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Instead of watching television or surfing the Web, Aldo Zirsov spends his spare time reading books. A self-described book critic, the young auditor said that while he reads books of all kinds, his favorites involve history, philosophy and spirituality. Asked about reading trends in Indonesia, he said simply, “Our people need to read more books.”

Aldo is a member of Goodreads Indonesia, a community that aims to foster a dialogue between readers, writers and publishers. Established in 2007 by Femmy Syahrani, a full-time translator, it is a social network that ambitiously describes itself as “the largest site for readers and book recommendations in the world.” Goodreads Indonesia now has more than 6,000 members, and Aldo said the group was one of the most active. The organization is based on a very simple idea. Each member compiles the titles of books they have already read, are reading and will read. They then write comments designed to help other readers decide which books they should buy. “It’s basically a kind of Facebook for readers,” Aldo said.

But it isn’t just a place to review books. Goodreads Indonesia was established to document Indonesian books digitally, Aldo said.

“There are many old books that we can no longer find,” he said. With the help of their members, the organization has been able to record more than 9,000 Indonesian titles. “The support from Indonesian book fans has been enormous.”

As its fan base grew, Goodreads Indonesia decided to expand its reach. They now hold monthly book discussions, which usually attract about 30 people. Last week, one of the group’s members, Lita Soerjadinata, lead a discussion on Paulo Coelho’s latest novel, “Aleph.”

Aldo said the group was often invited by radio stations to provide reviews on new books. According to Aldo, it was Goodreads Indonesia that first spotlighted Ahmad Fuadi’s novel “Negeri 5 Menara” (“The Land of Five Towers”). “Before it got famous, our members were already buzzing over the book,” he said.

Through Goodreads Indonesia, Aldo said that readers have a medium to express their thoughts, which writers and publishers are taking seriously.

“In the past, publishers and writers didn’t care about what the readers thought,” he said. “They just published books and sold them.”

Now, Aldo said, many publishers ask for their opinions before releasing a book. “By collaborating with us, publishers can find out what readers actually want,” he said.

Readers’ concerns, Aldo said, include the front covers and translation quality for foreign books. The Goodreads members have also started a book swap.

“Instead of spending your money, you can exchange your old book with someone who has a book you want,” Aldo said.

While the movement started in Jakarta, reading enthusiasts in other cities including Makassar, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Semarang have established branches.

To repeat last year’s success, the organization will conduct their second Festival Pembaca Indonesia (Indonesian Readers Festival) on Dec. 4. The event, to be held at Pasar Festival in Kuningan, South Jakarta, will give readers an opportunity to share their favorite books and participate in discussions and other activities.

“Previously, book events were all about publishers and writers showing off their books,” Aldo said. “Our festival is basically the opposite. We want readers to have a voice in the book industry.”

Goodreads Indonesia
goodreads.com/group/show/345.Goodreads_Indonesia
bacaituseru.blogspot.com
festivalpembacaindonesia.com
Twitter: @bacaituseru