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Introducing Goodreads on the New Kindle Fires
Today is the culmination of a lot of hours of hard work and invention. We're burning with excitement to announce that Goodreads is now officially available for the new Kindle Fire! When we joined the Amazon family of companies six months ago, we were most psyched about continuing the mission we most care about—helping readers find and share books they love—but in addition, we also had the opportunity to really think about what the reading experience could be for Kindle readers.
We want to make the reading experience better. We want to make it easy to find great books, and then to have engaging, amazing conversations about them. It starts now—with a deep integration of Goodreads into the reading experience on the new Kindle Fires. Our team has been working incredibly hard over these past months, and we are very proud and excited about what we've begun to build. So, for this update, we thought it might be more fun to hear from some members of the team about what they've created.
Goodreads on Kindle Fire is different from the Goodreads mobile app because it's actually part of the Kindle reading experience. "What's most exciting to me is that it's the first time ever that Goodreads has been inside the book," said Brian Rosenblat, director of product. "There's no need to switch between the book you are reading and Goodreads. Goodreads on the Kindle is the first big step towards making it all one experience."
Robert LaThanh, developer, loves how the goal is to add to the enjoyment of reading books. "At Goodreads, we're all book lovers and big believers in the joy of losing ourselves inside a great book. We never want to interrupt that. What we're doing is making it easier than ever to share your reading with your friends when you want to."
So what you can do with Goodreads on the new Kindle Fire? It's a mix of familiar and new features. Let's take a look:
Goodreads will be available on the new Kindle Fires as part of a free, over-the-air software update that will be automatically delivered in the coming weeks in the US, Canada and Australia. Of course, if you can't wait that long, you can go here to make it happen immediately! (Please note that this is only available right now for the new Kindle Fires. We don't have information yet about all the other Kindle devices but will provide updates as we have them.) There will be more features on the way as well. And for you non-Kindle Fire readers, don't worry! We're going to continue to work hard to improve Goodreads on all devices: web, tablet, and mobile! Onward!
Looking forward to hearing what you think of the new Goodreads on Kindle Fire!
The Goodreads on Kindle Fire Team
We want to make the reading experience better. We want to make it easy to find great books, and then to have engaging, amazing conversations about them. It starts now—with a deep integration of Goodreads into the reading experience on the new Kindle Fires. Our team has been working incredibly hard over these past months, and we are very proud and excited about what we've begun to build. So, for this update, we thought it might be more fun to hear from some members of the team about what they've created.
Goodreads on Kindle Fire is different from the Goodreads mobile app because it's actually part of the Kindle reading experience. "What's most exciting to me is that it's the first time ever that Goodreads has been inside the book," said Brian Rosenblat, director of product. "There's no need to switch between the book you are reading and Goodreads. Goodreads on the Kindle is the first big step towards making it all one experience."
Robert LaThanh, developer, loves how the goal is to add to the enjoyment of reading books. "At Goodreads, we're all book lovers and big believers in the joy of losing ourselves inside a great book. We never want to interrupt that. What we're doing is making it easier than ever to share your reading with your friends when you want to."
So what you can do with Goodreads on the new Kindle Fire? It's a mix of familiar and new features. Let's take a look:
Share a quote
"We're making it effortless to capture and share the thoughts and feelings that are important to you. When you come across a quote that is meaningful or funny, you can now share it with Goodreads friends directly from within the book instead of forgetting about it later."
—Ettore Pasquini, senior developer
—Ettore Pasquini, senior developer
See what your friends are reading
"Being able to see what my friends are reading, dive with one touch into an interesting book and then add it to my want-to-read shelf has always been my favorite way for finding new books. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten sucked into reading people's reviews as I've checked out the updates feed."
—Mike Williams, software engineer
—Mike Williams, software engineer
Rate and review books
"I love how you can rate and review a book you've just finished and immediately share it with your Goodreads friends. It's fun to get their reactions instantaneously and start discussing the book right away."
—Virgilio Pigliucci, senior software engineer
—Virgilio Pigliucci, senior software engineer
Track what you want to read, are currently reading,
and have already read
"I'm proud of how easy we've made it for members to track and catalog their books on Kindle Fire. The entire experience of using Goodreads on Kindle has been designed from the ground up with simplicity in mind. For example, our members have long asked us for an effortless way to import all their Amazon-purchased books—print and e-books—into their Goodreads accounts, and now they can do so at the tap of a finger. Our ultimate goal in designing this product was to get out of the way and let the books take center stage."
—Seth Goldstein, director,
user experience
—Seth Goldstein, director,
user experience
Goodreads will be available on the new Kindle Fires as part of a free, over-the-air software update that will be automatically delivered in the coming weeks in the US, Canada and Australia. Of course, if you can't wait that long, you can go here to make it happen immediately! (Please note that this is only available right now for the new Kindle Fires. We don't have information yet about all the other Kindle devices but will provide updates as we have them.) There will be more features on the way as well. And for you non-Kindle Fire readers, don't worry! We're going to continue to work hard to improve Goodreads on all devices: web, tablet, and mobile! Onward!
Looking forward to hearing what you think of the new Goodreads on Kindle Fire!
The Goodreads on Kindle Fire Team
Comments Showing 1-50 of 117 (117 new)
Randy wrote: "Does this mean that all Kindle books are now in the GR database? I have 20+ that I haven't added to my shelves because they're not on the site yet."All the books on my Kindle Fire showed up on GR after the update.
Excellent! I’m really excited about this - I love both my Kindle and GoodReads. Unfortunately, I only have the first gen Kindle Fire HD, so I’ll need to wait until next week until my Kindle Fire HDX arrives.
By the way, if you need a beta tester for the HD first gen, I'm happy to oblige :0)
I'm looking forward to this. I just purchased my first Kindle -- Fire HDX -- last week, and it should be arriving the end of this week. :-)
A pity it's not for the UK :( And that it's only for the HDX :(
Meghan wrote: "Hi Randy, if you email support at goodreads dot com with the ASINs of the books you're looking for, we'd be happy to add them to our database!"Thanks. I'm going to give this a shot. I'll also point out that I am a librarian and could add them myself, but I haven't because it's a little disheartening to buy a whole bunch of ebooks at once and then search for the ASINs here just to come up with nothing on any of them. As a consequence, I put it off until I have time to copy and paste all the info. :)
Does this include the Kindle Fire HD? This looks very useful and so much more user friendly than the GR app. (The app is good in a pinch, but it's really not my favorite.)
I'll be on the lookout for Goodreads integration with the Kindle Keyboard, whenever that happens.
Cora Linn wrote: "A pity it's not for the UK :("We plan to roll out to other countries over time - stay tuned!
Randy wrote: Thanks. I'm going to give this a shot. I'll also point out that I am a librarian and could add them myself, but I haven't because it's a little disheartening to buy a whole bunch of ebooks at once and then search for the ASINs here just to come up with nothing on any of them."
We are actively working on this problem as well - hopefully have an update on timing soon.
Cora Linn wrote: "A pity it's not for the UK :( And that it's only for the HDX :("I got the update on my HD (the new $139 tablet).
What about this new feature on the older model kindles, like - kindle 3...or even the newer e-ink based ones? All it requires is an update of the Operating System of old kindles and incorporate this new feature somehow. With a linux-based OS this should be easy, right?If Goodreads wants to be in the kindle arena 100%, it's ignoring a huge market (e-ink based devices that are not tablets..and a lot of customers use older versions or e-ink based kindles too.)
edit: saw this trend coming long time ago where you could share directly from kindle/ other ereaders. Surprised Amazon actually had to acquire Goodreads and make an app for that (as they still have Shelfari..this doesn't make sense somehow). I guess this feature not being on other tablets (iPad, namely) is Amazon's big selling point for HDX now and it isolates the Goodreads sharing phenomenon just to Amazon.
All I can say to that is..
If only GR would make a similar site announcement about the censorship.
Josiphine wrote: "If only GR would make a similar site announcement about the censorship."Censorship about what, Josiphine?
looking at your group photo makes me realize how old I am.
And so the visible, tangibly preferential treatment for Kindle users begins. We knew it was coming. :(I'll still never buy one.
Joakim wrote: "Josiphine wrote: "If only GR would make a similar site announcement about the censorship."Censorship about what, Josiphine?"
GR made some extreme changes to their review policy and refuse to make a site-wide announcement about it. Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?
Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"Hey Candice! Did you manually update your Kindle using the link here? If so, you should be able to tap the "Apps" link and see the Goodreads app.
Alternatively, tap the “Books” link to see your collection. From here, you can tap the small “g” icon at the top of the screen.
If you can't find the app, I can look into this for you - either comment here or email support at goodreads dot com.
Honestly, the announced integration is neither here nor there for me. I read predominantly on the kindle. I doubt I'll link the accounts (my kindle account is a family one I use for fiction and for nonfiction but I only use goodreads to catalog mostly some of my own fiction reads and would be appalled to see my kindle library in my goodreads book catalog). Admittedly, partly because I don't care to type on the kindle and even more so because if I'm immersed in an ebook, I'm immersed in an ebook and don't really care what other options are available other than an occasional word lookup.I am surprised that this was a long requested feature. I've not seen it get a lot of attention in my goodreads friends updates, the suggestion section of feedback groups, or in any of the groups I belong to or lurk. Admittedly, unless discussing ereader devices/freebies or the amazon takeover, I don't remember hardly any mention of kindle, nook, kobo, etc.
But I guess goodreads staff got inundated with an email campaign from people privately requesting or something.
I'd actually be more curious how amazon managed to negotiate the quoting rights with publishers and authors when before on my kindle I was never able to select text to copy to goodreads or other sites and that was the reason amazon used to give.
D.A. - just one more game ☺ - wrote: "I'd actually be more curious how amazon managed to negotiate the quoting rights with publishers and authors when before on my kindle I was never able to select text to copy to goodreads or other sites and that was the reason amazon used to give. "I've always been able to select and copy quotes from my Kindle for Mac app. I use em in reviews all the time. Haven't had an actual Kindle to try it with, yet.
eta -- GR wasn't a prominent part of my purchasing decision, one way or the other. Personally, I decided on the Kindle because: the HDX 8.9 is large enough for magazines and good video viewing, it has a higher ppi than anyone else (including iPad), it's lighter than any other tablet of its size (including iPad), and it's a lot cheaper than an iPad (even though I've been a MacAddict for more than 20 years). Oh, and because my Nook has lousy battery life, and the Nook for Mac app is a complete joke that usually refuses to even launch.
Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"Hey Candice! Did you manually update your Kindle using the ..."
Well I installed this yes but I can't see it. I'm able to make collections, I have a new lock screens etc but no goodreads. When I went to the manage applications I'm able to stop the goodreads app from running but I can actually use it... but I haven't read everything, I think it's because I'm from france right ? It sucks (sorry) because I really wanted to use goodreads on my new kindle and I can't .... :(
Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"Hey Candice! Did you manually update your Kin..."
Unfortunately, this is only available in the US, Canada, and Australia for now. As Otis mentioned above, we do plan to roll out to other countries over time!
Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"Hey Candice! Did you manually..."
I guess you have no idea how long it's gonna take for Europeans to get it right .. ? :(
Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"Hey Candice! Di..."
Nothing confirmed - sorry about that :(
Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emily wrote: "Candice wrote: "I don't understand I manually updated my kindle (fire hdx) but I can't seem to find the Goodreads app. is that normal ?"..."
It's ok, I'm gonna use it on my phone until then. Thanks for your answers Emily ! It's really kind of you.
So far have not seen any changes..I have a Kindle Fire HD 8.9, living in the Netherlands ..must admit it looks pretty neat!!
Sorry but I'm trying to understand why can't you release it in every country at the same time?
Candice wrote: "Sorry but I'm trying to understand why you can't release it in every country at the same time?"I agree Candice ..I enjoy using the GR app but the new update looks pretty ..I tried sharing a quote no luck hope it rolls out for the Kindle fire owners in Europe soon
I hope this becomes available for other models. I have a Kindle Touch and its just what I wanted in an e-reader. I would love to be able to interact with GoodReads more easily through my kindle, but I have no plans to get the Fire.
Just played a little with the integration, it's nice but I see major features missing.1)You can't search for a book on GoodReads like you used to with the old app ( so lets say you read a book on your kindle that you didn't buy on Amazon, there's no easy way to add the book to your currently reading on GoodReads through the kindle fire).
2) You can't navigate series which is sad because GoodReads does a much better job than Amazon at categorizing series and sometime you just finished one book and want to read the next one but there is no way to find which book it is through GoodReads as the serie name and number are not clickable hotlinks like on the GoodReads web services...
One positive thing I see is that you can now go straight from the GoodRead page of a book to the kindle store to buy it. ( which really makes me wish my #2 was there as I would very often buy the next book in a serie from GoodReads if I could).
Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this
^^^ well that sucks I concur won't be upgrading just for this either
Another thing missing I forgot to mention :You can not access your GoodReads recommendations though the new integration, which means no simple way to buy a book GoodReads recommends you...
In the end I would give this integration a B rating as several features that could drive sales of e-books on kindle for GoodReads users or just enhance the usefulness of GoodReads are missing...
Aildiin wrote: "Another thing missing I forgot to mention :You can not access your GoodReads recommendations though the new integration, which means no simple way to buy a book GoodReads recommends you...
In the..."
Guess it would be safe to say I am probably not missing anything ..thank you :-)
Yodamom wrote: "Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this"But they want you to buy the new device and that's why it's not available on the older ones (just a theory). Amazon wants you to buy their devices (new ones) and that's why Goodreads sharabilitiy is not available in other non-Amazon devices. Simple marketing...
Joakim wrote: "Yodamom wrote: "Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this"But they want you to buy the new device and that's why it's not available on the olde..."
I really never thought about that ..but indeed it does make sense.
Yodamom wrote: "Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this"You can still use the old GoodReads app on those Kindle Fire and honestly it isn't worse than the new integration.
You can't quote easily a book you are reading and have to do a few more clicks before reviewing a book you just finished but at least you can access your recommendations...
Shadira wrote: "Candice wrote: "Sorry but I'm trying to understand why you can't release it in every country at the same time?"I agree Candice ..I enjoy using the GR app but the new update looks pretty ..I tried..."
Candice wrote: "Sorry but I'm trying to understand why can't you release it in every country at the same time?"
We have some more work to do before we can release the app elsewhere! We appreciate your patience.
I'm really sad to hear it's only the "new Kindle Fire" models so far, but I'll be eager to hear about the 1st generation Kindle Fire. This is what I have been waiting for. As a book reviewer I live on my Kindle Fire and Goodreads and to have them "get along" would be fabulous and make me life many steps easier in promoting great books and good reads!
I can't find a way to mark my progress in a book through the new kindle fire integration. Am I missing something ?
Aildiin wrote: "Yodamom wrote: "Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this"You can still use the old GoodReads app on those Kindle Fire and honestly it isn't wo..."
If that's the case, I'm not nearly as disappointed as I was. The rec page on the app was the main thing I wish was better (I prefer to know WHY I'm being recommended a book). If it's missing that, then I'm not missing much.
Aildiin wrote: "...You can't navigate series ..."Is that something that will be added? Seriously, the only reason I would personally consider adding goodreads to kindle is to make it a replacement for the shelfari iseries nformation that used to be useful in the kindle store.
I am glad, though, that the sitewide announcement feature here on goodreads has been fixed or reinstated. It's been sorely missed.
But how do I update my reading status of the book I'm currently reading? It's really annoying to have to do that through the silk web browser!
Kelly wrote: "But how do I update my reading status of the book I'm currently reading? It's really annoying to have to do that through the silk web browser!"That's one of the top features coming in the next release. It was really hard not to get all the features in that we wanted, and that was certainly one of them!
Otis wrote: "Kelly wrote: "But how do I update my reading status of the book I'm currently reading? It's really annoying to have to do that through the silk web browser!"That's one of the top features coming ..."
Man I really hope it comes soon. It's SO frustrating to have to go through my browser. It's the one feature I REALLY REALLY wanted for upgrade. I'm disappointed again.
I'm sure they do, it's all about the $$$. This is not something I would spend $ to have.Joakim wrote: "Yodamom wrote: "Not for the first generation Kindle Fires, too bad. I'm not buying a new device just for this"
When will this be on my new Kindle Paperwhite? This is one of the reasons I bought it.
*Edit* Nope. Doesn't mean they're there. I searched for a couple of ASINs that weren't here last week and they're still not here.