The Thing About LibraryThing…

September 29, 2014     erinbook     Feature, The Thing About...

I first discovered this website through John Green and the Vlogbrothers. John was talking about cataloguing his library and he did so through something called LibraryThing. I found his account on the site and browsed through it, wondering if I had this many books. I did. This was is the dark days when my shelves had no organization other than “I like this so it goes here” so I decided to try LibraryThing to change that. So here’s what you need to know:
  • LibraryThing is primarily a shelving and review site, sort of like Goodreads but without a lot of the fun extras.
  • The catalogue is a but weird and difficult to use at first but you get the hang of it.
  • LibraryThing has a program called Early Reviewers (of which I am a member) that connects publishers and reviewers. Publishers list books for offer and you can request them. Based on your reliability as a reviewer (whether you review the books you get), you may or may not get the book. They come in physical, ebook, and audiobook formats.
  • They also have Member giveaways where you can list your own books or authors can offer their books for review. It’s a separate system from the Early Reviewers and most of the offerings are ebooks.
 
Do…
 
  • Check out all of the features. You never know what may appeal to you.
  • Do review any books you’re given by publishers on Early Reviewers. It’s not fair to people who will actually review the book if you get a freebie and don’t do what you’re supposed to, Also it will effect whether you get another book.
  • Browse the Member giveaways but be careful what you request.
 
Do Not…
 
  • Use these programs only for freebies. They have a purpose, don’t ruin it for everyone else.
  • Write nonsense in your reviews just to make the word count.
  • Request everything you see. You’ll get backed up or realize you didn’t actually want what you got.

 

Note: John Green’s account is still there, if you’ve followed his videos for a while then you probably know what username he used. I’m not going to tell everyone what it is so don’t ask.

What bookish sites do you use? Which would you like a The Thing About… for next? Tell me in the comments.

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