How do you use StoryGraph?

[JBaby]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

But you can import from GoodReads... Its under your Profile. Or are you saying that you have masses of books in GoodReads that SG doesn't recognize?

I have a lot of books that are missing whenever I try to import GR. Hardcover recognizes all of the books SG misses. When Amazon first came on the ebook scene and raised ebook prices that pushed me to reading indie almost exclusively for a decade. And before anyone tries to correct me I’m not talking about when Apple colluded with the publishers. I’m talking about the Kindle debuted and Amazon’s plan was for all new titles to be $9.99. People reading from stores such as eReader and Fictionwise were used to getting new titles cheaper than that. Almost all of the books I read during this ten year period don’t exist in SG.

Originally Posted by issybird

I wanted to like StoryGraph; I really did. I love how "clean" it is and I strongly dislike how Goodreads is overwhelmed by promotions and irrelevant promotions at that. (No, Goodreads, just because I'm a woman, I don't want to read cowboy romances "based on my reading". I've entered three thousand books; you could do better than that. That is, if you weren't only motivated by the bottom line and instead wanted to provide value to members and paid promotions.) And also, while I'm not greatly bothered by how Amazon runs its business, I'd just as soon not make them a gift of even more data on me than they've already got.

But. The reality is that Goodreads' database is much better than Storygraph's and the user interface is faster and more intuitive. And given that I've already got a useful friends' network there.... I ported my books to StoryGraph and I tried; for a while I maintained both accounts but that wasn't worth the nuisance. Goodreads for all its drawbacks is still better for my purposes.

I agree with all of this wholeheartedly. Only thing I’d add for myself is that it’s also connected to my Kindle so it’s even less work for me. Even if SG had all the books it misses for me I still likely wouldn’t use it because I don’t want to manage both. SG alone isn’t worth it without my family and friends. I like features SG has been adding but none are useful to me without people to do them with.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Hardcover's database is worse then Storygraph's. See my previous message on Hardcover to see what happened,

I get what you’re saying so I’ll neither agree nor disagree with you. But I wasn’t talking about the searching individual books. I’m specifically talking about importing. All of my books were found. SG has always failed to do that. I’m not saying the database is perfect. None of them are. I’m just saying that, for me, HC is better. And I’d use it more if family and friends would switch and if I wasn’t a Kindle user. I did join HC’s Discord server so I can be in the know. They are very receptive to user feedback.

[rantanplan]

I think there are enough services for book collecting options, tracking options and social platforms so that (hopefully ) everyone can find the service that fits them best. I do think that there's a value in Hardcover.app, and I'll keep playing around with it because competition is what hopefully drives innovation in these niches.

[rantanplan]

Well, Hardcover.app is indeed using AI art.
https://discord.com/channels/8355587...31677907669073

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Well, Hardcover.app is indeed using AI art.
https://discord.com/channels/8355587...31677907669073

Can you snip? Can't see this without a discord login.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Can you snip? Can't see this without a discord login.

Sure, no problem.



I've asked if they licensed the art that they used to train their LLM or not but haven't received an answer yet.

[rantanplan]

One of the key issues from the user's perspective is, that the covers generated by the LLM are not always representing the books correctly.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

One of the key issues from the user's perspective is, that the covers generated by the LLM are not always representing the books correctly.

Attachment 208290
Attachment 208291

"Some slipped in?" Yellowface was a huge critical success. Not some little unknown indie title.

Either way, the general dismissive attitude to using engines that steal art from creators would send me running from this if I ever had interest to begin with.

[rantanplan]

I got a response from them. None of the commercially available LLM's actually license their source materials, so in essence, Hardcover.app is plagiarizing their "AI art".

[issybird]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I get that. I never used GR for recommendations or friends, so I never felt the lack of it on SG. I do miss seeing your activity roll through my feed though.

Ditto.

And that's something I find valuable at Goodreads still; seeing what my particular cronies are reading. I discovered Nghi Vo because of you, just as one example.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

Ditto.

And that's something I find valuable at Goodreads still; seeing what my particular cronies are reading. I discovered Nghi Vo because of you, just as one example.

That absolutely makes my day.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by issybird

Ditto.

And that's something I find valuable at Goodreads still; seeing what my particular cronies are reading. I discovered Nghi Vo because of you, just as one example.

Damn it, I just bought some Nghi Vo books because of this. I wanted to reduce my TBR not add books to it 😂😂😂

[issybird]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Damn it, I just bought some Nghi Vo books because of this. I wanted to reduce my TBR not add books to it 😂😂😂

I hope one of them was Siren Queen, which is fantastic. My favorite thus far.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by issybird

I hope one of them was Siren Queen, which is fantastic. My favorite thus far.

Not yet, I’m going through them chronologically, so I got their first three books/novellas, The Empress of Salt and Fortune,
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Chosen and the Beautiful.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Not yet, I’m going through them chronologically, so I got their first three books/novellas, The Empress of Salt and Fortune,
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Chosen and the Beautiful.

I finished the newest Signing Hills novella, The Brides of High Hill, last week. I love that world and those characters very much.