Social discoveryfor serious book lovers
We're building a better Goodreads! We want to make it shockingly simple for you to discover new books, organize the books on your shelf and make lasting connections with other readers.
Here's an interactive sneak peek!
Finding Good Books Shouldn't Be a Slog through the Amazon
Frustrated by inconsistencies every time we used Goodreads, and out of spite for Amazon, we decided to do something about it. We set out to talk to readers from all around the world with a few simple questions: What is Goodreads doing wrong? Why does Goodreads fail to deliver on their potential? And what would your dream book platform look like?
What we heard was grim. Reader after reader wanted more. They wanted a platform that wasn't stagnant, better recommendations, more stats on their reading history, less spam and fewer bugs. They wanted to escape Amazon and find underappreciated books by underrepresented authors.
They wanted a place that felt as warm as a familiar library, but as exciting as a midnight book launch party.
We decided to form a bootstrapped team and create a new social discovery platform for book lovers of all kinds! Whether you read or listen, we want to make it shockingly simple for you to discover new books, organize the books on your shelf, and make lasting connections with other readers.
On a mission to be a new home for your books,
The Hardcover Team
Match With Books You'll Love
Hardcover gives you a score from 0% to 100% based on how likely you are to enjoy each book.
This match percentage is based on every book you've ever read, taking into account what books readers with similar taste enjoy.
For the programmers out there - we're using Tensorflow.js with machine learning models to generate this. Join our discord if you'd like to help us get this just right.
Simplified Book Tracking
Hardcover is designed to be your "book brain". Track every book you might want to read, what you've already read, and what you're currently reading all in one place.
Set your status on a book, rate it, review it, add it to lists, track when you've read it and even track if this was an audiobook all in one place.
This prototype is interactive! Try playing with this demo and see how it works. If you love it or hate it, we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Try out this button
Discussions for Every Book
Whether you just finished an amazing book, or you're thinking about an all-time favorite, connecting with other passionate readers can revisit what you loved.
Our threaded discussions helps you answer questions, remember the good parts, and even discover parts you missed.
And that's just the beginning!
We already have a bunch of ideas. Here are some of the areas we're most focused on:
Import Your Books
Import every single book you've saved from other platforms (or from manual tracking) directly into Hardcover.
Stay Connected
Keep in touch with your friends by easily being able to see what they're reading and their all-time favorites.
Reach Your Goals
Set yearly reading goals based on the number of books you want to read, pages per year or even book type (book vs graphic novel vs audiobook).
Earn Badges
Earn badges based on what books you've read. We'll even show you how other people who have earned this badge rated each book.
There's a lot we want to do – and we need your feedback to help build the platform you want. Join our mailing list to add your voice to what we're building.
Recent Blog Posts
We're building Hardcover in public! You can follow our journey here on the blog, or subscribe to the newsletter to get every update.
Your Book Stats: What Are They For?
Showing the right information about your reading habits can inspire more reading and help you find books you’ll love even more.
Adam Fortuna
List and Shelves and Organization, Oh My!
Book organization is a core piece of any book tracking application. This enables easily seeing books organized in a bunch of different ways. Here’s a look at some of the ways we’re tackling this at Hardcover.
Adam Fortuna
Hardcover Update #2 – What’s Different About Hardcover?
This is an email that went out to the Hardcover email list on June 20, 2021. Join the list to get these when they’re sent.
Adam Fortuna
The Perfect Startup Tech Stack?
Every developer has a tech stack they consider to be the best. Mine has changed over time – and is changing again for Hardcover.
Adam Fortuna
The Startup Blog
I’ve always loved reading blogs and other stories that document a companies founding. We’re going to be doing just chat – sharing what we learn and our progress along the way.
Adam Fortuna
Our Team
We're building Hardcover in a new way - with a team of people all contributing missing pieces and creating something better than we could create on our own. Interested in joining us? Join the Discord and say hi!
Adam Fortuna
Developer + Product Manager
After years of teaching people to code at Code School and Pluralsight, and working on a few other personal projects, I decided it was time for a change. I've used Goodreads for over a decade and have dreamed of having a better platform for just as long. Now's the time to make it happen!
