All articles tagged with #goodreads
JD Vance's memoir Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith launched amid a 2028 election–style push, but quickly drew a harsh reception: dozens of one-star Goodreads reviews questioning his grasp of Christianity, and a Wall Street Journal critique calling the book “egregious sloppiness” and a blend of religious memoir with campaign messaging. A prior cover controversy hasn’t slowed his publicity tour.
Goodreads has released its list of the most anticipated books of 2024, featuring 63 titles across various genres, including works by popular authors like Stephen King, Simone St. James, and RuPaul. The list, which reflects the interests of Goodreads' 125 million members, includes a mix of adult and YA titles, series continuations, debuts, and a range of genres from historical fiction to horror. Highlights include "The Bullet Swallower" by Elizabeth Gonzalez James, "Murder Road" by Simone St. James, and "You Like It Darker" by Stephen King.
Goodreads has released a list of the most-anticipated fantasy, science fiction, and horror books for 2024, highlighting popular sequels and the trending subgenres of romantasy and horror-romance mashups. The list is based on the number of times books have been added to users' Want to Read shelves, featuring works by authors like Sarah J. Maas and Stephen Graham Jones.
Goodreads, the popular book review platform owned by Amazon, is facing criticism for its inadequate moderation system after an author admitted to creating fake accounts to leave negative reviews on other authors' books, particularly targeting authors of color. Despite claiming to take the responsibility of maintaining the authenticity and integrity of ratings seriously, Goodreads' guidelines and enforcement mechanisms remain unclear. The platform's lack of verification processes and the ability for anyone in good standing to post reviews, including before a book's publication, has made it susceptible to review-bombing campaigns. Critics argue that Goodreads needs to implement more comprehensive moderation or internal tools to protect its users and authors who rely on the platform.
Author Cait Corrain has been dropped by her agent and publisher after admitting to posting fake reviews on Goodreads to boost her own book's rating and negatively impact other debut authors. The publisher, Del Rey, stated that Corrain's book, "Crown of Starlight," will no longer be published, and her agent, Rebecca Podos, announced the end of their partnership. Corrain's actions were exposed by author Xiran Jay Zhao, who identified several suspicious accounts involved in the review-bombing. Many of the targeted authors were people of color. Goodreads has removed the fake reviews and emphasized its commitment to maintaining the authenticity and integrity of ratings.
Amazon has launched a new book discovery service called "Your Books" to compete with its own platform, Goodreads. The feature organizes all the books users have bought, borrowed, or saved, including print books, Kindle, and Audible titles. It aims to fuel book discovery and recommendations based on users' reading history and preferences. Unlike Goodreads, the reviews on "Your Books" come from Amazon shoppers. The launch comes amidst a scandal on Goodreads involving review bombing, which has negatively impacted authors. The new feature focuses on leveraging Amazon's data for commerce and personalized recommendations. It also complements Amazon's Book Clubs section and aims to keep readers within Amazon's book-buying ecosystem.
Debut fantasy author Cait Corrain admitted to creating fake accounts on Goodreads to boost her own book's ratings and negatively impact other authors. Corrain's publisher, Del Rey Books, has decided not to publish her debut novel, "Crown of Starlight," or any other works on her contract. Corrain cited struggles with depression and substance abuse as contributing factors to her actions.
A debut young adult novelist, Cait Corrain, lost her book deal and issued an apology after admitting to creating fake Goodreads accounts to give negative ratings to non-white rival authors while praising her own book. Corrain blamed her actions on alcohol and drug abuse, as well as a psychological breakdown. The affected authors included Molly X. Chang, Danielle Jensen, Kamilah Cole, and Bethany Baptiste. Corrain's publisher, Del Rey Books, dropped her upcoming novel, and her agent also cut ties with her. Corrain denied targeting the authors based on race but acknowledged the pain she caused and plans to seek psychiatric care and rehabilitation.
First-time author Cait Corrain lost her book deal and other partnerships after being accused of creating fake Goodreads accounts to sabotage other writers' books through negative reviews. The accusations of "review bombing" led to the discovery that Corrain had given her own book glowing reviews. Del Rey Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, dropped Corrain's book from their publishing schedule, and her literary agent also cut ties with her. Corrain acknowledged her actions in a letter, attributing them to struggles with depression and substance abuse. However, those targeted by her negative reviews felt her apology was insufficient. Review bombing has been an ongoing issue on Goodreads, with little moderation or recourse for authors.
Author Cait Corrain, whose debut novel was set to be published next year, has issued an apology after being exposed for writing scathing fake book reviews targeting authors of color on Goodreads. Corrain's literary agent, publishing company, and distributor have all dropped her following the revelation. Corrain attributed her behavior to battling depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse, as well as a new medication and a psychological breakdown. She accepted responsibility for the pain caused and acknowledged the delay in posting the apology due to withdrawal while sobering up.
Author Cait Corrain loses her book deal with Del Rey Publishing and other partnerships after being accused of review bombing debut authors of color on Goodreads. Corrain admitted to the review bombing, attributing it to past struggles with mental health and a fear of how her own book would be received. She apologized to the affected authors and plans to seek psychiatric care and rehabilitation. Del Rey has removed her book, "A Crown of Starlight," from its publishing schedule, but it is still listed for release on Amazon in 2027.
A controversy has erupted in the publishing world as over a half-dozen fake Goodreads accounts were found review bombing upcoming authors and books with similar themes, while giving 5-star ratings to fellow debut author Cait Corrain's book. Corrain initially claimed that a friend was responsible for the actions, but many remain unconvinced. The scandal has gone viral on social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit. The targeted authors include people of color, and some have accused Corrain of orchestrating the review bombing campaign to gain attention for their own book. Corrain's publisher and agent have ended their partnership, and the book has been removed from publishing schedules.
Goodreads staff members have shared their top books of 2023, featuring a diverse selection of titles that includes both acclaimed and under-the-radar reads. The list is not limited to 2023 publications, but rather includes favorite reads of the year. Some of the staff's favorite books include "The Guest Lecture" by Martin Riker, "They Called Us Exceptional" by Prachi Gupta, and "Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1" by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù. Check out the full list on Goodreads for more reading suggestions.
Goodreads, a social media platform and review site, has become an essential avenue for building readership, but reviews can be weaponized, in some cases derailing a book’s publication long before its release. Review bombing campaigns have caused authors to delay or cancel their novels, and even established authors have been subjected to such campaigns. Goodreads allows any registered user to review or rate a book, even if it hasn't been released yet. While Goodreads has taken steps to improve its ability to detect and remove content that violates the site’s community guidelines, it still faces criticism for not doing enough to protect authors from online harassment.
Goodreads, a social media platform and review site, has become an essential avenue for building readership, but reviews can be weaponized, in some cases derailing a book’s publication long before its release. Review bombing campaigns have caused authors to delay or cancel their novels, and even established authors have been subjected to such campaigns. Goodreads allows any registered user to review or rate a book, even if it hasn't been released yet. While Goodreads has taken steps to improve its ability to detect and remove content that violates the site’s community guidelines, it still faces criticism for not doing enough to protect authors from online harassment.