Goodreads Help Topics

1. To add a book to your shelves, find the book by searching for its title or author in the search bar in the header. Searching by ISBN or ASIN (for Kindle editions) works best when looking for a specific edition.

2. On the book profile page click on 'add to my books'.

Please note that this quick add automatically adds the book to your "read" shelf.

Progress updates for ebooks and audiobooks are now defaulting to percentage, while updates for other books (like paperbacks, etc) default to page number. However, in all cases one can change the status to switch from the default. Here's how:

1) Navigate to your home page.

2) In your "currently reading" section (on the top right of the page), click "update status" next to the book you'd like to update.

3) The "%" should be a clickable link. Just click on it to switch the updates to "pages".

You can create your own exclusive shelf for "never finished", "did not finish" or "abandoned". Here's how:

1) Click on My Books in the header.

2) Next to the "bookshelves" header on the left, click the small "edit" link.

3) On the bottom of the page, type "never finished" or "abandoned" into the "add a shelf" feature.

4) Check "exclusive" next to the new shelf when it appears on the list.

This will allow you to assign a book to this shelf, instead of having to pick between the default "read", "currently reading", and "to read" shelves.

There are two ways you can do this:

1) From the homepage: Look for the "currently reading" section on the top right of the page. Underneath the book you want to update, click the small "update status" link. From here, you should be able to input the page number you are on and any comments you want to add.

2) From the book page: Scroll down until you see the "My Review" section (which should be just underneath the book's description). Next to the bolded "progress" header, click the link to "update status". Similarly, you can add page numbers and comments here.

For information on how to remove a status update, go here.

1) Go to the homepage.

2) On the righthand side of the page, there should be a "currently-reading" section. Click "update status" underneath this section.

3) Under the text box is a link that says, "I'm finished." Click that link.

4) This should take you to a review page if you'd like to write a review. Click "save" and the book should be marked as "read".

Alternatively, you could go to the review page for the book (you can get there from "edit review" on the book page), and select "read" from the shelf dropdown menu. However, this method does not automatically record the date you finished the book.

To remove a book from your shelf, click on the My Books link at the top of Goodreads, make sure you are on the 'table' view (an option underneath the "My Books" search bar), then click the "x" to the right of the book you'd like to remove. You can also click on the book, click 'edit my review', then click 'remove from my books' at the very bottom of the page.

When a book is removed from your shelves, it will also delete your review.

When you review a book, it does automatically post publicly to the book's page under "Community Reviews" (though the pages are cached, so this may not happen right away). However, when you are logged in as yourself, you will only see your review in the "My Review" section. Try logging out of your account before trying to see your reviews in the public areas of the site. You might also want to keep in mind that reviews are not only sorted by date, but also by popularity of the reviewer, length of the review, and a couple of other components. This sorting might cause your review to be on page two or three.

• Barnes & Noble Nook
• Sony Reader
• iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
• Other supported devices

Note: Librarians only

Due to the nature of there being many different editions of a book, each having its own ISBN, we have built a feature where you can combine (or separate) each edition. This provides the advantage of aggregating all the reviews and statistics for this combined 'work'. To combine editions of a book, just click 'combine' on the far right side of the book's page.

1) Go to your "edit profile" page.

2) Select the "emails" tab.

3) At the top of the page, find the option titled: "Email me new reviews from friends".

4) Select the option for "never".

5) Scroll down until you see "save email settings", and click that button to save your changes.

• use your Yahoo!, Hotmail, or Gmail address books to invite friends and see which friends are already Goodreads members
• invite friends by copy/pasting the message from the box and sending it to your friends using email
• search for friends already on the site using the 'find friends' box

Sometimes, even if you typed your email and password correctly, the iOS app does not allow you to sign in to Goodreads, producing error messages along the lines of (401) An unexpected error occurred.

This problem happens when the time on your iOS device is incorrect, which is most often due to your time zone setting (PDT, EST, etc) being incorrect. Goodreads turns down important requests when your clock is too far off as part of protecting your account.

For example, let's say you're in California and it's 3:00 PM. The time on your iOS device reads 3:00 PM, but the time zone is set to "Eastern Daylight Time". Since it's 6:00 PM on the East Coast, your clock is actually three hours behind.

Here's how to fix the time:

1. From the iOS home screen, launch the Settings app.
2. Choose "General".
3. Choose "Date & Time," which is around the bottom-half of the page.
4. Ensure that the date, time zone, and time are all correct.
5. To make things even more reliable, set the "Set Automatically" switch to the ON position. This allows your device to automatically set the correct time and timezone everywhere you go, and it typically solves any related issues. (Some old iPods running iOS 3 may not have this option.)

1. Open the app and go to the Settings page, scroll down and check the version. It should be 1.1.5 or higher.
2. Your iOS device should be running iOS 4 or higher. The app can run on iOS 3 but the scanner needs at least iOS 4.
3. Your device should have a camera.
4. Make sure to update to the latest version of the Goodreads app, and sync your device with iTunes.

At this time the Goodreads iOS app supports Facebook sign-in. You just need to upgrade to version 1.5 or more.

If you want to sign in with Gmail/Google, Twitter or other 3rd party systems, you will need to use the Goodreads website and create a Goodreads login.

1) Sign into Goodreads as normal using your Twitter/Google/Facebook login on the computer.

2) Head to the "edit profile" option (located in the drop-down menu next to your profile pic in the header).

3) Under the "settings" tab of the account page, there is a space for you to fill in your email address and a password. As soon as you fill these in and save, you should be able to login using this email and password on the website, the iPhone app, and the mobile website.

This problem occurs when the time on your Android device is incorrect, which is most often due to your time zone setting (PDT, EST, etc) being incorrect. Goodreads turns down important requests when your clock is too far off as part of protecting your account.

For example, let's say you're in California and it's 3:00 PM. Your Android time reads 3:00 PM, but the time zone is set to "Eastern Daylight Time". Since it's 6:00 PM on the East Coast, your clock is actually three hours behind.

1. From the Android home screen, press on Android's menu button.
2. Choose "Settings".
3. Choose "Date & Time," which is usually near the bottom of the list.
4. Ensure that the date, time zone, and time are all correct.

We are currently working to add support for Google and Twitter log-ins, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you normally sign in through Twitter or Google and you'd like to use these apps, you will have to create a Goodreads login.

1) Sign into Goodreads as normal using your Twitter/Google login on the computer.

2) Head to the "edit profile" option (located in the drop-down menu to the right of your profile pic in the header).

3) Under the "settings" tab of the account page, there is a space for you to fill in your email address and a password. As soon as you fill these in and save, you should be able to login using this email and password on the website, the Nook/Android app, and the mobile website.

1. In the "apps" screen, press and hold the Goodreads app icon. A menu will appear.
2. Choose "Archive". The old version of the app will now be archived.
3. Go to the NOOK Color Apps shop by tapping on "Discover More NOOK Apps"
4. Search for "Goodreads" using the search feature at the bottom of the screen. The only Goodreads app in the results is the new version (1.6.1 or higher).
5. Choose and install this version.

1) Click on "Groups" in the header.

2) Click the "create a group" link just above the "browse by tag" section on the right.

To cancel your membership in a group, go to the group's homepage, click "edit membership" underneath the group's profile picture, then click "leave this group."

Once you remove someone from a group, that person is automatically blocked from re-joining.

Here's how to take the user off your blocked list:

1. Go to your group page.

2. Click on "members" on the right side.

3. Click on "block/unblock users from joining" in grey at the bottom of the page.

4. Click "unblock user" for the appropriate person.

1. Go to your group.

2. Click "Polls".

3. Click on "comments and details" next to your poll.

4. Click "edit this poll" in the top right corner.

5. Click "delete this poll" at the bottom.

Note: only moderators can do this.

1) Navigate to your group's page.

2) Click on "Discussion Board".

3) Click on "edit folders" on the top right (see image -- click to enlarge).

4) Click on "add a folder" on the top right to start adding folders. As soon as you have your folders, you can start adding discussion threads to them.

5) Click on the discussion thread you'd like to add.

6) At the top of the page, click "edit" next to the thread's title.

7) Next to "folder", select a folder and save.

1) Navigate to that user's profile page.

2) Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

3) Click "block this member".

A "story" on Goodreads indicates how two friends met. Unfortunately, it isn't a creative writing project.

For example, if you wanted to record that you know your friend Sam from work, you would click "write a story" on his profile page, and then select "colleague."

An easy way to exclude certain people from your feeds is to make a "top friends" list. This way, you can put all the people whose updates you would like to see in one place, separate from the people whose updates don't interest you. Then you can edit your feed to only display the updates from your "top friends".

To do this:

1) Click on the "Friends" icon in the header (the icon closest to your profile pic).

2) Click "edit friends" on the top of the page

3) Select the checkboxes of the people whose updates you would like to see as "top friends"

4) Go back to the home page.

5) Directly underneath the "updates" tab, there is an option that says, "showing: friend and people I'm following". Click the arrow to the right to display the list of settings.

6) Select the radio button for "top friends" underneath the "From People" column on the right.

7) Click the "apply filters" button.

You can also prevent friends from showing up in your friend update emails by filtering your update emails as "top friends only" here.

We've recently instituted a friend limit of 5000, the same limit that Facebook currently has in place. This is because our system doesn't handle accounts with over 5000 friends very well.

Please note that you can have an unlimited amount of fans and followers.

Here are some things to check:

1. Do I have a Timeline?
Currently, our integration only works with Facebook Timelines, not Facebook walls. See more information here.

2. Did I grant the app all the permissions it needs?
Navigate to the apps tab of your edit profile page. In the Facebook section, you should see a series of checkboxes. If you see these, and all the options you'd like to post are checked*, move on to #2. If you see a button reading "Add to Timeline", you need to grant some additional permissions before the app will be allowed to post to Timeline for you. Just click that button and grant all permissions when the Facebook pop-up appears.

*Please note that if you're trying to post only reviews, you'll need to check both "adding a book" and "rating a book" for it to work.

3. Have I added Goodreads as a "Favorite" on Facebook?
Navigate to your Timeline. On the top of your Timeline, you'll see a couple of boxes: Friends, Photos, Likes, etc. There should be a tiny drop-down to the far right with a number (see screenshot). Click on that, which should cause more empty boxes to appear. Do you see Goodreads in its own box (the "Likes" box does not count)? Click the plus sign on the top right of an empty box and select "Goodreads" to add it.

4. Is the update in my "Activity Log"?.
The more you interact with our app, the more prominently our updates will display on your Timeline, your News Feed, and the Ticker. If you just added the app, new Goodreads updates might first show up in your Activity Log. To check, click on your Activity Log link, which should be on the top of your Timeline (see screenshot). If you see a Goodreads update on the list, you can force it to appear on your Timeline manually. On its far right should be a circle. Click on the circle and select "Shown on Timeline" from the list. The update should then appear. If you don't see the update in your log, go on to #4.

5. The update still isn't appearing.
Sometimes our access to your Timeline expires, but this can easily be fixed. Log out of Goodreads, then log back in using Facebook Connect by clicking on the Facebook icon on the home page. Try to post a new update.

If you've tried all these steps, and you're still having trouble, please contact us.

1. Navigate to the apps tab on your edit profile page.

2. You'll see a Facebook section on the left. Click the blue "Add to Timeline" button.

3. A pop-up should appear asking for your Facebook credentials and for your permission to post. Grant all permissions.

4. Navigate to your Facebook Timeline.

5. On the top of your Timeline should be a number of boxes, such as "Friends", "Likes", and "Photos". There should be a drop-down with a number on the far right of these boxes (see screenshot below). Click on that.

6. On the top right of one of the empty boxes that appears, click the plus sign.

7. Select "Goodreads" from the drop-down list.

Now you're all set up! Please keep in mind that only new updates (with dates from today onward) will post to Facebook. The more you interact with the app on Facebook, the more prominently Goodreads updates will show on your Timeline. In the beginning, they may just appear in your Timeline's "Activity Log" (a gray link on the top of the page), but you can force them to appear on the Timeline itself. Just navigate to your Activity Log, click the circle to the far right of the Goodreads update, and select "Shown on Timeline" (see screenshot).

If you have any trouble getting your Goodreads updates to appear, please see our troubleshooting help topic.

First, check that you've granted all the necessary permissions on your apps tab. Both "adding a book" and "rating a book" should be checked. If you see "Add to Timeline" instead of checkmarks, please follow the directions to add Facebook integration here. You might also want to add Goodreads to your Favorites list on Facebook to ensure our updates are dislayed more prominently on your Timeline.

Now you're ready to review! Rate and review the book normally. As soon as you add a "date finished" to the review (it must be today), it should post over to your Activity Log in the form of a "finished reading" action. To get it to show up on your Timeline:

1) Navigate to your Facebook Timeline.

2) Click on the gray "Activity Log" link on the top of your Timeline.

3) Find the "finished reading" update on the list and click on the circle to its far right (see screenshot).

4) Select "Shown on Timeline" from the drop-down menu.

When you navigate back to your Timeline, you should see your review appear in its own box.

Facebook's algorithms decide which updates are important enough to display in News Feeds and Ticker. The more you interact with our app, the more prominently your Goodreads updates will display. Likes and comments make it more likely that an update will show, as does manually choosing to feature it on your Timeline. You can do the latter by going into your "Activity Log" (a gray link at the top of your profile), clicking on the circle to the far right of the Goodreads update, and selecting "Shown on Timeline". If you haven't already, you should also add Goodreads to your Favorites list on Facebook. More information about that here.

However, individual reviews will go to your News Feed if you post them manually (outside of our app's functionality). Just click "see review" on a book page to be taken to your review's own page, then click the Facebook share icon on the bottom right.

If the loading icon keeps spinning, it implies the Facebook pop-up that is supposed to appear was suppressed by your browser. Try disabling your pop-up blocker completely or switching browsers. If your account was connected to Facebook before the Timeline switch, the problem can be resolved by logging out of Goodreads and logging back in through Facebook Connect.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to use our integration to post Goodreads updates to your Facebook wall. Facebook will be switching everyone over to Timeline in February, so our app was designed with that in mind. However, you can manually post the links to reviews by navigating to the review's unique page and clicking the Facebook like icon.

Note: This feature is currently unavailable. It's being fixed and should be back soon.

1. First, create a Facebook Fan Page if you don't already have one.

2. Add the Goodreads Facebook App, under the "Apps" tab of the My Account page.

3. Navigate to the Goodreads App page.

4. Click "Add to my Page" below the Goodreads photo on the left and confirm.

5. Navigate back to your Facebook Page and select the Goodreads Tab.

6. Click "Setup your Goodreads tab."

7. Select the type of page you'd like and submit.

Yes, you can manually force your Goodreads activity to appear in its own box. Here's how:

1. There should be a gray "Activity Log" button on the top of your Timeline. Click on that.

2. Find your Goodreads update in the list. If you have a lot of activity, you can sort by Goodreads on the top right of the page.

3. Click on the circle to the far right of your Goodreads update (see screenshot).

4. Select "Shown on Timeline" from the drop-down menu.

Every once and awhile, a book will be lost in the mail. Goodreads is not involved in book shipment, but we suggest that you contact the person who listed the giveaway (usually the author or a publisher). Here's how:

1) Click on the giveaway that you won. You can find your history here.

2) Click on the name of the person who listed the giveaway on the top right of the page.

3) Click "send message" on the top of his/her profile.

If you do not hear back in a reasonable amount of time, please let us know, and we'll do our best to intervene.

If you edit your giveaway, it pends in the approval queue again so that our staff can ensure that it still adheres to our guidelines. This also takes about 2 business days.

1) You have the proper permission. Only the author, publisher, or official representative of the book can post a giveaway for it. If you are not any of those things, you must get permission from the author before listing.

2) It is not an ebook edition. At this time, only print books are eligible for the giveaway program. We're working on a user-friendly interface for ebook giveaways, but they're not available yet.

3) You don't have a giveaway for the same title right now. You can run giveaways for the same title as many times as you like, as long as they aren't overlapping. You just can't run them at the same time.

4) The book already has a page on Goodreads that includes its ISBN. If you try to list a giveaway with an ISBN that isn't already on Goodreads, you'll get an error message. If your book isn't on the site, add it here. If your book is already on the site but doesn't have an ISBN on its listing, contact the Librarians Group for help.

Note: While most books offered through the giveaway program are new releases, you can also list books that were published in previous years.

No, you won't lose any of your entrants. However, your giveaway will be re-submitted for review by Goodreads staff, so that we can ensure that your giveaway still adheres to our guidelines. It generally takes about 2 business days for a giveaway to be re-approved.

We are primarily a book review site, but we do have some ebooks available to read on the site. If a book is readable, you'll see a "read ebook" button below the cover image. Just click on that to start reading!

You can find a list of all the free readable ebooks available here. You can also buy downloadable ebooks here.

Since you are the author of the ebook, you have the proper authorization to read the whole ebook on the site without paying. However, if your settings are correct, all other users shouldn't be able to. You can check this by logging out of your Goodreads account.

If you log out of your account and you can still see the whole ebook, you might not have set it up correctly. Please note that only ePub files can be offered for sale with free previews. PDFs can only be uploaded as completely free excerpts. If you've uploaded a PDF by mistake, you can delete it by navigating to your book page, clicking "edit details" underneath the description, and clicking "delete" on the right side of the screen (underneath the ebook file).

Ebooks will only show up on your "ebooks for sale" page if you checked "make it available in the Goodreads reader" when you uploaded it. This is easy to fix. Here's how:

1. Navigate to your book's page.

2. Click "edit details" underneath its description.

3. On the right side of the page, you'll see your ebook file listed. Click "edit" underneath it.

4. Check "make it available in the Goodreads reader" and save.

You can make your location private in your account settings. On the "profile" tab, find the "location viewable by" option and select "friends only" or "no one". Make sure that you save your settings on the bottom of the page before navigating away!

Reviews can be displayed on our partner sites only if you have that option turned on in your privacy settings. You can easily opt out of this. Here's how:

1) Navigate to your edit profile" page.

2) Select the "settings" tab.

3) Uncheck "allow partners of Goodreads to display my reviews".

Unfortunately, we are not currently set up to accommodate multiple pen names - each user profile can only be attached to one author profile at a time. But we are working on this, and multiple pen name support will be possible soon.

As a temporary solution, we could change each of your pen names to one common name of your choosing. This would automatically bring together all of your titles on your profile page. Once author aliases are enabled, we can change these titles to the more accurate information. If you'd like to do this, please contact Support with the request.

Alternatively, you can create a separate user profile for your pen name (by signing up for a new account using a different email address) and we can simply keep the two profiles separate until we can merge them properly. To sign up for a new account, log out of your current account and click "register" on the top right of the header.

In most cases, it is best to ignore a negative review or comment. On various occasions, Goodreads authors have lashed out at readers who gave their books negative reviews or ratings, and the results have been disastrous for the authors' reputations. Goodreads is not private; other readers will see a hostile reaction from the author, and a single negative interaction is often enough to turn a reader against an author permanently. Use member feedback to improve your work, not as grounds to vent your frustration.

You can add a book to your "read" shelf just by rating the book. Hover over the stars underneath "want to read" and click when the desired number of stars are highlighted. This will automatically save your rating and add the book to your "read" shelf.

1) Rate more books. The more you rate, the better the results!

2) Update your favorite genres.

3) Categorize your books by creating shelves such as science fiction or history. We recommend based on each shelf you create!

4) Click "Not interested" for recommendations that you don't like. We'll be less likely to show you similar books in the future.

1) Click on "recommendations" in the header.

2) Scroll down and click "recommendations from users" under “Community Recommendations” on the right side of the page.

3) Under the "My Requests" section, click "x recommendations”.

4) Directly below "you want to read...", click the small "close" link.