Why The Storygraph just might be a better choice for readers than Goodreads

Chika Anene, Writer
@uxconnections

Goodreads — before its fall from grace in 2013, when it was bought by Amazon‚ has for the longest time been the number one home for book lovers who love keeping tabs on all the books they’ve either read, are currently reading, or want to read, online.

And at present it hosts over 90 million users. However, the beta mode competitor, The Storygraph, seems to be slowly taking its place.

The Storygraph, which some could argue has already knocked Goodreads off its golden throne, was founded by Nadia Odunayo in January 2019, and presently has over 40 000 registered users — and counting.

Tailored reading suggestions and colourful graphs

As the name suggests, one of the main ways the site caters to its users is through colourful graphs that outline their moods and interests, as well as their reading tastes. By completing a quick questionnaire, of around 5 minutes, the site is able to decide what reading suggestions to present to its readers, based on their answers. This makes for much better tailored reading suggestions when readers are on the lookout for their next big read.

Easy transition

A big plus about The Storygraph is that new members transitioning from Goodreads don’t have to worry about losing track of all the books they previously saved on the Goodreads platform. The simple click of a button allows users to safely, and effortlessly, export all their data from Goodreads onto The Storygraph platform.

Convenient features

Everytime a user logs onto the site, they are presented with a section containing tailored reading recommendations, as well as a section with a selection of books from their TR (to-read) pile — one that is subject to change with each new log-in, or page refresh. This gives users a brief overview of the books they have marked as wanting to read, and a kind reminder of books they have previously shown an interest in but may have forgotten about. 

The “Find a Book” feature allows users who are on the hunt for their next read, to filter their searches with specifics, such as genre, topics, and elements. Users are also able to either include or exclude themes from their searches. That way, their search results become far less generic.

Where Goodreads falls short, The Storygraph seems to deliver and, impressingly enough, all while still being in its beta mode. As online reviews of the site seem to suggest, it is definitely a new favourite in the book universe, and a promising alternative for book lovers who would like to try out a different book platform.

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