So. I decided something today that I’ve been trying to decide for a pretty long time, and that thing is essentially should I leave Goodreads?
The decision I came to was something like no fucking doubt.
Why? Lots of reasons.
I joined Goodreads in 2012, when I was in middle school. It’s been five years. I’m not even in high school anymore. I’m turning twenty this month. I’m an adult, and an author, and so many other more important things it’s hard to keep track of.
One of those things is someone who is fed up.
When I joined Goodreads, it was amazing. It was full of cool users and thoughtful reviewers, it was a place where authors were started to interact with their readers more, and it did - and still does - work as a great tool for keeping track of what I’ve read.
But the community has been going steadily downhill in the past five years, and it’s time for me to jump ship. Why? Because Goodreads is not the supportive, thoughtful, talented, and fun community it used to be. That’s not to say there aren’t some fantastic people here, that I’ll miss - there are. But at this point the cons outweigh the pros. Lots of users left back when Emily May created her book site, or left for Booklikes or left altogether when the whole no badmouthing authors censorship bullshit came up a while back. I don't want to be part of a site where I'm not allowed to drag Orson Scott Card through the mud for being a shite human being, honestly.
And I’m exhausted - of petty fights, rampant sexism and homophobia and transphobia, of pointless respectability politics and feeling obligated to read not for my own enjoyment, but so I can write reviews. I don’t want reading to be about writing reviews or gaining followers or defending my opinions (as if I should have to defend my opinions) or anything other than me and a book, an experience and hopefully some learning. I still like to talk about books, but it is what it is.
I’m exhausted of authors attacking readers and readers attacking each other and so many things it would be impossible to list. Over the years I’ve seen dozens of reviewers I loved and users I called friends leaving the site, most of the time for very good reasons.
Goodreads has become a shark tank. It’s not one I want to swim in.
I would rather spend my time reading than talking about reading. I would rather spend it writing, than talking about writing. And I would really also just rather be on almost any site but this one, these days.
So, am I leaving entirely? Nope. I’ll still be maintaining my presence as an author and using Goodreads to catalog what I’ve read. But I won’t be reviewing books, anymore. I won’t be rating them, either.
Over the next few days I will be removing most, if not all, of my old reviews, and then I’ll only be active on the site as an author, i.e. Posting covers and blurbs, syncing blog posts and making bookish announcements. I won’t be reviewing anymore.
That said, I do want to sincerely take the time to thank everyone on the site who is awesome for making the last five years such a memorable, curving, fascinating road - from other reviewers to other authors - so many of you are fantastic. So many of my experiences with this site are good ones.
I can’t say I love what Goodreads has become, but I can also say with certainty that not a part of me regrets the moment my younger self created their account.
So, thanks, and see you around - just not in the same capacity. It’s been fun <3
