How to remove a fake book from Goodreads
Goodreads book records are corrected by volunteer librarians, not by a report button: post in the Goodreads Librarians Group asking for the impostor title to be split onto a separate, disambiguated author profile (or corrected), with links and a one-line factual explanation. If you're a Goodreads Author Program member, also flag it through your author dashboard's support contact.
Why fake books appear on your Goodreads profile
Goodreads ingests book metadata in bulk from retail catalogs (including Amazon). When an impersonating book goes on sale under your name, the record often flows into Goodreads automatically and gets attached to your author profile — where it sits alongside your real work, collects confused ratings, and pollutes your "distinct works" count. Removing the Amazon listing does not automatically remove the Goodreads record.
The request that librarians act on fastest
Post in the Librarians Group with:
- The record link — the exact
/book/show/...URL. - What's wrong, in one factual sentence. "This book is attributed to my author profile but is not my work."
- What you're asking for. The standard remedy is a split: the impostor book gets moved to a new author profile with a disambiguation mark (e.g. "John Smith (2)"), leaving your profile clean. Full deletion happens only when a record violates Goodreads policy outright.
- Proof you're you. Link your official site and your Goodreads Author profile. If you claimed your profile through the Author Program, say so — it makes verification instant.
Librarians usually respond within a couple of days. Be patient and factual; they're volunteers, and accusatory posts slow things down.
If the book is also on Amazon
Handle both surfaces — the Goodreads record regenerates from retail data if the source listing stays live. The Amazon sequence is covered here, and the no-trademark reporting question here.
Keeping your profile clean long-term
New impostor records appear whenever a new impersonating book ships, and nothing notifies you. Periodically check your author profile's book list — or let Author Watch do it: daily sweeps cover Goodreads alongside seven Amazon marketplaces, and every new record attributed to your name shows up in your alert email with the evidence you'll need for the librarian request.
Common questions
Q: Can I just edit the record myself? A: Only Goodreads librarians can edit most book/author records. You can become a librarian yourself (requirements: 50+ books on your shelves and an application), which many prolific authors eventually do.
Q: The fake book has ratings and reviews. Do those transfer? A: When a record is split to a different author profile, its ratings go with it — off your profile. That's usually exactly what you want.
Q: Goodreads support vs. the Librarians Group — which is faster? A: For record corrections, the Librarians Group, almost always. Goodreads' formal support queue is best for account-level problems (a hijacked or duplicate author profile).
Q: What if the impostor claimed my author profile? A: That's an account-security issue, not a record correction — contact Goodreads support through the Author Program help pages immediately.
See what's under your name right now. The free scan checks Amazon and Goodreads in minutes — no account, private report. Continuous protection: Author Watch from $9/month.
Related answers
- How to report author impersonation to Amazon without a trademark
- Someone is selling AI-generated books with my name on them
- Amazon asked for a trademark registration number — I'm an author, now what?
This is an informational tool, not legal advice. Findings are similarity signals that require human confirmation — they are not accusations about any listing, publisher, or person.