones, CTO of MySpace, and founder of Tsavo.com and Userplane
- Chris Michel, founder of Military.com and Affinity labs
- True Ventures
a letter from our founder
When I was in second grade, I discovered the Hardy Boys series. Ever since, I've loved to read — both for fun and to improve my mind. And I'm always looking for the next great book. Reviews on Amazon and other sites are helpful, but I thought there might be a better way.One afternoon while I was scanning a friend's bookshelf for my next great read, it struck me. When I want to know what books to read, I'd rather turn to a friend than any random person, bestseller list or algorithm. So I thought I'd build a website — a website where I could see my friends' bookshelves and learn about what they thought of all their books.
Goodreads is that site. It is a place where you can see what your friends are reading and vice versa. You can create "bookshelves" to organize what you've read (or want to read). You can comment on each other's reviews. And on this journey with your friends you can explore new territory, gather information, and expand your mind.
Knowledge is power; and power is best shared among friends.
— Otis Y. Chandler
