Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jun 29
StoryGraph, Kobo Launch Reading Sync for 12 Million Users as Amazon Faces New Goodreads Rival
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jun 29

StoryGraph, Kobo Launch Reading Sync for 12 Million Users as Amazon Faces New Goodreads Rival

3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jun 29

Summary

  • StoryGraph’s Kobo integration is now live, automatically syncing reading progress, finished books and audiobooks across Kobo devices and apps for Kobo account-based content.
  • The link makes Kobo the first e-reader to integrate with StoryGraph, closing a gap that long helped Amazon pair Kindle hardware with Goodreads’ built-in tracking community.
  • StoryGraph, founded in 2019, says it has grown to more than 5 million readers; the Kobo deal puts the service in front of Kobo’s 12 million users in 190 countries.
  • The feature is free to use, though StoryGraph still sells a $5-a-month Plus tier with deeper statistics and custom charts.
  • The launch lands as digital reading communities gain traction again: Pew says 31% of U.S. adults read an e-book in the past year, up from 17% in 2011.

Insights

How will Amazon's Kindle-Goodreads ecosystem respond to the challenge from Kobo's new data-rich StoryGraph integration?
With reading progress now automated, when will the highly-demanded sync for highlights and notes be added for Kobo users?
As reading habits are seamlessly tracked across platforms, what new privacy considerations arise for the average digital reader?