Trying to bypass Amazon is like trying to bypass Facebook and Google. They own too much and I'm ready for change! Thanks for pointing me to storygraph.
@@Nyledam89 Ecosia are great! Sure their search engine sometimes doesn't turn up the results I'm looking for as readily as Google, but it works fine for everyday use, is improving all the time, and does some good for the environments. All great IMO
@@Nyledam89 Yes!!! I use Ecosia as well. It's not as intuitive as Google, but good enough for me :). Besides you can't avoid using Google anyway (RUclips for one) so don't worry too much
@@Gayu4567 sure! As I do often research on the internet and I need accurate results, I use google a lot, but whenever I have to open links or go on website that I already know I use Ecosia. It is still something!
I live near the Amazon headquarters. Lately they have been offering things like next day delivery. But the way they do that is with employees working crazy unhealthy hours. Basically every "positive" thing amazon does comes at a cost for the employees or local business/economy.
I’ve never clicked on anything SO FAST! It’s gross how many things Amazon owns and leads you to believing that you’re avoiding them but hahah you’re not. Thank you sooo much for giving us all this alternative. We don’t need trillionaires on this planet 🙄
bruh same it looks really interesting! not anticipating logging everything back in though o.o edit: found out there's a way to import goodreads books ;))
I checked it out and you should be able to export your library from goodreads and input it into the Storygraph. No guarantees that they’ll have all the same books listed but it’s definitely much better than having to log everything again. Haven’t actually tried this out yet because I don’t think it’s compatible with mobile, but that’s my understanding of the feature.
@@nabihakhan9455 it's still in beta and only available as a browser website. I imagine there'll be an app when they launch (early 2021 as far as I know). I still recommend the website, it shows a lot of potential and you can send an email to them and ask about an app ;)
Living in a country with poor book reading habits (Mexico), book stores don’t have a good selection. When I was in college I couldn’t buy many of the books I needed for my research papers. I agree, Amazon is a horrible company, Goodreads is just crap, but I have been able to buy books I could have never been able to find in my country, or that are ridiculously expensive. It’s great to have alternatives to the Amazon monopoly, but even that’s a privilege third-world countries don’t have. P.D. Storygraph looks great, it still has some issues that made me not to ditch Goodreads, but when it’s finished for sure I’ll give it a try
Yes, this comment!! It is the same in Perú. I use Amazon to buy Kindle books only when I cannot find them at my local bookstores in Lima (Perú). Books are very expensive here and I cannot afford to pay a lot of money in shipping. I try to help my local bookstores where I can but not at the expense of everything else.
Oh yeah I totally feel you on that. Even though I’m from the Netherlands, books are ridiculously expensive here - especially those written in Dutch. Because we’re such a small country our overhead costs are super high + the government forbids selling books cheap, so a paperback can cost anywhere from 15 to 30 euros here :/ Amazon definitely has been able to make things incredibly accessible to people (I wouldn’t be able to read Japanese books without them), so it sucks that they have such messed up practices. And you’re definitely right, having that option of not using Amazon is definitely a privilege
The Artisan Geek It used to be the same in the UK too, but the net book agreement was abolished in the 90s. Sadly, that was the beginning of the death of the bookshops, even before Amazon got a hold, the supermarkets would sell guaranteed bestsellers for massive losses. They didn’t care: they would make money anyway because the book buyers would do their weekly grocery shop whilst they were there, and that was where their profits were. I moved to Germany almost 10 years ago and they still have their agreement in place and in my small town there are five independent booksellers. My home town in the UK hasn’t had an independent for more than 20 years, and now there are only a couple of national chains, when not too long ago there were at least seven different chains in operation in England alone. I buy exclusively from Amazon because they are cheap and fast, and I read almost exclusively in English, because written German is very different to spoken so I need much more practice! I do make sure to buy from physical shops when I go back to visit, but who knows when that might be (stupid virus). So yeah, Amazon sucks, but they are not solely to blame.
I agree. It broke my heart to find out that Book Depository is owned by Amazon. They were such a great alternative that shipped internationally without astronomical shipping costs. I don't know what else to do now.
Yup, they don't care about making it even remotely better or at the very least user friendly -- for them it's just a data cor that they can cash :/ I hope The Storygraph will be more to your liking :D
Unfortunately, Toby Blackwell is a known financer of the Brexit campaign and UKIP, so I'm not that much more comfortable buying from them as an alternative to Amazon websites. However, Storygraph looks great! I'm switching for sure.
@@rachaels7893 Exactly! I am Portuguese and I had no idea until a friend of mine living in the UK told me about it when I talked to them about Blackwell's. I thought I'd do the same for this video, just so everyone is aware that Blackwell's might simply be the lesser of two evils.
I hate goodreads but there are no other app or website competing with it. I hope someday soon someone will create a website/app with a similar idea but actually pull it off. Excited for story graph.
You had me at "Amazon sucks" 😂 I have bought books from Amazon in the past but these days I mostly buy my books at Waterstones or second hand at charity shops. Plus I've decided to try to support my local library more in the future instead of going straight to buying. Amazon will get as little of my money as possible
There's also something to be said by how pre-orders are important to authors, and Amazon is such an easy way to do that. Ugh they make things so complicated because they're so insidious!!
This reminds me of a book I've just added to my TBR list called "Contra Amazon" by Jorge Carrión (it's in spanish and also portuguese, not sure if there's a english translation yet). It takes some effort but I'm avoiding buying books from any of these big monopolies and choosing instead to support local shops and publishers. It's not as convenient but it is important that we as book readers and lovers, support other people who truly care about books and the community, their employees and so on.
actually according to instagram her name is Seji... It is easy to not hear the S in "it's Seji" and also AG sounds so similar and fitting, but I'd argue that she says Seji, not AG
I’ve always hated the goodreads app, it’s ugly, limited and not intuitive at all. I honestly only use it for convenience. Storygraph sounds awesome. I’m going to check that out!
I love StoryGraph, it’s given me so many amazing recommendations! I would recommend Bookshop.org as an alternative to amazon - they give profits directly to local independent bookstores, and you can even choose to have your local shop be the one that benefits! Unfortunately they’re US only for now, but hoping to expand worldwide in the future.
The thing about Amazon for me is that I can buy books in English in my currency, so it's not extremely expensive and shipping is also not expensive. There are pretty much no bookshops where I live that sell books in English, mostly not books published recently, so Amazon is pretty much the only way I can read untranslated books. Also Amazon is also one of the reasons booksellers in my country are going bankrupt. Then goodreads is the only platform that has books in my native language and in English all in the same place. I hate to give money to Amazon, but they did make a huge empire and in a globalised world it is the best option to many people. I wish there was a better way to stop the horrible things Amazon does and still be able to have the same service.
I am experiencing the same problem here. It's really frustrating because I want to buy from one of my local bookshops that is my favourite but asking them to order a book in english that is not a classic costs me the double and I have to wait like 2 months for it, so when I need a book for my college degree (which is English) I have to go to Amazon unless I want to receive the book when I end my year
Couldn't agree more. I mean I'd love to switch to Storygraph but then I would only be able to track books written in or translated to english. I'll stick with Goodreads until books in other languages are acknowledged by such websites as Storygraph.
@@user-lt3ru8ob8y Hey, I've been trying to use Stoygraph since I watched this video and have found many books not in English and if they're not there you can add then quite simply. Maybe if there are more international users in the platform, they will try to make it more accessible for us.
This is such a tough discussion for me. I have a Amazon Kindle, which was a gift, and I have to admit it is wonderfully convenient for e-books and I love it. I agree that once you're in their universe it's hard to escape. I try to balance my guilt by only buying physical books from local bookshops or borrowing them from the library.
Use the Overdrive or Libby app! It’s through the library database and a lot of their books are kindle editions so you can read them on your kindle for free instead of having to buy and download them from Amazon
Thanks Marbrisa. Unfortunately, Kindle books aren't currently available for download in Australia from the library. Atm, I think Amazon has only extended this facility to the US and the UK. I can borrow e-books from the library but I have to read them on my IPAD which I don't find as good for my old(er) eyes! Plus, I guess Apple is a whole other evil empire. In the long run, I might invest in a Kobo reader as well as they do allow books to be downloaded from the library. A bit of an extravagance though!
@@wendyryan1618 have you tried ebook converter? I think a lot of people convert ebooks to .mobi with an app called Calibre so you can import them to your kindle without having to buy from amazon. Im sure if you search 'how to convert ebook' here on youtube many result will come out
it truly is a mystery to me how goodreads is still in business :( but wow storygraph looks amazing! can't wait to move over :)) such an informative video seji!! i've also started to buy from book depository thinking i'd be putting my money somewhere other than amazon, i had no idea amazon owns them as well :( an alternative i would recommend is thrift books -- they're insanely affordable and sustainable! their packaging is environmentally sustainable as well :)
@@IvyTran13 i believe thriftbooks is not owned by amazon (although they use amazon to sell books as a third party) but abebooks (another used book site) is owned by amazon? i could be wrong though
It hurt me when I found out that all these websites and stores are owned by Amazon... Maybe buying books at a more expensive store will also fix my book buying habits :D
I love your content. I appreciate that you're not afraid to criticize Amazon and support small businesses. I respect you so much for finding an alternatives to Amazon links, such as Blackwell's.
Here, in Germany, we have what is called "Buchpreisbindung", that is books from German publishers must be sold respectively at the same price everywhere. This usually applies to Amazon too. However, when buying foreign books - or even just looking at Amazon's used copies - it's just as tempting to buy from them as you said. My next independent bookshop is a bit far from me, and I have to pay at least 20€ to order books from their online shop (wich they luckily have) to not pay shipping fees. Hmph. Amazon puts a lot of pressure on publishers to lower their mandatory prices, all in favour of their Kindle ebooks... Glad you collected some alternatives ((:
Für gebrauchte Bücher habe ich Medimops für mich entdeckt. Die sind zwar auch nicht "klein und unabhängig" (2000 Mitarbeiter und 3-stelliger Millionenumsatz), aber immerhin ein deutsches Unternehmen - und sie sind nicht amazon. Manchmal findet man bei amazon auch Angebote für gebrauchte Bücher von Medimops/Momox, aber direkt von der Website ist es meistens günstiger und der Versand ist übrigens ab 10€ kostenlos.
I absolutely hate Amazon but sometimes it feels like Jeff Bezos owns EVERYTHING. I've been using Bookshop to support indie bookstores but I'll definitely have to check out Blackwell now too. Thank you so much for the Goodreads alternative!
Thank you!! It hurts me to see how much everyone relies on and promotes Amazon. Supporting local businesses, including local bookstores, is so important. Amazon also devalues books - I used to work in an independent bookstore and people would always act like we were overcharging just by charging the cover price. People don't think books are worth anything anymore. Bookshop.org is a great resource for people in the US who don't have a local bookstore.
I enjoyed this video. My reading taste really doesn’t overlap with yours, but I love your personality and perspective and think you make great videos. 😊♥️🌿
Totally agree, I’ve gotten multiple books with cracked spines or tear and rips? And they just put the books in boxes without any kind of protection so the pages get bent too! Since I live in Belgium I buy from Bol and I’ve been very happy with them so far
Yeah, I thought I'd set up a goodreads account recently and was saddened to find it's owned by Amazon. Might give the storygraph a try. These days I buy my books from a uk-based website called Hive which is owned by Gardners, who I don't know much about as a company but one thing's for sure, they aren't amazon.
Amazon owns Goodreads?? I never knew. Thanks for the website rec, can't wait to check it out. Also, lovely outfit! 😁 Edit: I spent the evening yesterday playing around with Storygraph and now I love it!
I stopped updating goodreads because I was trying to quit Amazon. I have not been entirely successful. I think I tried Storygraph and was disappointed on the nonfiction side of things. I'll check again though, for sure.
You mean the selection of books? The website is still in beta and thousands of books are constantly being added, so perhaps your experience will be better this time around :)
@@TheArtisanGeek Oh I definitely plan to move there. My brother in-law worked for Amazon... he was treated so shitty, he went back to alcohol after a year of sobriety. Been trying to get him off for years. So I hate them.
I signed up for Storygraph but didn’t realize they had graphs. I need to get back on there soon. Thanks for the recommendation re Blackwell. I’m trying to find bookstore that send books internationally. The issue is going to be shipping and handling which will probably the cost of at least 2 books.
Storygraph looks great. It's got a modern look and it has really great features. Thanks for sharing it with us. Is there anywhere else I can buy ebooks? I've stopped buying physical books because I want to save on space. I've been relying more on ebooks since my local library still hasn't reopened since lockdown.
This is my first time to be introduced to Storygraph! So thank you so much! I've been really looking for an alternative for goodreads and this is very helpful. Have you heard of booksloth? I'm not sure if that's ALSO owned by amazon. But it seems to be okay so far! And the search engine, works, as a search engine should 😂
Yes, yes, yes! I couldn't agree more with you. Definitely want to video about this having worked in publishing for a few years now. Also, Storygraph has been on my list to test out, thank you for pushing it up higher and making it a priority!
I was very happy to see your Blackwell affiliation links last week in a video description as I wanted to order some books and felt bad about using bookdepositery. Thank you for helping us find alternatives ! And the mood search on Storygraph is perfect for me, I'm going to check the website for sure !
This is GENIOUS! 😀 I didn't even finish your video (sorry) before making an account on Storygraph. My absolute first impression: it's easy, intuitive and best of all, the recommended books really do sound like some I would love. This is definitely the new booktracker and -inspiration for me 😍 Blackwells also seem pretty good 😊
Check out Powell's Books! They are a huge independent bookstore based in Portland, OR and they ship internationally. They actually beat amazon to the online book game, and amazon tried to buy them out, but they refused because they wanted to maintain their independence. They also have tons of used books, and will even buy books from you if you have some to sell.
I didn't even know Goodreads was owned by Amazon! Thank you for making this video and informing me about that :) I just found your channel and just wanted to say this is a lovely video
Signed up to the Storygraph yesterday and here I am today watching your video, nice! I just wanted to point out two things: - The StoryGraph currently only supports books in English, which is not ideal. I keep Goodreads on the side until they (hopefully) eventually add foreign-language support. EDIT: actually the algorithm only supports English but the general thing works just fine in other languages, so I've switched for good! - The StoryGraph is absolutely amazing. - Nadia answers support requests incredibly fast and provides amazing feedback response, congrats to her!
Do you have any recommendations for people who are really into ebooks (I have a kindle that I love and find it really convenient and cheap(er), especially being a foreigner that reads a lot of American books, which can be very pricey because of dollar prices etc
I've been following storygraphs progress for a while now and I'll definitely start using them once everything is finished and they have an app for it. They already have features that are ten times better than Goodreads but they're still missing a few features I use most often, but they're definitely already superior.
I absolutely LOVE the story graph and I'm so happy to hear you sharing about it!! I do hope they add a tagging system in the future, though! I like to organize my books by my interests, and I think if story graph had that one feature, I literally would never open Goodreads again lol
You should contact them and ask them about that feature. I emailed them a question/suggestion and got a really lovely email back. It's obvious that they care about the website and the users :D
Thank you so much for introducing me to Storygraph, it is simply amazing! I didn't even know that goodreads is a part of Amazon! I am grateful that there is something that I could switch to and the site looks great. I also love that I could import my library from goodreads, which made the transition process smooth and effortless. Thank you!
I’m glad you made this video! The family owned bookstore I work at is in the process of closing right now, due to many reasons but Amazon/online purchasing is a huge part of it. It is so important to support independent businesses!
Ultimate irony: one of the ads for your video was for Audible. I am currently using the three month free trial for audible so that's why, I guess. It's so difficult to avoid Amazon if one is a book lover. I've been trying to make some effort, though.
Thanks for the Blackwells recommendation! Been trying to find an alternative to book depository, which offers worldwide shipping and has decently priced books, but kept coming up short
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! i live in colombia so most of the books i want to read i can't find at my local bookstores and so buying them online from american shops (that i know for sure get their products through amazon) was my only option until now!!! just looked up Blackwell's online store and they ship to colombia!!!!!! now i can be a little bit more conscious of the way i spend my money and knowing that im not supporting that horrible company its so relieving. so thanks
I am sooooooo glad you made this video. I am a book nerd but I am also passionate about sustainability and slowing Climate Change and through my research I have come to the conclusion, just like you have, that Amazon does indeed suck. This video also reminded me the I really need to move to Storygraph and quit Goodreads. Do you know if Storygraph is going to become available in app form as well? 💜💜💜
Immediately made a storygraph account after hearing you talk about it, I've been wanting to find a Goodreads replacement for a while so I'm excited to try it out!
Thank you for making this video! It’s so nice to see a booktuber speaking out about this since so many (and influencers in general) seem so blindly in love with Amazon even though they may consider themselves against the things Amazon does. I’ve been trying to stop using Amazon as well so thank you for the suggestions!
For an Amazon alternative, I recommend Powell's Books based in Portland, Ore. They are (I think) the largest independent, family-owned book retailer in the country and they are wonderful. I don't always find everything I'm looking for there and can't always find the exact edition I might want, but they treat their employees very well and the quality of their packaging is second to none. For cataloging books, I don't think anything beats LibraryThing. The amount of control it gives you over your library's data and metadata is unmatched. I do find the social features of the site and the appearance to be sorely lacking. There are Groups where you can engage with other users but the forum format is kind of meh and hard to follow. There's also no way to comment on or engage with reviews like on Goodreads and the recommendations tools are a bit hit or miss. But for keeping track of your personal library and organizing everything exactly the way you want, it's an excellent tool with tons of helpful features. This sounds like a shill post but it's not, I swear. 😅
I've been waiting for a video like this forever! Amazon is such a damn monopoly and it's so hard to navigate. Thank you for addressing the elephant in the room and for providing alternatives!! You're one of my favorite channels for the unique and helpful insight you always provide :')
I started using Storygraph after you mentioned it in a previous video. I've heard about Blackwell's before but didn't realize they had international shipping I'll have to check them out.
There is a company that sells books and ebooks called hive, and when you buy through them you can support independent book stores in the UK. I think they also deliver to other countries but last time I checked they had suspended world-wide delivery. You had me at JLPT textbooks (fellow Japanese language student here)! Thank you so much for all the information, I didn't know Bookdepository and goodreads are owned by Amazon, and I'll definitely start using the storygraph!
Thank you for this video. You have no idea how sad it made me when I found out my book of short stories, published by a small university press, would ONLY be available on Amazon. I was hoping I could at least do readings at local bookstores to help support them but COVID, et cetra. Anyway, thank you for letting us know about these alternatives for "big press" books.
Thanks to you I found Blackwell's. I've bought a book and I'm waiting for it to arrive so I can see how long it takes to arrive. I've already made a wishlist and I'm waiting to get the green light. Thanks so much and yes sis! Down with Amazon!
This is amazing! Thank you for telling us about The StoryGraph. I have been working on cutting ties with Amazon for a while and I am going to set up my StoryGraph account right now!
I'm trying my best to buy from independent bookstores, and if not then anything but Amazon. I recommend Angus & Robertson for anyone in Australia. As per usual, thanks for making such a great video Seji. Edit: And I have just imported everything over to TheStoryGraph! I'm very excited to see what it becomes.
Such an important video! I still struggle atm because I don't have a lot of money or a good library to access for books. But it is an aim of mine to cut them out of my reading life
I've been looking for an alternative to goodreads, because I feel too uncomfortable supporting them, but also want to start tracking my reading, so this was perfect, thank you!
I'm very happy you made this video and have shed some light on the atrocious behaviour of amazon. ! I recently closed all my Amazon accounts completely. I'm so annoyed that the advert on your video was associated with amazon?!?! I'm sure that was not your fault. But just shows again how much of a monopoly this company has over anything and everything.
Thanks for sharing some alternatives that look super neat! My main gripe with Goodreads is that is Amazon owned. Love that you can import your Goodreads data to the Storygraph!
I live in Oxford England and the Blackwells store here is incredible! You go downstairs to the Norrington Room and it's like stepping into Aladdin's cave of wonders. Their selection of non-fiction is astounding.
Thank you for showing storygraph, looks like such an upgrade from goodreads for sure!! I try to buy all my books from bookshop.org, which describe themselves as the "rebel alliance to amazon's empire," and they kickback profits to local bookstores (which I can even specify to my area). Thanks for putting all this info together!
It felt like a sketch from SNL, the minute an actual ad from Amazon Prime appeared in the middle of your video. I absolutely do not mean to criticize you by mentioning this, but simply to highlight how crazy these times are.
First: I think the storygraph shows a lot of potential, I love it, and I'm so grateful that I came across your recommendation! Also: 5:09 I agree! I emailed the Storygraph because I had a few suggestions and I also just wanted to say how much I like the website and Nadia replied within a few hours with such a kind and lovely email - she completely won me over, I'm gonna recommend the website to everyone I know!
Hi! Good video! I agree with you on everything you say here (actually I have never used Goodreads just because it's Amazon's hahah). But have you ever tried ebooks on eink devices (of course not kindles)? I think they are great and I don't perceive the time I spend reading them as screen time at all
A couple of other alternatives are Wordery and Hive Books. Wordery have the same prices as Amazon but they're not owned by it as far as I can tell. They have international shipping. Hive supports independent shops but I'm not sure if they ship internationally
Hi! My comment is not about the video's theme at all, but I just wanna say that the way you speak is so clear and beautiful. Really! English is not my first language, but it is very easy to understand and have access to your content because of your nice pronunciation.
Thank you for this! I've been trying to stop using Amazon but have yet to find a more efficient way of bulk-buying books (for uni for example). Once I graduate it will be a lot easier to stop using it.
I don't know if you have heard of it but I recently came across a new book logging site called Book Sloth. The layout is gorgeous and you can rate books on more than just stars. You can choose which elements of the book works really well like plot, world building, characters.
I like LibraryThing for cataloguing what I own and read, and you can join groups and discuss books there as well. It’s been around longer than GoodReads and is still majority owned by the site creator. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as GoodReads, but I like the less visually busy interface and logic to how the site actually works. I mostly read digital these days, but back when I was primarily reading paperbacks I would trade books on paperbackswap. Not sure how well it works for trading with people outside the US. For old, out of print books, I used to find a lot at the Internet Archive / Open Library, which you could read online or download for two weeks. Unfortunately, there’s a lawsuit brewing between them and publishers over licensing and copyright infringement since they relaxed some of their rules to provide increased access during the pandemic. It really irks me because what I mostly read there are books by authors long dead that I would not be able to find at a library, and now the publishers are screwing with accessibility for those kinds of books.
Yes! I stopped using Goodreads when I saw on your ig story awhile ago about how it's owned be Amazon, and I instantly switched to tsg!!! It's much better. This is such a good video :))) and omg I love Blackwell's so much haha the prices are soo good haha Also I saw the poet X in your tbr pile, and OHMYYY ITS SO FLIPPING GOOD! haha
I use an Australia-owned booksite for most online purchases, but was using Book Depository for when I couldn't get certain editions through my usual - until I discovered Blackwell's a few weeks ago! I have yet to receive my first order from them yet but their prices are around the same, if not better than Book Depository, so I'm looking forward to using them a lot more. Great video! :)
been using the storygraph for a few weeks and i really like it (also i realized i don't want my books on a social media and have more privacy in that area, so the shift helps there too) - the only thing i could ask for is the shelf feature on goodreads that i find useful for myself.
Great video! Thanks so much for sharing Story Graph. I was so disappointed when I found out Amazon owns Book Depository and Goodreads (but having trouble finding alternatives to book tracking sites). Do you know if Story Graph is working on an app as well?
That Storygraph website looks great! I love its minimalist UX. Imagine if we could also swap books that we own, but want to unhaul, directly through the platform!! (And awesome content, as per your usual :) )
I'm a simple woman: I see "Amazon sucks", I click on the video 😆
+
hahaha same
This line reads like relatable poetry. LoL
Same
Trying to bypass Amazon is like trying to bypass Facebook and Google. They own too much and I'm ready for change! Thanks for pointing me to storygraph.
Can I suggest Ecosia as an alternative to Google? They plant trees. :)
@@Nyledam89 Ecosia are great! Sure their search engine sometimes doesn't turn up the results I'm looking for as readily as Google, but it works fine for everyday use, is improving all the time, and does some good for the environments. All great IMO
@@Nyledam89 Yes!!! I use Ecosia as well. It's not as intuitive as Google, but good enough for me :). Besides you can't avoid using Google anyway (RUclips for one) so don't worry too much
@@Gayu4567 sure! As I do often research on the internet and I need accurate results, I use google a lot, but whenever I have to open links or go on website that I already know I use Ecosia. It is still something!
yess i need more booktubers to acknowledge these problems with amazon!
definitely gonna check out storygraph!
I love Amazon. But I prefer a local used book store.
I live near the Amazon headquarters. Lately they have been offering things like next day delivery. But the way they do that is with employees working crazy unhealthy hours.
Basically every "positive" thing amazon does comes at a cost for the employees or local business/economy.
Once the pandemic is over they will be hiring more people.
I’ve never clicked on anything SO FAST! It’s gross how many things Amazon owns and leads you to believing that you’re avoiding them but hahah you’re not. Thank you sooo much for giving us all this alternative. We don’t need trillionaires on this planet 🙄
I’m super excited to jump over to Storygraph!!
Yay!! So happy to hear that!! 🤗✨✨
bruh same it looks really interesting! not anticipating logging everything back in though o.o edit: found out there's a way to import goodreads books ;))
I checked it out and you should be able to export your library from goodreads and input it into the Storygraph. No guarantees that they’ll have all the same books listed but it’s definitely much better than having to log everything again. Haven’t actually tried this out yet because I don’t think it’s compatible with mobile, but that’s my understanding of the feature.
I can't find storygraph for playstore:(
@@nabihakhan9455 it's still in beta and only available as a browser website. I imagine there'll be an app when they launch (early 2021 as far as I know). I still recommend the website, it shows a lot of potential and you can send an email to them and ask about an app ;)
Living in a country with poor book reading habits (Mexico), book stores don’t have a good selection. When I was in college I couldn’t buy many of the books I needed for my research papers. I agree, Amazon is a horrible company, Goodreads is just crap, but I have been able to buy books I could have never been able to find in my country, or that are ridiculously expensive. It’s great to have alternatives to the Amazon monopoly, but even that’s a privilege third-world countries don’t have.
P.D. Storygraph looks great, it still has some issues that made me not to ditch Goodreads, but when it’s finished for sure I’ll give it a try
I was about to comment the same, Not to mention the prices ☹️.
I'll be checking the alternative she suggested 💕
Yes, this comment!! It is the same in Perú. I use Amazon to buy Kindle books only when I cannot find them at my local bookstores in Lima (Perú). Books are very expensive here and I cannot afford to pay a lot of money in shipping. I try to help my local bookstores where I can but not at the expense of everything else.
Oh yeah I totally feel you on that. Even though I’m from the Netherlands, books are ridiculously expensive here - especially those written in Dutch. Because we’re such a small country our overhead costs are super high + the government forbids selling books cheap, so a paperback can cost anywhere from 15 to 30 euros here :/
Amazon definitely has been able to make things incredibly accessible to people (I wouldn’t be able to read Japanese books without them), so it sucks that they have such messed up practices. And you’re definitely right, having that option of not using Amazon is definitely a privilege
The Artisan Geek It used to be the same in the UK too, but the net book agreement was abolished in the 90s. Sadly, that was the beginning of the death of the bookshops, even before Amazon got a hold, the supermarkets would sell guaranteed bestsellers for massive losses. They didn’t care: they would make money anyway because the book buyers would do their weekly grocery shop whilst they were there, and that was where their profits were. I moved to Germany almost 10 years ago and they still have their agreement in place and in my small town there are five independent booksellers. My home town in the UK hasn’t had an independent for more than 20 years, and now there are only a couple of national chains, when not too long ago there were at least seven different chains in operation in England alone. I buy exclusively from Amazon because they are cheap and fast, and I read almost exclusively in English, because written German is very different to spoken so I need much more practice! I do make sure to buy from physical shops when I go back to visit, but who knows when that might be (stupid virus). So yeah, Amazon sucks, but they are not solely to blame.
I agree. It broke my heart to find out that Book Depository is owned by Amazon. They were such a great alternative that shipped internationally without astronomical shipping costs. I don't know what else to do now.
I use the old standby Ebay. I find at lot of good prices and free shipping. Honest sellers.
I will definitely check out Storygraph, I am not really happy with Goodreads (never been tbh).
Yup, they don't care about making it even remotely better or at the very least user friendly -- for them it's just a data cor that they can cash :/
I hope The Storygraph will be more to your liking :D
Incredibly sinister that a pyramid-scheme-esque Amazon advert came up mid-video
I got the same, and an audible ad at the start...
Unfortunately, Toby Blackwell is a known financer of the Brexit campaign and UKIP, so I'm not that much more comfortable buying from them as an alternative to Amazon websites.
However, Storygraph looks great! I'm switching for sure.
Agree about Blackwell's, don't think non-UK people will be too aware of it's problems
I had no idea about this!! I currently order my books from Hive.co.uk which lets you support independent bookstores.
@@rachaels7893 Exactly! I am Portuguese and I had no idea until a friend of mine living in the UK told me about it when I talked to them about Blackwell's. I thought I'd do the same for this video, just so everyone is aware that Blackwell's might simply be the lesser of two evils.
oh shit i did not know this
I'm from the UK and didn't even know this, thanks for pointing it out!
I hate goodreads but there are no other app or website competing with it. I hope someday soon someone will create a website/app with a similar idea but actually pull it off. Excited for story graph.
The Storygraph looks incredibly promising in my opinion :) ✨
@@TheArtisanGeek I just made an account. Excited to see it evolve.
Have you ever tried Librarything.com?
@@ambermayer7851 Yeah, but personally it feels dated to me.
You had me at "Amazon sucks" 😂
I have bought books from Amazon in the past but these days I mostly buy my books at Waterstones or second hand at charity shops. Plus I've decided to try to support my local library more in the future instead of going straight to buying. Amazon will get as little of my money as possible
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There's also something to be said by how pre-orders are important to authors, and Amazon is such an easy way to do that.
Ugh they make things so complicated because they're so insidious!!
This reminds me of a book I've just added to my TBR list called "Contra Amazon" by Jorge Carrión (it's in spanish and also portuguese, not sure if there's a english translation yet). It takes some effort but I'm avoiding buying books from any of these big monopolies and choosing instead to support local shops and publishers. It's not as convenient but it is important that we as book readers and lovers, support other people who truly care about books and the community, their employees and so on.
I was today years old when I realized your name isn't Aigee, but you're actually just using AG as an acronym for Artisan Geek.
@@silkedhelft8023 LOL, oh my god im so dumb
Oh crap lol me too
actually according to instagram her name is Seji...
It is easy to not hear the S in "it's Seji" and also AG sounds so similar and fitting, but I'd argue that she says Seji, not AG
Oh man I feel stupid XD
I’ve always hated the goodreads app, it’s ugly, limited and not intuitive at all. I honestly only use it for convenience. Storygraph sounds awesome. I’m going to check that out!
I love StoryGraph, it’s given me so many amazing recommendations! I would recommend Bookshop.org as an alternative to amazon - they give profits directly to local independent bookstores, and you can even choose to have your local shop be the one that benefits! Unfortunately they’re US only for now, but hoping to expand worldwide in the future.
The thing about Amazon for me is that I can buy books in English in my currency, so it's not extremely expensive and shipping is also not expensive. There are pretty much no bookshops where I live that sell books in English, mostly not books published recently, so Amazon is pretty much the only way I can read untranslated books. Also Amazon is also one of the reasons booksellers in my country are going bankrupt. Then goodreads is the only platform that has books in my native language and in English all in the same place. I hate to give money to Amazon, but they did make a huge empire and in a globalised world it is the best option to many people. I wish there was a better way to stop the horrible things Amazon does and still be able to have the same service.
I am experiencing the same problem here. It's really frustrating because I want to buy from one of my local bookshops that is my favourite but asking them to order a book in english that is not a classic costs me the double and I have to wait like 2 months for it, so when I need a book for my college degree (which is English) I have to go to Amazon unless I want to receive the book when I end my year
Couldn't agree more. I mean I'd love to switch to Storygraph but then I would only be able to track books written in or translated to english. I'll stick with Goodreads until books in other languages are acknowledged by such websites as Storygraph.
@@user-lt3ru8ob8y Hey, I've been trying to use Stoygraph since I watched this video and have found many books not in English and if they're not there you can add then quite simply. Maybe if there are more international users in the platform, they will try to make it more accessible for us.
This is such a tough discussion for me. I have a Amazon Kindle, which was a gift, and I have to admit it is wonderfully convenient for e-books and I love it. I agree that once you're in their universe it's hard to escape. I try to balance my guilt by only buying physical books from local bookshops or borrowing them from the library.
Use the Overdrive or Libby app! It’s through the library database and a lot of their books are kindle editions so you can read them on your kindle for free instead of having to buy and download them from Amazon
Thanks Marbrisa. Unfortunately, Kindle books aren't currently available for download in Australia from the library. Atm, I think Amazon has only extended this facility to the US and the UK. I can borrow e-books from the library but I have to read them on my IPAD which I don't find as good for my old(er) eyes! Plus, I guess Apple is a whole other evil empire. In the long run, I might invest in a Kobo reader as well as they do allow books to be downloaded from the library. A bit of an extravagance though!
@@wendyryan1618 have you tried ebook converter? I think a lot of people convert ebooks to .mobi with an app called Calibre so you can import them to your kindle without having to buy from amazon. Im sure if you search 'how to convert ebook' here on youtube many result will come out
Thankyou!. I'll definitely look into it.
it truly is a mystery to me how goodreads is still in business :( but wow storygraph looks amazing! can't wait to move over :)) such an informative video seji!! i've also started to buy from book depository thinking i'd be putting my money somewhere other than amazon, i had no idea amazon owns them as well :( an alternative i would recommend is thrift books -- they're insanely affordable and sustainable! their packaging is environmentally sustainable as well :)
Amazon owns thrift books as well...
Oh you meant actually thrifting books LMAO
@@IvyTran13 i believe thriftbooks is not owned by amazon (although they use amazon to sell books as a third party) but abebooks (another used book site) is owned by amazon? i could be wrong though
kit m oh yes that’s probably what it is. I went off of seeing thrift books so much on my amazon but they’re probably just a third party
i will switch over to storygraph too... i can't believe amazon is even taking over the publishing industry :/
It hurt me when I found out that all these websites and stores are owned by Amazon... Maybe buying books at a more expensive store will also fix my book buying habits :D
I love your content. I appreciate that you're not afraid to criticize Amazon and support small businesses. I respect you so much for finding an alternatives to Amazon links, such as Blackwell's.
Also for Americans, Noname has a comprehensive list of Black and POC libraries, bookstores and websites across the US on her book club site
Here, in Germany, we have what is called "Buchpreisbindung", that is books from German publishers must be sold respectively at the same price everywhere. This usually applies to Amazon too. However, when buying foreign books - or even just looking at Amazon's used copies - it's just as tempting to buy from them as you said. My next independent bookshop is a bit far from me, and I have to pay at least 20€ to order books from their online shop (wich they luckily have) to not pay shipping fees. Hmph.
Amazon puts a lot of pressure on publishers to lower their mandatory prices, all in favour of their Kindle ebooks...
Glad you collected some alternatives ((:
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Für gebrauchte Bücher habe ich Medimops für mich entdeckt. Die sind zwar auch nicht "klein und unabhängig" (2000 Mitarbeiter und 3-stelliger Millionenumsatz), aber immerhin ein deutsches Unternehmen - und sie sind nicht amazon. Manchmal findet man bei amazon auch Angebote für gebrauchte Bücher von Medimops/Momox, aber direkt von der Website ist es meistens günstiger und der Versand ist übrigens ab 10€ kostenlos.
I absolutely hate Amazon but sometimes it feels like Jeff Bezos owns EVERYTHING. I've been using Bookshop to support indie bookstores but I'll definitely have to check out Blackwell now too. Thank you so much for the Goodreads alternative!
Thank you!! It hurts me to see how much everyone relies on and promotes Amazon. Supporting local businesses, including local bookstores, is so important. Amazon also devalues books - I used to work in an independent bookstore and people would always act like we were overcharging just by charging the cover price. People don't think books are worth anything anymore. Bookshop.org is a great resource for people in the US who don't have a local bookstore.
I enjoyed this video. My reading taste really doesn’t overlap with yours, but I love your personality and perspective and think you make great videos. 😊♥️🌿
I stopped ordering books from Amazon solemnly because of how damaged "new" books would arrive. I also noticed they stopped properly packaging books.
Totally agree, I’ve gotten multiple books with cracked spines or tear and rips? And they just put the books in boxes without any kind of protection so the pages get bent too! Since I live in Belgium I buy from Bol and I’ve been very happy with them so far
I'm a bookseller at Blackwells and extremely appreciate the support we are an independent and it is an amazing company to work for!
Yeah, I thought I'd set up a goodreads account recently and was saddened to find it's owned by Amazon. Might give the storygraph a try.
These days I buy my books from a uk-based website called Hive which is owned by Gardners, who I don't know much about as a company but one thing's for sure, they aren't amazon.
Amazon owns Goodreads?? I never knew. Thanks for the website rec, can't wait to check it out. Also, lovely outfit! 😁
Edit: I spent the evening yesterday playing around with Storygraph and now I love it!
Been trying to find an alternative to Goodreads for so long now, it's like this video read my mind!! Thank you so much for this!!!
I stopped updating goodreads because I was trying to quit Amazon. I have not been entirely successful. I think I tried Storygraph and was disappointed on the nonfiction side of things. I'll check again though, for sure.
You mean the selection of books? The website is still in beta and thousands of books are constantly being added, so perhaps your experience will be better this time around :)
@@TheArtisanGeek Oh I definitely plan to move there. My brother in-law worked for Amazon... he was treated so shitty, he went back to alcohol after a year of sobriety. Been trying to get him off for years. So I hate them.
I signed up for Storygraph but didn’t realize they had graphs. I need to get back on there soon. Thanks for the recommendation re Blackwell. I’m trying to find bookstore that send books internationally. The issue is going to be shipping and handling which will probably the cost of at least 2 books.
Storygraph looks great. It's got a modern look and it has really great features. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Is there anywhere else I can buy ebooks? I've stopped buying physical books because I want to save on space. I've been relying more on ebooks since my local library still hasn't reopened since lockdown.
This is my first time to be introduced to Storygraph! So thank you so much! I've been really looking for an alternative for goodreads and this is very helpful. Have you heard of booksloth? I'm not sure if that's ALSO owned by amazon. But it seems to be okay so far! And the search engine, works, as a search engine should 😂
Yes, yes, yes! I couldn't agree more with you. Definitely want to video about this having worked in publishing for a few years now. Also, Storygraph has been on my list to test out, thank you for pushing it up higher and making it a priority!
I was very happy to see your Blackwell affiliation links last week in a video description as I wanted to order some books and felt bad about using bookdepositery. Thank you for helping us find alternatives ! And the mood search on Storygraph is perfect for me, I'm going to check the website for sure !
Thank you so much for recommending Storygraph! I had NO IDEA Goodreads was owned by Amazon too, they're everywhere ew
This is GENIOUS! 😀 I didn't even finish your video (sorry) before making an account on Storygraph. My absolute first impression: it's easy, intuitive and best of all, the recommended books really do sound like some I would love. This is definitely the new booktracker and -inspiration for me 😍
Blackwells also seem pretty good 😊
Check out Powell's Books! They are a huge independent bookstore based in Portland, OR and they ship internationally. They actually beat amazon to the online book game, and amazon tried to buy them out, but they refused because they wanted to maintain their independence. They also have tons of used books, and will even buy books from you if you have some to sell.
Thank you for sharing! It’s sooo frustrating to see people not realize this or care about this!!
I didn't even know Goodreads was owned by Amazon! Thank you for making this video and informing me about that :) I just found your channel and just wanted to say this is a lovely video
Signed up to the Storygraph yesterday and here I am today watching your video, nice! I just wanted to point out two things:
- The StoryGraph currently only supports books in English, which is not ideal. I keep Goodreads on the side until they (hopefully) eventually add foreign-language support. EDIT: actually the algorithm only supports English but the general thing works just fine in other languages, so I've switched for good!
- The StoryGraph is absolutely amazing.
- Nadia answers support requests incredibly fast and provides amazing feedback response, congrats to her!
Do you have any recommendations for people who are really into ebooks (I have a kindle that I love and find it really convenient and cheap(er), especially being a foreigner that reads a lot of American books, which can be very pricey because of dollar prices etc
Kobo
I've been following storygraphs progress for a while now and I'll definitely start using them once everything is finished and they have an app for it. They already have features that are ten times better than Goodreads but they're still missing a few features I use most often, but they're definitely already superior.
Keep doing what you are doing! Help me wean off Amazon--I know it's bad for everyone and myself. You are my only hope!!!!!
I absolutely LOVE the story graph and I'm so happy to hear you sharing about it!! I do hope they add a tagging system in the future, though! I like to organize my books by my interests, and I think if story graph had that one feature, I literally would never open Goodreads again lol
You should contact them and ask them about that feature. I emailed them a question/suggestion and got a really lovely email back. It's obvious that they care about the website and the users :D
Thank you so much for introducing me to Storygraph, it is simply amazing! I didn't even know that goodreads is a part of Amazon! I am grateful that there is something that I could switch to and the site looks great. I also love that I could import my library from goodreads, which made the transition process smooth and effortless. Thank you!
The Amazon monopoly is awful. Thank you for letting us know about StoryGraph, will definitely check it out!
I’m glad you made this video! The family owned bookstore I work at is in the process of closing right now, due to many reasons but Amazon/online purchasing is a huge part of it. It is so important to support independent businesses!
Ultimate irony: one of the ads for your video was for Audible. I am currently using the three month free trial for audible so that's why, I guess. It's so difficult to avoid Amazon if one is a book lover. I've been trying to make some effort, though.
Thanks for the Blackwells recommendation! Been trying to find an alternative to book depository, which offers worldwide shipping and has decently priced books, but kept coming up short
yes Blackwells is so great! That's where I buy all my books, in person or online. big up bookstores!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! i live in colombia so most of the books i want to read i can't find at my local bookstores and so buying them online from american shops (that i know for sure get their products through amazon) was my only option until now!!! just looked up Blackwell's online store and they ship to colombia!!!!!! now i can be a little bit more conscious of the way i spend my money and knowing that im not supporting that horrible company its so relieving. so thanks
I am sooooooo glad you made this video. I am a book nerd but I am also passionate about sustainability and slowing Climate Change and through my research I have come to the conclusion, just like you have, that Amazon does indeed suck. This video also reminded me the I really need to move to Storygraph and quit Goodreads. Do you know if Storygraph is going to become available in app form as well? 💜💜💜
Immediately made a storygraph account after hearing you talk about it, I've been wanting to find a Goodreads replacement for a while so I'm excited to try it out!
Thank you so much, Seji!! You're the best. The TSG walkthrough was amazing!! 😍
Yes!! This is why I try to buy from local independent book shops and I’m definitely going to check out storygraph now 🙏🏽
Thank you for making this video! It’s so nice to see a booktuber speaking out about this since so many (and influencers in general) seem so blindly in love with Amazon even though they may consider themselves against the things Amazon does. I’ve been trying to stop using Amazon as well so thank you for the suggestions!
Thank you for this! As a bookseller and curator I’ve been trying to find something other than Goodreads!! I hopped over IMMEDIATELY.
For an Amazon alternative, I recommend Powell's Books based in Portland, Ore. They are (I think) the largest independent, family-owned book retailer in the country and they are wonderful. I don't always find everything I'm looking for there and can't always find the exact edition I might want, but they treat their employees very well and the quality of their packaging is second to none.
For cataloging books, I don't think anything beats LibraryThing. The amount of control it gives you over your library's data and metadata is unmatched. I do find the social features of the site and the appearance to be sorely lacking. There are Groups where you can engage with other users but the forum format is kind of meh and hard to follow. There's also no way to comment on or engage with reviews like on Goodreads and the recommendations tools are a bit hit or miss. But for keeping track of your personal library and organizing everything exactly the way you want, it's an excellent tool with tons of helpful features.
This sounds like a shill post but it's not, I swear. 😅
I've been waiting for a video like this forever! Amazon is such a damn monopoly and it's so hard to navigate. Thank you for addressing the elephant in the room and for providing alternatives!! You're one of my favorite channels for the unique and helpful insight you always provide :')
I started using Storygraph after you mentioned it in a previous video. I've heard about Blackwell's before but didn't realize they had international shipping I'll have to check them out.
There is a company that sells books and ebooks called hive, and when you buy through them you can support independent book stores in the UK. I think they also deliver to other countries but last time I checked they had suspended world-wide delivery.
You had me at JLPT textbooks (fellow Japanese language student here)! Thank you so much for all the information, I didn't know Bookdepository and goodreads are owned by Amazon, and I'll definitely start using the storygraph!
I feel you so much about screens, it'a a constant inner battle for me to do what I like with my computer while finding time to rest my eyes 🤔
Thank you for this video. You have no idea how sad it made me when I found out my book of short stories, published by a small university press, would ONLY be available on Amazon. I was hoping I could at least do readings at local bookstores to help support them but COVID, et cetra. Anyway, thank you for letting us know about these alternatives for "big press" books.
I’m about to switch from goodreads to storygraph (not that I use goodreads all that much; just for tracking progress)
I have been dying for a replacement to freakin’ goodreads!!! Thank you so much for this!!! Telling my book friends rn...
Thanks to you I found Blackwell's. I've bought a book and I'm waiting for it to arrive so I can see how long it takes to arrive. I've already made a wishlist and I'm waiting to get the green light. Thanks so much and yes sis! Down with Amazon!
This is amazing! Thank you for telling us about The StoryGraph. I have been working on cutting ties with Amazon for a while and I am going to set up my StoryGraph account right now!
I'm trying my best to buy from independent bookstores, and if not then anything but Amazon. I recommend Angus & Robertson for anyone in Australia. As per usual, thanks for making such a great video Seji.
Edit: And I have just imported everything over to TheStoryGraph! I'm very excited to see what it becomes.
the filtering process for the storygraph is basically ao3 tags now i’m excited
Such an important video! I still struggle atm because I don't have a lot of money or a good library to access for books. But it is an aim of mine to cut them out of my reading life
Thank you! I've been wanting an alternative to Goodreads since I learned it was bought by Amazon. Excited to switch over to the StoryGraph!
I've been looking for an alternative to goodreads, because I feel too uncomfortable supporting them, but also want to start tracking my reading, so this was perfect, thank you!
you are so well-spoken and get your point across so well! i will be sharing this video with friends and family that shop books from amazon.
I saw The City We Became on your recommended list. I think I'm reading that next. I just finished Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, which was great.
I'm very happy you made this video and have shed some light on the atrocious behaviour of amazon. ! I recently closed all my Amazon accounts completely. I'm so annoyed that the advert on your video was associated with amazon?!?! I'm sure that was not your fault. But just shows again how much of a monopoly this company has over anything and everything.
Thanks for sharing some alternatives that look super neat! My main gripe with Goodreads is that is Amazon owned. Love that you can import your Goodreads data to the Storygraph!
I live in Oxford England and the Blackwells store here is incredible! You go downstairs to the Norrington Room and it's like stepping into Aladdin's cave of wonders. Their selection of non-fiction is astounding.
Thank you for showing storygraph, looks like such an upgrade from goodreads for sure!!
I try to buy all my books from bookshop.org, which describe themselves as the "rebel alliance to amazon's empire," and they kickback profits to local bookstores (which I can even specify to my area). Thanks for putting all this info together!
It felt like a sketch from SNL, the minute an actual ad from Amazon Prime appeared in the middle of your video. I absolutely do not mean to criticize you by mentioning this, but simply to highlight how crazy these times are.
First: I think the storygraph shows a lot of potential, I love it, and I'm so grateful that I came across your recommendation!
Also: 5:09 I agree! I emailed the Storygraph because I had a few suggestions and I also just wanted to say how much I like the website and Nadia replied within a few hours with such a kind and lovely email - she completely won me over, I'm gonna recommend the website to everyone I know!
Hi! Good video! I agree with you on everything you say here (actually I have never used Goodreads just because it's Amazon's hahah). But have you ever tried ebooks on eink devices (of course not kindles)? I think they are great and I don't perceive the time I spend reading them as screen time at all
A couple of other alternatives are Wordery and Hive Books. Wordery have the same prices as Amazon but they're not owned by it as far as I can tell. They have international shipping. Hive supports independent shops but I'm not sure if they ship internationally
Hi! My comment is not about the video's theme at all, but I just wanna say that the way you speak is so clear and beautiful. Really! English is not my first language, but it is very easy to understand and have access to your content because of your nice pronunciation.
Okay first, that dress is just super cute. And second, that website looks really interesting and useful. Thank you. I'm gonna go check it out.
Thank you SO MUCH for recommending Blackwell! I’ve been looking for an alternative that ships to Belgium for so long and they’re so affordable ❤️
Thank you for recommending Blackwells! We don’t have one in the nearest city to me so I always forget about it! And I just ordered two books, whoops!
Thank you for this! I've been trying to stop using Amazon but have yet to find a more efficient way of bulk-buying books (for uni for example). Once I graduate it will be a lot easier to stop using it.
I don't know if you have heard of it but I recently came across a new book logging site called Book Sloth. The layout is gorgeous and you can rate books on more than just stars. You can choose which elements of the book works really well like plot, world building, characters.
I like LibraryThing for cataloguing what I own and read, and you can join groups and discuss books there as well. It’s been around longer than GoodReads and is still majority owned by the site creator. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as GoodReads, but I like the less visually busy interface and logic to how the site actually works. I mostly read digital these days, but back when I was primarily reading paperbacks I would trade books on paperbackswap. Not sure how well it works for trading with people outside the US. For old, out of print books, I used to find a lot at the Internet Archive / Open Library, which you could read online or download for two weeks. Unfortunately, there’s a lawsuit brewing between them and publishers over licensing and copyright infringement since they relaxed some of their rules to provide increased access during the pandemic. It really irks me because what I mostly read there are books by authors long dead that I would not be able to find at a library, and now the publishers are screwing with accessibility for those kinds of books.
Yes! I stopped using Goodreads when I saw on your ig story awhile ago about how it's owned be Amazon, and I instantly switched to tsg!!! It's much better. This is such a good video :))) and omg I love Blackwell's so much haha the prices are soo good haha
Also I saw the poet X in your tbr pile, and OHMYYY ITS SO FLIPPING GOOD! haha
I use an Australia-owned booksite for most online purchases, but was using Book Depository for when I couldn't get certain editions through my usual - until I discovered Blackwell's a few weeks ago! I have yet to receive my first order from them yet but their prices are around the same, if not better than Book Depository, so I'm looking forward to using them a lot more. Great video! :)
been using the storygraph for a few weeks and i really like it (also i realized i don't want my books on a social media and have more privacy in that area, so the shift helps there too) - the only thing i could ask for is the shelf feature on goodreads that i find useful for myself.
I have been tracking all of my 2021 reads in StoryGraph and I am loving it!!!
Great video! Thanks so much for sharing Story Graph. I was so disappointed when I found out Amazon owns Book Depository and Goodreads (but having trouble finding alternatives to book tracking sites). Do you know if Story Graph is working on an app as well?
That Storygraph website looks great! I love its minimalist UX. Imagine if we could also swap books that we own, but want to unhaul, directly through the platform!! (And awesome content, as per your usual :) )