# Goodreads Book Scraper - Ratings & Reviews (`lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper`) Actor Scrape book data from Goodreads. Search by title or author. Extract ratings, reviews, page count, ISBN, genres, description, author info, and similar books from the world's largest book community. - **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Goodreads Book Scraper Extract book data from Goodreads, the world's largest book community. Search by title, author, or ISBN to get ratings, reviews, page counts, genres, descriptions, and author information. ### Features - **Search by anything** — find books by title, author name, or ISBN - **JSON-LD extraction** — leverages Goodreads structured data for accurate metadata - **Rich book details** — title, author, rating, pages, ISBN, format, language, genres, series, awards - **Ratings & reviews** — aggregate rating, rating count, and review count - **Author info** — author names with profile URLs - **Direct URL support** — provide specific Goodreads book URLs for targeted scraping ### Input | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `searchQueries` | string[] | Search terms (title, author, ISBN) | | `bookUrls` | string[] | Direct Goodreads book URLs | | `maxBooksPerQuery` | number | Max books per search (default: 10) | | `maxResults` | number | Max total results (default: 50) | ### Output Each book includes: ```json { "title": "Eloquent JavaScript", "author": "Marijn Haverbeke", "authors": [{ "name": "Marijn Haverbeke", "url": "https://..." }], "rating": 4.14, "ratingCount": 3233, "reviewCount": 283, "format": "Paperback", "pages": 224, "isbn": "9781593272821", "language": "English", "description": "A concise and balanced mix of principles...", "genres": ["Programming", "Computer Science", "Technology"], "publishedDate": "November 15, 2010", "series": null, "awards": [], "imageUrl": "https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/...", "url": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8910666" } ```` ### Use Cases - **Book recommendation engines** — build datasets of rated books with genres - **Reading list curation** — gather book data for reading apps - **Publishing research** — analyze book ratings and popularity trends - **Library catalogs** — enrich catalog data with ratings and reviews - **Content creation** — source book data for review blogs and bookstagram ### Pricing This actor uses pay-per-event pricing at **$0.005 per book scraped**. # Actor input Schema ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): Book titles, author names, or ISBNs to search on Goodreads (e.g. "javascript", "Stephen King", "9781593272821"). ## `bookUrls` (type: `array`): Direct Goodreads book URLs (e.g. "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8910666-eloquent-javascript"). ## `maxBooksPerQuery` (type: `integer`): Maximum books to scrape per search query (1-20). ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum total books to scrape (1-500). ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional proxy configuration for requests. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [ "javascript" ], "bookUrls": [], "maxBooksPerQuery": 10, "maxResults": 50 } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQueries": [ "javascript" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchQueries": ["javascript"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchQueries": [ "javascript" ] }' | apify call lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=lulzasaur/goodreads-books-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Goodreads Book Scraper - Ratings & Reviews", "description": "Scrape book data from Goodreads. Search by title or author. Extract ratings, reviews, page count, ISBN, genres, description, author info, and similar books from the world's largest book community.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "2pYgXxp7SneRyxGGp" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/lulzasaur~goodreads-books-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-lulzasaur-goodreads-books-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~goodreads-books-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-lulzasaur-goodreads-books-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~goodreads-books-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-lulzasaur-goodreads-books-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchQueries": { "title": "Search Queries", "type": "array", "description": "Book titles, author names, or ISBNs to search on Goodreads (e.g. \"javascript\", \"Stephen King\", \"9781593272821\").", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "bookUrls": { "title": "Book URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Direct Goodreads book URLs (e.g. \"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8910666-eloquent-javascript\").", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxBooksPerQuery": { "title": "Max Books per Query", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 20, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum books to scrape per search query (1-20).", "default": 10 }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max Total Results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum total books to scrape (1-500).", "default": 50 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional proxy configuration for requests." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```