The StoryGraph is an app that lets you track, rate, view the books you've read and more – something every book lover should have in their app library. Complete with great analytics, personalized recommendations, and a community of 1.2 million members, The StoryGraph is everything Goodreads doesn't have. We spoke with co-founders Nadia Odunayo and Rob Frelow to take a closer look at everything we love about our new favorite book app.
As a dedicated reader and member of the Goodreads community since 2013, I've been constantly frustrated with the app, especially in recent years, because of everything Goodreads doesn't do or offer. Aside from the fact that the app hasn't been updated much since its inception, making it outdated for the user, there are tangible misses that would help me better understand what kind of reader I am, and perhaps what kind of reader I want to be. . It is in this space that StoryGraph shines.
Designed by Readers for Readers
Nadia Odunaio, founder of The StoryGraph, has started working on app in 2019:
I had this idea in my head for many years, but when I finally had time to work on the project in earnest in early 2019, I had so much fun and knew… that I wanted to build a book business somehow.
Knowing that any successful product depends on customer research, I started talking to readers and learning all about their problems with book apps, trying to see if there was room for something worthwhile.
I started including them feedback on the product you've been working on and consistently doing that over the past few years is what led to what StoryGraph is today.
Odunayo's immersion in customer needs and desires is evident in every feature of The StoryGraph; there's not a single thing that isn't thought through to the end, and as a user, I appreciate the continued commitment to what readers are looking for in a book app. StoryGraph is so clearly designed by someone who is a reader himself, and not by Goodreads, who haven't considered user experience for what seems like a decade.
Besides that, the wishes of the users are taken into account when developing the application. StoryGraph also provides much-needed space for independent writers. Co-Founder Rob Frelow:
If today you're into a dark deep woods murder mystery with kidnapping, and tomorrow you're in the mood for an emotional yet funny rom-com, action which takes place in a big city, you can find it on The StoryGraph. You are not tied to your old ratings or past preferences. You won't see any “hyped” books that independent authors can't usually afford. You have full control.
That The StoryGraph not only gives users a completely offline experience, but also makes room for independent authors rather than promoting books under big names, is the digital equivalent of entering Barnes and Noble compared to your local bookstore.
The reality is that Goodreads dominates the book app market thanks to its $150 million acquisition of Amazon in 2013, which means it just didn't have to innovate or improve its user experience because it belongs the largest online retailer in the world. world. On the other hand, StoryGraph has spent time and feedback from its users to create a truly personalized experience that readers can really benefit from.
Clean look and lots of features
The first thing I noticed after downloading StoryGraph was how beautiful it is. Simple and modern in its aesthetic design – and without clutter or ads – the app's best features stand out in bright, bold colors, making it easy to navigate. In a clever move by its founders, you can import your Goodreads library into The StoryGraph; once you've imported your library, you then populate a list of preferences (selecting not only what you like to read, but what you don't like) and from there the application starts working. magic.
As for its features, Odunayo and Frelow did not take into account anything. In StoryGraph, a user can:
- Rate, view, and track books
- Participate in Reading With Friends with someone in your community
- Keep a reading journal
- Enter a book giveaway
- Set reading goals by number of books, pages or hours
- View book recommendations by mood, tempo , type or page number
- View personalized analytics
Although some of these features will be familiar to users Goodreads, StoryGraph takes it one step further by improving the experience. for the reader, personalizing each feature and offering individual-specific choices rather than recommendations for the entire community.
The standout feature of StoryGraph is statistics. Odunayo talks about them:
< Although I am admittedly new to The StoryGraph community, I have already shown my own analytics to everyone in my life who I know will appreciate their nuances, because the point of reading is this: we gravitate towards books that familiar to us.us.This could mean reading your favorite author's newest book (or rereading, another feature of The StoryGraph) or, more often than not, staying within certain genres or moods.We use statistics to determine what type of reader you are. For example: “You mostly read adventurous, funny and uplifting books. Typically, you'll choose fast-paced books between 300 and 499 pages.” Users love this because it gives them a new way to describe the books they love and helps them discover new favorite books.
wp-content/uploads/2022/11/a39573941380a53b3613ffef74e5feeb.jpg” />My StoryGraph Stats
The beauty of these graphs is that by giving you a visual audit of what you've read, you're now armed with the information you need to make a different choice and/or become a reader if you choose to do so. I had no idea that I was reading more contemporary or historical books than anything else and as I get closer to 2023 I will be focusing on poetry – something that I have loved very much throughout my life, but don't read enough to stand. -collections alone – and sociology – is something I've always been interested in, but for some reason I also tend to avoid.
Without the data that The StoryGraph provides, I wouldn't know exactly what type of reader I am and instead, I would suggest that I read mostly memoirs and true crimes, when in fact I usually read “emotional, brooding, and dark fiction.”
Summarizing
Whether you're a voracious reader, an occasional reader, or someone who reads one or two books a year, StoryGraph is an app that's truly made for you in the mind. From great personalized analytics to incredibly specific book recommendations, every reader will love this app.
Check out The StoryGraph on Instagram here, Twitter here and on PC here.
