OpenLibrary Book Search Scraper

OpenLibrary Book Search Scraper — a fast, reliable openlibrary scraper that needs no API key. You pay only for the results you get: failed or empty runs are always free.

This openlibrary scraper runs on the Apify platform, so you can call it from the API, run it on a schedule, or export results to JSON, CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets.

What this scraper does

• Extracts structured openlibrary data with no browser or API key required
• Returns clean JSON, one record per result — ready for sheets, databases, or apps
• Pay-per-result pricing: you are never charged for a run that returns nothing
• Runs on demand or on a schedule, and integrates with 5,000+ apps via the Apify API and webhooks

What data you get

Each result record includes fields such as:

• Open Library Key (openLibraryKey) — e.g. "OL27482W"
• Url (url) — e.g. "https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27482W"
• Title (title) — e.g. "The Hobbit"
• Authors (authors) — e.g. ["J.R.R. Tolkien"]
• First Publish Year (firstPublishYear) — e.g. 1937
• Isbn (isbn) — e.g. ["0201111586", "9780792443483", "0008108285"]
• Edition Count (editionCount) — e.g. 463
• Subjects (subjects) — e.g. ["Fantasy", "Arkenstone", "Battle of Five Armies", "invis...
• Languages (languages) — e.g. ["ita", "ukr", "eng"]
• Cover Url (coverUrl) — e.g. "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/14627509-L.jpg"
• Ratings Average (ratingsAverage) — e.g. 4.287
• Ratings Count (ratingsCount) — e.g. 495
• Query (query) — e.g. "the hobbit"

Input

Field	Type	Description
searchQueries	array	Book search queries — a title, author name, or ISBN per entry (e.g. "the hobbit", "tolkien", "9780547928227").
maxResults	integer	Maximum number of book records to return per search query (1-1000). Default 100. Pagination is handled auto...
fetchWorkDetails	boolean	If enabled, also fetch each work's detail endpoint (openlibrary.org/works/{id}.json) to add description, fi...

Example output

{
  "type": "book",
  "openLibraryKey": "OL27482W",
  "url": "https://openlibrary.org/works/OL27482W",
  "title": "The Hobbit",
  "authors": [
    "J.R.R. Tolkien"
  ],
  "firstPublishYear": 1937,
  "isbn": [
    "0201111586",
    "9780792443483",
    "0008108285"
  ],
  "editionCount": 463,
  "subjects": [
    "Fantasy",
    "Arkenstone",
    "Battle of Five Armies",
    "invisibility"
  ],
  "languages": [
    "ita",
    "ukr",
    "eng"
  ],
  "coverUrl": "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/14627509-L.jpg",
  "ratingsAverage": 4.287,
  "ratingsCount": 495,
  "query": "the hobbit",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-10T12:00:00Z"
}

Use cases

• Automate research and data collection
• Feed dashboards, sheets, and databases
• Enrich records in your CRM or app
• Monitor changes on a schedule

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-result pricing at $0.0004 per record. There is no monthly fee and no start fee — and empty or failed runs cost $0, so you only ever pay for data you actually receive.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an API key or account for the source? No. This openlibrary scraper works out of the box with no API key required.

What happens if a run returns no results? You are not charged. Billing is per result, so empty or failed runs are free.

Can I run the openlibrary scraper on a schedule? Yes. Use the Apify Scheduler to run it hourly, daily, or on any cron schedule, and get results by webhook or API.

What export formats are supported? Results can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, or pushed to Google Sheets, a database, or your own app via the Apify API.

Is the data structured? Yes. Every openlibrary result is a clean, flat JSON record you can use immediately.