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Exciting News About Goodreads: We're Joining the Amazon Family!
When Elizabeth and I started Goodreads from my living room seven years ago, we set out to create a better way for people to find and share books they love. It's been a wild ride seeing how the company has grown and watching as more than 16 million readers from across the globe have joined Goodreads and connected over a passion for books.
Today I'm really happy to announce a new milestone for Goodreads: We are joining the Amazon family. We truly could not think of a more perfect partner for Goodreads as we both share a love of books and an appreciation for the authors who write them. We also both love to invent products and services that touch millions of people.
I'm excited about this for three reasons:
1. With the reach and resources of Amazon, Goodreads can introduce more readers to our vibrant community of book lovers and create an even better experience for our members.
2. Our members have been asking us to bring the Goodreads experience to an e-reader for a long time. Now we're looking forward to bringing Goodreads to the most popular e-reader in the world, Kindle, and further reinventing what reading can be.
3. Amazon supports us continuing to grow our vision as an independent entity, under the Goodreads brand and with our unique culture.
It's important to be clear that Goodreads and the awesome team behind it are not going away. Goodreads will continue to be the wonderful community that we all cherish. We plan to continue offering you everything that you love about the site—the ability to track what you read, discover great books, discuss and share them with fellow book lovers, and connect directly with your favorite authors—and your reviews and ratings will remain here on Goodreads. And it's incredibly important to us that we remain a home for all types of readers, no matter if you read on paper, audio, digitally, from scrolls, or even stone tablets.
For all of you Kindle readers, there's obviously an extra bonus in this announcement. You've asked us for a long time to be able to integrate your Kindle and Goodreads experiences. Making that option a reality is one of our top priorities.
Our team gets out of bed every day motivated by the belief that the right book in the right hands can change the world. Now Goodreads can help make that happen in an even bigger and more meaningful way thanks to joining the Amazon family. (And if you want to be part of this, please check out our Jobs page for open positions. We've got a lot of hires to make!)
This is an emotional day for me. Goodreads is more than a company to me – it's something that Elizabeth and I created because we wanted it to exist. Since then it has grown a lot and become a place we love working at, full of incredibly smart and passionate people who also believe in our mission. I feel a little like a college graduate – happy to come to this milestone, nostalgic for the past amazing seven years, and incredibly, incredibly, excited for the future.
Otis
P.S. For the more official version of the announcement, here's the press release that went out today.
P.P.S. Please let us know – what integration with Kindle would you love to see the most?
Today I'm really happy to announce a new milestone for Goodreads: We are joining the Amazon family. We truly could not think of a more perfect partner for Goodreads as we both share a love of books and an appreciation for the authors who write them. We also both love to invent products and services that touch millions of people.
I'm excited about this for three reasons:
1. With the reach and resources of Amazon, Goodreads can introduce more readers to our vibrant community of book lovers and create an even better experience for our members.
2. Our members have been asking us to bring the Goodreads experience to an e-reader for a long time. Now we're looking forward to bringing Goodreads to the most popular e-reader in the world, Kindle, and further reinventing what reading can be.
3. Amazon supports us continuing to grow our vision as an independent entity, under the Goodreads brand and with our unique culture.
It's important to be clear that Goodreads and the awesome team behind it are not going away. Goodreads will continue to be the wonderful community that we all cherish. We plan to continue offering you everything that you love about the site—the ability to track what you read, discover great books, discuss and share them with fellow book lovers, and connect directly with your favorite authors—and your reviews and ratings will remain here on Goodreads. And it's incredibly important to us that we remain a home for all types of readers, no matter if you read on paper, audio, digitally, from scrolls, or even stone tablets.
For all of you Kindle readers, there's obviously an extra bonus in this announcement. You've asked us for a long time to be able to integrate your Kindle and Goodreads experiences. Making that option a reality is one of our top priorities.
Our team gets out of bed every day motivated by the belief that the right book in the right hands can change the world. Now Goodreads can help make that happen in an even bigger and more meaningful way thanks to joining the Amazon family. (And if you want to be part of this, please check out our Jobs page for open positions. We've got a lot of hires to make!)
This is an emotional day for me. Goodreads is more than a company to me – it's something that Elizabeth and I created because we wanted it to exist. Since then it has grown a lot and become a place we love working at, full of incredibly smart and passionate people who also believe in our mission. I feel a little like a college graduate – happy to come to this milestone, nostalgic for the past amazing seven years, and incredibly, incredibly, excited for the future.
Otis
P.S. For the more official version of the announcement, here's the press release that went out today.
P.P.S. Please let us know – what integration with Kindle would you love to see the most?
Comments Showing 701-750 of 2,216 (2216 new)
message 701:
by
Amy
(new)
Mar 28, 2013 06:26PM
Oh please tell me I'm not going to be inundated by Amazon ads now. Amazon really isn't all that great. I understand the need for money, but I imagine you've probably just driven away half of your users.
flag
Tria wrote: "I don't know about you, Robin, but I've seen booklikes.com suggested on earlier pages of this thread, and I quite like the look of it, though it appears to be invite-only at the present time. I mig..."OHHHHHHHHHH I'm going to have to go check it out. I hope booklikes.com is catching wind of all of this as it may be their BIG BREAK to become the next GR. I don't think GR is prepared for the crash and burn of this decision.
As Victoria stated in her post above,Otis and the GR team doesn't give a rat's behind about this community...ALL they can see and focus on is the bucket full of money
What I don't get is why people think if you don't have a kindle, goodreads is suddenly pointless to you. The kindle feature would just be an added thing for people that do have it. It would be nice if they could do whatever they are planning for all ereaders, but I can see why they can't. It doesn't change the goodreads experience for anything else though. Your physical books, your nook books will all stay the same..
Lots of glass half full folks on Goodreads it looks like.Maybe we can finally be rid of the over capacity message now.
I think it would be pretty cool to highlight a quote on your Kindle and add it to a status update, while staying in the book.
This is tangential, but I would love to be able to main two libraries for my kindles: one for me and one for my kids so that a given kindle only has access to certain titles.
Jacquie wrote: "for me, I would like to be able to post one review and have it go to both sites"That is a great one!
I, for one, will be dropping Goodreads as a result of this buy out. I have a non-Amazon e-reader as I find the Amazon line is far too proprietary and restrictive for my liking. I will look elsewhere for independent book reviews that I feel won't be "pushed" by a retailer.
My greatest concern is that now Amazon will have even MORE access to my information. It is enough that they already know what I buy, but I cannot like giving them all my info--everything I've read, every comment I make. Creepy.
I was hoping there would be a way to integrate Goodreads into library databases, but I doubt that will happen now. No free milk cows with Amazon.
Book wrote: Um, no. Not true.
From the settings page:
"Goodreads allows some partner sites ac..."
Thanks for that - I didn't know that even existed! I hope none of mine were cross-posted anywhere before I just un-ticked that box. I would not appreciate it.
And Brixton - thank you! I just found it in my spam folder, which is quite appropriate in my opinion...
I am so disappointed that Good Reads has sold out to amazon. Kindle is a closed circuit, you have to buy everything from amazon - they have totally cut out independent bookstores. If you want to kill the indies off completely, you're going about it the right way. Independent bookstores, staffed by real people who care about books are being beaten out by a server with algorithms. And of course books are just the first target. Every retailer in the world will be facing the same issue.
BOO! This is NOT good news. So sad that I will now have to find another place to share books with friends. Bye, bye Goodreads. It was fun while it lasted :-( This makes me mad and sad at the same time.
I am also saddened by this news. When i read you had 'joined the Amazon family', I thought it was just access to metadata being restored and such. Unfortunately, it's more like the way plankton join the sperm whale family... I fail to see how this will be good to readers or authors. :(
Please make it so that I can sync how far I am on my ebook with how far it says on Goodreads. Then I don't have to constantly change the percentage of my book online.
Please, let us communicate and comment WITHIN the ebooks to discuss what parts we like and don't like, etc.
Jonah wrote: "I am also saddened by this news. When i read you had 'joined the Amazon family', I thought it was just access to metadata being restored and such. Unfortunately, it's more like the way plankton join the sperm whale family..."
Well said, Jonah.
Did Goodreads really think most of its users would like this new development?
so does this mean i'll have to have an Amazon account? because i don't have one now. my Goodreads is only linked up with my Facebook.
First of all congratulationsWith this new partnership, Goodreads could advance faster
All the metadata, covers... everything, that's wonderful
I do hope sincerely that Goodreads remains independent. What I mean is that I, and sure enough most users, don't want Amazon interfering with the way we rate & review, or change how all that info shows and is dealt with when searching or viewing a book.
Another part of this is our data here at Goodreads. I don't know what the new TOS is going to be (if it's going to change), but please keep Goodreads' data in the hands of Goodreads. It's enough that Amazon knows everything about our shopping preferences & habits... I like Amazon, they're good at what they do. But they already know too much about us
Well, this news should help librarything.com grow.
Amy wrote: "What about us Nookies?"Yea, what about us Nookies!
800+ comments in a such a short amount of time? Guess there are some passionate feelings out there.I'm glad (for you) that your baby is growing up. I know you have put a lot of work into the site.However, as an equal opportunity e-book consumer I hope that Goodreads continues to work for ALL readers; not just Amazon customers. The unbiased nature of the site was the #1 thing that made it work for me.
Automatic syncing of reading progress between kindle and Goodreads will be a nice feature!
i just hope we will still be able to mark the books as read even if it's not bought from amazon. smashwords are good releaser too and they have free books. also wattpad.
oh no...Just hope it'll make better for goodreads, goodreaders, and readers
Oh and nevermind the fact I hate Kindle. I love my Nook.
Kate wrote: "And after all the work we did when Amazon pulled their database *sigh*"THIS. I'm really kind of stunned here. I think this is terrible.
Amazon supports Amazon, and nothing else. I will soon delete my Goodreads account because it will no longer be Goodreads, it will be Amazon. Anyone who thinks differently is fooling themselves. And the owners of Goodreads should know better, and should be ashamed of themselves.
Regardless, Dan, you asked why some of us were upset with Amazon but liked Borders and Barnes & Noble, and the answer is simple: the chain bookstores at least gave us a replacement physical bookstore, Amazon will not.
That just sucks. Another one bites the dust due to greed. :(
So depressing, can't see how this will be a positive move for authors or readers. Maybe for reviewers, certainly for Amazon's DATAMACHINES. Agree with (message 33). Amazon is not a benevolent entity. I would think most people who use this site regularly realize how much better a "peer review" system is...I want to be a hater but love GRs to give up.
OK, I'm an Amazon author, like a lot of others here. No problem. What I'd like to see is the Goodreads dynamics on Amazon. "Find it and love it" makes more sense than "Try and find it". Can we use Goodreads to crank it up on Amazon, do promos, etc? Amazon indie books, particularly those not on mainstream publishers, are being seriously undervalued in Amazon marketing. This is the big wave, not the soggy little mainstream stuff that hits the bargain bins in seconds. Indie writers hit subjects outside the single channel.
Goodreads can push the genuine buying interest factor hard mainly because it's a real readers site. It can create a credible market among people who actually read, particularly if Goodreads raises its own market visibility.
I'll be very interested to see where this goes.
I think it will be good. It's bringing together three of my favorite "book" things-Goodreads, Amazon, and the kindle.
Ns wrote: "Please keep the "online stores" section found on each book page. I like the option of comparing prices and having access to different vendors such as Book Depository, Smashwords, Amazon, B&N, etc. ..."Ha like that is going to happen-it will link to Amazon and that is it.
I am devastated.....no more independent, "if it moves, monetize-it"-free reviews, author links---now: curated reviews, removed reviews and just "buy buy buy"--Sayonara Goodreads, I really loved you.....
Book wrote: "Otis says:"Where you review books is your choice. Your Goodreads reviews are under your control to manage."
Um, no. Not true.
From the settings page:
"Goodreads allows some partner sites ac..."
Thanks for the info. I had no idea about that...
This is... sorry, but dumb. Goodreads is already amazing. It's a great family/community, and it should stay that way. No amazon or marketing site coming in and changing it. It should stay independent... if you want money, ask for donations from the community here, i'm sure everyone here would be willing to pay a fee to have this site running without amazon...
Marjorie wrote: "FEATURE REQUEST FOR AUTHORSThese are exactly the sorts of things that make me NOT purchase books or other items, actually. I don't like being chased down with reminders and incentives to purchase something I've merely looked at. I don't need "help" finding a good price, or another reminder to purchase on Amazon, or a reminder to my friends and family to buy it from Amazon.
More generally, you know, I'm glad you're happy, Otis and Elizabeth, but I'm not. I liked Goodreads precisely because it WASN'T Amazon. Now it is - or will be shortly. That's a shame. I don't want my Goodreads or Amazon accounts linked. I don't want my reviews cross-pollinated. I don't want Amazon to see what I'm thinking of reading so they can spam me with emails to buy it now. I don't want to be reminded yet again OH WELL YOU CAN BUY THIS ON KINDLE OR ON AMAZON RIGHT NOW.
I'm really, really disappointed that yet another corner of the interweb is becoming a small cog in the great machinery of the major corporate world.
I don't like change, especially when it undermines intention and subsequently function and utility of a wonderful site. The changes, or improvements as they'll likely be introduced, and how invasive they become, will ultimately decide whether I simply take my library offline.
And I notice, Amazon also recently bought BookDepository? Where's the competition? Got to admit, I don't feel comfortable with one company having such a such ubiquitous influence in how I read and buy books - let alone all that info about me, my activity, preferences and opinions.
I sincerely hope that Otis and Elizabeth (in the pic) aren't holding their sum-total payments received for this merger/acquisition?
I order things from Amazon all the time, but was devoted to GR precisely because of its independence and LACK of control by Amazon. Thanks for selling out. Your statement that GR and it's "awesome team" are not going away is either pathetic naivete or an outright lie. I'll apologize in a year if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing you won't be affiliated with the site you created by that point in any way. Enjoy your cash.
Hmmm...wondering as a Canadian Kobo owner where we fit in to all of this......
Am I missing something??? Why is everyone complaining? As long as we do not lose our personal lists of books read with our reviews and ratings, I am happy. I have only good things to say about Goodreads and Amazon.
So Totally Agree---we are back in the desert again....loved (SO past tense) Goodreads....so sorry they monetized it...Wench wrote: "Marjorie wrote: "FEATURE REQUEST FOR AUTHORS
These are exactly the sorts of things that make me NOT purchase books or other items, actually. I don't like being chased down with reminders and incen..."
This is terrible news, in my opinion. To me, it is important that Goodreads' remains independent, and not beholden to any one retailer.In the early days of the company, I was a big fan of Amazon. Now, they have far too much power, and the working conditions at their warehouses are very questionable. These days, I only buy from Amazon when I absolutely, positively cannot find an item anywhere else, online or offline.
I will never buy a Kindle. Ever. I believe Amazon needs competitors for the benefit of the consumer. Remember that library lending feature you Kindle users got not all that long ago? Nook had it for nearly two years before, and you probably wouldn't have gotten it for a good while longer were it not for B&N competing in that way.
I'll also never buy a Kindle because I'm not interested in handing over my surfing data to Amazon via the Silk browser. I mourn our ever-diminishing privacy.
Finally, I don't like the Kindle's UI.
Going back to that privacy point, I don't like monopolies. I avoid keeping all my eggs in one basket -- there's a reason that adage exists.
If you read nothing else in this post, read this:
I refuse to associate my Amazon account with my Goodreads login. Seriously. If this goes the way that Google treated YouTube, I will remove all my reviews, every single bit of data, back up as much as I can, and delete my account. If you plan on permitting this to happen, Goodreads owners, it would be decent of you to enable data export, like Google Takeout.
I'm incredibly sad about this. I loved Goodreads as it was. It was one of my favorite sites, and I often recommended it to people.
Guess I'll be checking out LibraryThing. :(
Thanks for reading.
If you are looking for some other social book sites, there is a huge list on the left side of the librarything company page - http://www.crunchbase.com/company/lib... - (listed under "competitors") - lots for you to go and browse and discover - booklikes.com is another, which isn't listed there, but there are many! Just be careful, Amazon is actually involved in a lot of them (like Shelfari...) I'm saddened by this decision. I already know of an online friend who has completely cleared out and deleted her Goodreads account because of this stupid decision - it's just so sad (she works at an independent bookstore..I don't blame her!).
