Goodreads Is Finally Cashing in on Its Devoted Community

The premise of Goodreads is simple, as it has been since the service launched in 2007: Track the books you read, leave ratings and reviews, and network with fellow readers. In practice, though, the platform has grown to be a sprawling literary social network, equal parts Facebook, Yelp, and Reddit. Message boards, recommendations, and listicles have helped created enough space for any bookworm to find their niche.

Not surprisingly, all of that activity has also generated a lot of data on reading habits, and this week, Goodreads began harnessing of that data to sell books. It’s the first time that the platform has directly pushed commerce, and while the move might seem inevitable, it’s proof that Amazon, which owns Goodreads, has wised up to the power of the platform.