Goodreads Review Deletion Policy Creates a Stir

Goodreads announced that it will remove book reviews (and shelves) that focus on author behavior rather than the books themselves. This is an effort to set “an appropriate tone for [the] community site,” but has been interpreted by many of the site’s users as censorship. As author Phi Tran suggests, “One thing that is worth mentioning is Goodreads’ new Amazon ownership.  Whether Amazon is dictating this decision is unclear, but they do have a stake in making a profit from selling books and negative reviews do not sell books.”  Read the Goodreads policy here, and Phi Tran’s commentary on the issue at Mediabistro’s Appnewser.