Writing Tip Wednesday: Goodreads’ Secret Tools for Authors

I recently listened to a free webinar on how to best use Goodreads, given by best-selling romance author Alessandra Torre. First, her books are phenomenal! You can read my reviews of her romantic suspense novel Moonshot and her erotic thriller Do Not Disturb on Goodreads.

In addition, Alessandra provides valuable resources to new and established independent authors on her website Alessandra Torre Ink.

One of those areas where she is incredibly helpful is regarding Goodreads. Today, I’m going to share with you the “secret” Goodreads site tools that Alessandra discussed in a recent free webinar. Remember that since Goodreads is full of READERS (as opposed to Facebook and other social media sites), indie authors should use the site’s tools, discussed below, to grow their audiences and sell more books!

1. Goodreads Giveaways. Authors can host Goodreads giveaways to give away either print books or ebooks to winning readers. The standard package currently costs $119. A premium package costs around $500. Alessandra recommends going with the standard, cheaper package. Although it’s costly, hosting giveaways can help you increase your audience and book sales. When readers enter the giveaway for your book, your book is automatically added to their Goodreads to-read lists. Authors typically get hundreds or even thousands of giveaway entries. In order to make the best use of the giveaway, Alessandra recommends running the giveaway for a month and scheduling it to end about two days before your book is published. That way, when readers enter the giveaway your book is automatically placed on their Goodreads to-read lists. Then, as soon as your book is published, those readers get an email announcing that the book is available (with retail buy links). This results in instant promotion for your book! Another good idea is to give away three copies of autographed print books to winners.
2. Goodreads Events. Authors can set up a Goodreads event for a book sale or new release and invite their Goodreads friends. When the invitees RSVP for the event, the RSVP appears on the reader’s personal page as well as in the reader’s newsfeed, which is visible to all of the reader’s Goodreads friends. This translates to more publicity for your book!
3. Your Book’s Metadata. Make sure to update the ISBN and ASIN numbers for your books so that your buy links are updated. Make sure that your book’s buy links are accurate so that readers who view your book on Goodreads can easily click on the buy links, which then take the reader directly to the retailer to buy your book! Use the area where you rate your book to convince readers to buy your book. Don’t rate the book yourself; use the space to include a teaser or excerpt or to let readers know that that your book is currently on sale. Note that every time you update this rating section, readers get a newsfeed notification about your book!
4. Newsfeed Triggers. You can add a status update by clicking on General Update from the bottom left of your Goodreads homepage. You can also like someone’s review or status and comment on the positive reviews that readers leave for your books (for the reord, Alessandra indicated that she only leaves comments on 5-star reviews). When you publish an update, like a review or status, or leave a review yourself, your friends and followers get those updates in their Goodreads newsfeeds. This is a great way to update your friends and followers on your writing, events, and new releases!
5. Email Triggers. Write a blog post directly in your Goodreads Author page. Don’t just link your blog to your Goodreads author site. Copy and paste the blog post from your blog (WordPress or whatever else you use), and post it directly into a Goodreads blog post. When you post a new blog post on your Goodreads Author page, all your followers get an email with the post. This generates more publicity! If you want to include an image, such as your book’s cover, in a blog post or general update, following Alessandra’s easy steps here!

For more, check out Alessandra’s website for authors!

Happy writing!