Amazon has purchased the social networking site Goodreads, it was announced today.
“We are joining the Amazon family,” Goodreads CEO and co-founder Otis Chandler wrote on his blog. “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.”
Chandler states Goodreads isn’t going away, but that support from Amazon will help the site develop. Also, there will be integration for Kindle users and people who use Goodreads.
The comments on the blog showed mixed reviews from Goodreads users. While many offered congratulatory responses, some are being cautious with the news.
“Hope we can still review books the way we want unlike on Amazon where you can’t review your own opinions without the review being deleted,” – one commenter wrote.
“This is a big bummer. I understand you guys and your backers are looking to make money, but this has ripped the rug out from under everything I enjoyed about Goodreads. Amazon is undermining and destroying publishing, as we know it. I don’t want to participate with that kind of company. 🙁 “ – another commented.
But the responses on the comments were overwhelming positive.
One of the enticing factors of Goodreads was the limitless amount of books that could be added to the site. Self-publishers not specifically tied to any manufacturer could promote their books and get reviews. They didn’t need to be tied to Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
It’s still unclear how things will change in this regard on Goodreads.
Well that’s unfortunate. I won’t be investing any more time in Goodreads. Time to delete my account I guess.