Why I Switched from Goodreads to The StoryGraph

Book graphic: Meghan Olson For years, I have been a steadfast Goodreads user… until immediately. The first base bolshevik flag about Goodreads is that, as of 2013, Goodreads is owned by Amazon which is headed up by billionaire Jeff Bezos. It ’ south been a beneficial run with Goodreads, but in an feat to minimize my use of Amazon and Amazon-related products I had to make a change .

What is The StoryGraph?

The StoryGraph is a platform to help track your reading and choose your future book based on your climate and your front-runner topics. The platform is inherently simple and provides a diverseness of data insights to provide analysis and inform recommendations.

Nadia Odunayo created The StoryGraph as a love project and has built it into the platform it is today. Odunayo is a U.K.-based woman of color and still works as the CEO of The StoryGraph. Around the begin of the pandemic, The StoryGraph exploded as it went from an estimated 1,000 users to over 20,000 in a matter of three days. This frightful increase occurred before the launch of the mobile app. As of January 2021, there are over 100,000 users on the platform. The aim of The StoryGraph is to allow users to discover books based on the mood of the ledger and through personalized recommendations. As a former Goodreads exploiter, one of the best features is that you can import your entire library from Goodreads to The StoryGraph ! In a few steps, you can import all data from Goodreads to The StoryGraph to immediately track what you have read, what you are presently reading, and what you want to read adjacent .

Less Noise, More Reading

The chasteness of The StoryGraph is unparallel to any other platform I have used for book track or social media. The background and mobile app adaptation is divided into four pages : Home, Stats, Reading Challenge, and Community. Both the desktop version and the app are user-friendly, ad-free, and have a simple design. The StoryGraph does not try to be a social network. preferably, it is a tool for readers to track their read and connect with other readers if they then choose. The design of the platform is simple and clean in a earth full of overcomplicated and busy designs. In an interview, Nadia Odunayo shared the following about the ease of the chopine :

People merely want it bare and clean. The StoryGraph is just a home to track books. People very like how clear and straightforward it is. It ’ s not noisy, we don ’ t have chat or comments — it ’ second identical streamlined. You can be adenine quiet as you want, or you can follow people and create a community feed. But there ’ s no notifications or anything like that. therefore there ’ s less to get tired of or stress out from, that ’ s something people in truth appreciate .

The bare interface and no-fuss philosophy of The StoryGraph is an appealing alternate to traditional social media and other record tracking platforms. social media platforms are often cluttered with ads, notifications, and social feeds, the fact that this one doesn ’ t is refreshing .

Simple Tracking and Insightful Stats

One of the best features of The StoryGraph is the datum. As users add more books to your library, the platform develops a wide stove of charts and graph to help users pick better books. There is a bounty plan called The StoryGraph Plus which provides flush more insights. Using The StoryGraph is unblock and users have the option to subscribe to Plus for a monthly fee. Plus is advertised as an opportunity for users to “ Invest in a Goodreads option not owned by Amazon. You ’ ll help us stay autonomous, ad-free, and constantly improving for many years to come. ” Two of the best charts offered include the temper of what users have read and the genres read. These are barely two of the penetration charts available for users and there are more for Plus users.

My moods chart (2021) from The StoryGraph.

Why I Switched

The simplicity of the chopine and the no notifications, no-nonsense approach is precisely what the universe needs more of. The attention economy has corporations reaching for every second of care they can get to rake in more data and advertise gross. Using a platform like Goodreads, while it is a useful cock, is contributing to Amazon ’ s handle on the market. There are fewer and fewer independent on-line platforms and bible stores for booklovers to create a community. Making the switch is a measure I wanted to be more intentional with my on-line presence. The ease of uploading my entire read history from Goodreads to The StoryGraph made the transition seamless. The features that I loved most about Goodreads included the annual read goal, ledger recommendations, and data insights are all included with The StoryGraph. The datum insights are better, the simplicity of the platform is matchless, and the recommendations have been more refined to my taste. Making the switch was the best decisiveness to support an independent platform I believe in and track my understand with ease .