Goodreads is an American social book cataloging website that provides for individuals to access its database of books, reviews, and quotes. It was founded in December 2006, by Otis Chandler and Elizabeth Khuri and has its office in San Francisco. Let’s know Does Amazon own Goodreads?
Amazon is an American multinational company that was founded by Jeff Bezos in July 1994 and currently has its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It soon came to be one of the Big Five American IT companies, the other four being Apple, Google, Meta (previously called Facebook), and Microsoft.
Amazon acquired Goodreads in 2013 for an undisclosed sum and since then, Goodreads has been functioning as a subsidiary of Amazon. Despite the acquisition, It has not made any significant changes to the website except that now, Goodreads offers an option to log in using your Amazon account as well, in addition to the other options offered previously. Both Goodreads and they have benefitted from the said move. Read on to find out more details about the same.
Why did the acquisition of Goodreads by Amazon meet with criticism in the initial days?
Amazon has been one of the largest book retailers and that particular move was seen as an attempt by Amazon to try and control online bookselling to its advantage. Goodreads’ users were also disappointed because they felt that the site was an authentic platform given that it was a smaller company and its merger with Amazon may dilute the same.
What all features are available for a member on Goodreads?
- You can share which books you are reading currently and at the same time, you can see which ones your friends are reading.
- Create your own book lists.
- Organize and store the details about which books you wish to read, the ones you are reading, and the ones you have read already.
- Write and share reviews on the books you have read, that might help many other members choose their next book.
- Receive book recommendations based on your preferences and your reading history.
- Interact with the author directly on the site.
- You can take a quiz on the books you have read.
- You can also vote for the most popular books in each category every month.
- There is also a small category of books that you can read on Goodreads.
- If you happen to use Kindle, you can also link your Kindle highlights and notes on Goodreads.
How can I read books on Goodreads?
There is a small category of readable books on Goodreads which you can access by clicking on the Read Book button. But if it is not a readable book, you will have to purchase it. The list of readable books is available on their website.
Why did Amazon move to acquire Goodreads which was a very small company those days?
Amazon, being one of the largest book retailers in the world, might have attempted to track the present trends among book readers in order to improve its place in the industry. This particular merger not only benefited Amazon but also helped Goodreads increase its user base.
After the merger, the Goodreads website was synced with Amazon, and the user reviews added on Goodreads get automatically updated as reviews on the Amazon site as well. But, the vice versa is not possible, i.e., the reviews written on Amazon do not automatically show up on Goodreads.
In what other ways did Goodreads benefit from its acquisition by Amazon?
Soon after the merger, Goodreads had announced that its user base had grown to around 20 million. Before acquiring Goodreads, Amazon had acquired a similar site, Shelfari, which was a competitor of Goodreads. In 2016, Amazon had shut down Shelfari in favor of Goodreads, and Shelfari users could migrate to Goodreads post that move. This also had helped Goodreads increase its user base.
Can I browse for books according to their genre on Goodreads?
Yes, you can browse books genre-wise as Goodreads has a huge database, organized into lists according to their genre. The books are sorted into genres such as Biography, Fiction, Classics, Comics, Fantasy, Mystery, History, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Self-help, Travel, and many more.
Conclusion
Amazon had acquired Goodreads in 2013 and both the companies have gained out of the acquisition. Goodreads has increased its user base, while Amazon emerged as the largest online book retailer in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use Goodreads for free?
Yes, there is no need to pay anything to use Goodreads but if you want to read a book that is not in the readable category, you will have to purchase it yourself.
- Can you sign up for Goodreads without an Amazon account?
Yes, you can use your Google or Facebook accounts to sign up and use Goodreads in the same way.
