A little over two years ago, Goodreads announced they were shutting off access to their API. I was using it to show what I was reading on my blog at the time, and started looking for alternatives. I found a few that showed potential. I'd been using Letterboxd for a few years at that point and felt it had something that was missing from GR and the others I found, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I decided to build it instead (I'm sure many creators can relate ). I made a post on the /r/cofounders subreddit about the idea, and found Ste. With me as a full-stack product dev and him on product design, we talked to hundreds of readers about what they want in a book tracking and social platform. We've listened to their feedback, tested and iterated constantly. We believe we've created a book space that feels as warm as a familiar library but as exciting as a midnight book launch party.
This past weekend we launched Hardcover on Product Hunt (and hit #3!). We describe Hardcover as a book tracking social network for readers to find new books, track what they read and make lasting connections with other readers. So, Letterboxd for books!
Here are a few of my favorite things you can do on Hardcover:
Find books - Search for books you know of, check out trending books, explore lists and prompts to find hidden gems, review your recommendations, stumble on friends reads in your feed, or browse all book by genre, mood or tag.
Decide what to read - Besides all the book facts you'd expect to see, we show you a personalized Match Score from 0% to 100% for each book based on your reading history. You'll also see ratings & reviews from readers you follow and readers most similar to you.
Track your reading - One place for every book you want to read, have read and more. You can set your privacy level to public, private (for a book?) or friends only. Use Airlists (our version of Airtable for Books) to further organize your library.
Log your reads - Rate and review books on a 5-star scale with half-star increments. Showcase your favorite books on your profile at hardcover.app/@username
Read even more - Set reading goals and explore your reading stats through charts and data visualizations to help keep you consistent and understand your own reading habits and tastes.
AI librarian, Bookle game, referral program, Goodreads/StoryGraph importer, GraphQL API, light/dark modes, an active Discord and so much more!
I'm excited to share and get feedback from the Hacker News community we've all been a part of for so long (even if I've mostly lurked here since 2009 ).
In terms of launch numbers (which I always love to see), here's our dashboard that shows how it went. We had about 250 new members join in the last 3 days, and a few new subscribers. We're still a ways away from being profitable. It costs us about $1,000/month to run Hardcover – even before salaries. We're about 30% of the way there.
https://wp.hardcover.app/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screensh...
I'm most excited about the momentum from launch - seeing people share Hardcover with friends of theirs who read and growing the community. If you're a reader I'd love to invite you to join us! Any feedback, questions or comments are always welcome. I'm an open book, so feel free to ask me anything.
