# Goodreads Author Books API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/goodreads/author-books)

> Returns an author's books with average rating, rating and review counts, first publication year and edition count, sorted by popularity, title, newest, rating or pages. Pass the returned cursor for the next page.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/goodreads/author/books` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | no | The Goodreads author id, for example 656983. Send id or url. |
| `url` | no | A Goodreads author link, for example https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983. |
| `sort` | no | popular (default), title, newest, rating or pages. (popular \| title \| newest \| rating \| pages) |
| `limit` | no | Books to return, 1 to 30. Default 30. |
| `cursor` | no | Continuation token from a previous response's pagination block, passed back with the same parameters. Omit for the first page. |
| `max_pages` | no | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them. Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| `max_items` | no | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows, then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| `max_credits` | no | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/goodreads/author/books" \
  --data-urlencode "id=656983" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I list a Goodreads author's books?

Call GET /v1/goodreads/author/books and send id or url for the author. Pass the returned cursor for the next page.

### What does each book in the list include?

Each book has its average rating, rating and review counts, first publication year and edition count.

### How can I sort an author's books?

sort takes popular (the default), title, newest, rating or pages.

### Where do I get the author id?

Use the id in the author's Goodreads link, for example 656983 in https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983, or send the url itself.

### How much does this Goodreads endpoint cost?

Each call costs 1 credit on the standard tier. There is no subscription, and 100 free credits cover 100 calls.

See the full Goodreads API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/goodreads

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How do I list all books by an author with the Goodreads API?
- Can I sort a Goodreads author's books by rating?