Amazon buys Goodreads

       As everyone is (and will be) reporting, internet juggernaut Amazon.com has announced that it has:

reached an agreement to acquire Goodreads, a leading site for readers and book recommendations

       As usual, "Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed" -- i.e. how much Goodreads cashed in their 16 million "members" (who don't seem to have been consulted ...) for ..... (Amazon also already owns something called Shelfari, which it bought out in 2008.)
       While I did "join" Goodreads, I have never used it -- I found it incredibly off-putting, and there's nothing I can imagine needing/wanting it for -- but quite a few readers seem to be heavily invested in it. I'm curious to see what their reactions will be -- and, of course, what Amazon does with both the site and the surely useful data that comes with it.
       For some early coverage, see Amazon Buys Goodreads by Rachel Deahl and Jim Milliot at Publishers Weekly and Laura Hazard Owen's Q & A with Goodreads CEO Otis Chandler and Amazon's VP of Kindle content Russ Grandinett at paidContent.
       In Amazon to Buy Social Site Dedicated to Sharing Books in The New York Times Leslie Kaufman notes that:

This deal further consolidates Amazon's power to determine which authors get exposure for their work.

       And in Amazon to Acquire Goodreads, a Book Site in the Wall Street Journal Jeffrey Trachtenberg quotes Mike Shatzkin:

"It makes me question whether Amazon's competitors are awake," said Mr. Shatzkin. "How could they let this happen ?"

       Lots more coverage and commentary is sure to follow; it'll be inetresting to see what the fallout is.