How To StoryGraph

StoryGraph is an easy app to navigate. Once you set up your initial email for the account, you can get started building your bookshelves. They will ask some questions about your preferences. This will help the suggestions/recommendations on the Home page.

Start with your profile. Click on the person icon at the top of the screen and select the profile. The next screen will give you options to personalize your presence on the app. I’ve tinkered with the app a bit, so I had some info already added. My profile shows Currently Reading, Recently Reading, Reading Preferences, and To-Be-Read pile. As you add tags and challenges, they will be listed below.

Click on Reading Preferences and add info about books you like to read, books you’ve read, and what you don’t want to read. You can edit this data at any time. The info helps the app recommend books for you. It also shows the type of reader you are. Apparently, I like medium-paced books of about 350-400 pages. (The app only thinks that because I have added all my cozy mystery reads yet.)

Let’s add some books to your lists. Click on the “search all books” button at the top. Type in the name of any book and hit enter. Scroll through the list. Hit the “to read” button on any good prospects. Click on the down arrow for more options: Read, Currently Reading, and Did Not Finish. You can also add tags to books such as “Mom’s favorite” or “Sue hated this one.”

If you click on the book, you get a world of information. Of course, the author and title are there. But also, they have the pub date, number of pages, genre, and some descriptors. You can see right away if a book will hit your sweet spots. On the right are some trigger warnings generated by readers. Perfect if there’s something specific you need to be aware of. Below that are tags readers used to review the item such as “lighthearted,” “emotional,” or “challenging.” Readers can also put in pacing (how fast they read it) and answers to questions about the book. Last is the star review. (I think it’s great to bury that stat and let readers browse the other data first.) This page also can show similar reads, let you start a buddy read, and add missing information.

Once you’ve added some (read, to read, etc.) and set your preferences, your home page will have your to-be-read book covers and a list of recommended reads. You can click on any of the covers and learn about the books, change the category you assigned them, or browse. The large covers on the to-reads and recommendations are great. No one judges a book by its cover. Snort, yes, we do. It’s nice to view them large and readable.

Need to team up with other readers? Click on the community tab and search by username or email to find friends and family. Once you choose some other readers, you can peruse what they are reading or have read. You can also set up a buddy challenge. (More on that next week).

Checking your progress is easy. Click on the Stats tab. The app will show how many books you’ve read. It also gives the number of pages, mood, genre, pace, and more. You can get specific about your reading with these stats. You can also add or join challenges. More on that next week.

There’s more to StoryGraph, and not just for authors. Next week, I’ll discuss buddy reads, challenges, and more.