More than 25 million people are members of the social reading platform Goodreads. According to the site, every second four books were found on the site. For authors working to promote their books, Goodreads should not be ignored! In our last post, we discussed the benefits of becoming a Goodreads Author. Today’s hot topic: using Goodreads to get readers excited about your book.
How Can You Create Reader Interest?
All authors want people to read and love their books, but if readers don’t know a book exists, they won’t read it. So authors need to spread the word, marketing their own books. Using the Goodreads Author Program, authors have plenty of options to spread the word and express their creativity.
Reviews
The best way to promote any book is to get reviews. There are already more than 29 million book reviews on Goodreads. Reviews and ratings provide the standard from which browsers judge your book. Most people choose books based on the recommendation of someone else—even if that person is a complete stranger. Every giveaway, promotion, and update should all be aimed at getting readers to talk about your book and to generate reviews.
Review and Rate Other Books Besides Your Own
Readers love to know what their favorite author thinks about other books. Some authors have large “recommended reading” lists, but Goodreads makes recommending books a bit easier. As a Goodreads Author, you are also a Goodreads user. So rate away! Review books and tell your readers why or why not you would recommend this book. Readers will begin to trust your judgment and, by extension, your books.
Giveaways
Listing ARCs (advanced reader’s copies) as giveaways on Goodreads is a great way to generate pre-launch buzz. Readers who have never heard of you before may receive your book and become a fan for a lifetime. Okay, that’s a best case scenario, but you get the idea—the more people that know about your book, the better. Check out the giveaway Ambassador is currently running on Goodreads and enter to win one of five copies of Willing to Die by John Muntean:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
According to Goodreads, “an average of 825 people enter to win any given giveaway.” That’s a lot of traffic for your book! Even if most of the readers don’t win your book, they are still exposed to your work. Either way, giveaways can be a very effective tool.
Other Ways to Promote your Books include:
- Posting videos, such as an interview or video blog
- Creating Quizzes
- Updating events, such as book signing or appearances
- Participating in book groups
Now that you know how to reel readers in, next week, we’ll discuss author and reader interaction. Interacting with readers can be both fun and a bit tricky. What should you do if you get a bad review or a bad rating? Want to ask a question about Goodreads? Comment below or ask Ambassador on Twitter @AmbassadorIntl.