Thursday, March 28, 2013

Amazon Acquires Goodreads!!!


Amazon and Goodreads... it's about time. 

I have not been blogging as of late, what can I say, I've been writing. lol But this brought me out of my hole and I will come up for some air to report on this amazing news.

I will paste the press release below but the long and short is Goodreads has needed to do something to monazite itself for a long time. People love Goodreads and most books get way more reviews on Goodreads than Amazon. So as a writer this is great news.

What I hope happens:

I hope they let reviews on Goodreads carry over to Amazon, maybe have a tag that says this was a Goodreads review.
I hope they take on the Wish list so people can add a book to their list, maybe even a reading now section. Goodreads is great at connecting readers and writers.
I hope they make it a one click buy on Goodreads so if someone wants to buy a eBook they can click on the Goodreads page and it will go right to the checkout. You never know.

In short, this is yet another reason why Amazon is where it is at. B&N, Kobo, and Apple are so far behind that if I was part of any of these companies I would be a little embarrassed. I really think it is time for one of the others to step up and make a run for it. I mean come on B&N, do something new, make us stop and stare in awe at your new innovation!!! Or just sit there with that same dumb look on your face... lol

Free advice people: Learn Amazon, work Amazon, and step up your Goodreads presence. This is gonna be one fun ride, grab your surfboard, the wave is HUGE!!!

Amazon.com to Acquire Goodreads
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 28, 2013-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Goodreads, a leading site for readers and book recommendations that helps people find and share books they love.
“Amazon and Goodreads share a passion for reinventing reading,” said Russ GrandinettiAmazon Vice President, Kindle Content. “Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world. In addition, both Amazon and Goodreads have helped thousands of authors reach a wider audience and make a better living at their craft. Together we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike.”
“Books – and the stories and ideas captured inside them – are part of our social fabric,” said Otis Chandler, Goodreads CEO and co-founder. “People love to talk about ideas and share their passion for the stories they read. I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to partner with Amazon and Kindle. We’re now going to be able to move faster in bringing the Goodreads experience to millions of readers around the world. We’re looking forward to inspiring greater literary discussion and helping more readers find great books, whether they read in print or digitally.”
“I just found out my two favorite people are getting married,” said Hugh Howey, best-selling author of WOOL. “The best place to discuss books is joining up with the best place to buy books – To Be Read piles everywhere must be groaning in anticipation.”
Following the acquisition, Goodreads’s headquarters will remain in San Francisco, CA. Founded in 2007, Goodreads now has more than 16 million members and there are more than 30,000 books clubs on the Goodreads site. Over just the past 90 days, Goodreads members have added more than four books per second to the “want to read” shelves on Goodreads.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Subject to various closing conditions, the acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013.



Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

1 comment:

  1. Love this perspective -- it's going to happen so learn it and master it! "Who Moved My Cheese?" Comes to mind! :-) Thanks for your response to this -- I imagine it will shake up the writing community a bit. There are some die-hard Goodreads fans!

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