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Marketing Advice from Scott Hawkins
Posted by Cynthia on May 27, 2016
Calling The Library at Mount Char Scott Hawkins’ first book is technically not accurate–his Goodreads Author profile shows several computer reference books he wrote before then. However, the overwhelming majority of the 7,000 ratings and 1,200 reviews he’s received are on his debut novel, which is was originally published in 2015, received a Goodreads Choice Award nod, and is now out in paperback. We asked Scott a few questions about how he’s navigated Goodreads so successfully. Here’s what he said:
How has Goodreads played a role in your overall promotion campaign?
As a debut novelist, the biggest challenge is getting people to notice the book in the first place. To that end, [my publisher and I] used banner ads targeted at fans of authors working in the same space—Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill and so forth. That has generated a good bit of awareness. I’ve had in-real-life friends tell me they saw the ad, which is encouraging.
I personally focus on connecting with readers. I get quite a few questions and messages, which is great. Writing the book was my main hobby for a couple of years, so I love talking about it with other people.
What’s your approach to responding to reader questions via Ask the Author?
Overall it’s pretty casual. Honestly, I’m always thrilled that there are questions, so I tend to gush. I’ve also found that I tend to clinch up if I think in terms of a zillion people reading, so I make an effort to respond if I were talking to whoever asked one-on-one. For me that makes it easier.
Sometimes the Q&A turns into conversation and spills over into comments—the other day a guy asked me something and we ended up getting into a back and forth on Joseph Campbell. A couple months back a lady in South Africa confirmed that a little Afrikaans quote from the book did, in fact, say what I hoped it said. I’ve also made a couple of goodreads buddies that way.
In practical terms, I check for questions every couple of days, usually at the end of the day. I’ll answer anything new that’s come in the next morning as I’m having coffee. I try not to let stuff sit.
What’s your favorite thing about Goodreads?
In terms of fun, I like the updates screen. I’ve buddied up with a couple dozen people. Some of them read a lot. If they liked my book, our tastes tend to overlap at least a little bit, so I’ve found a lot of good stuff just by looking at what they liked.
On the professional side, reading the reviews has also been hugely helpful. A minority seemed to love my book without reservation, which is of course fun, but a lot of the people who liked it seemed to have the same general concerns—“a little confusing in the early stages” is something I see mentioned a lot. I’m trying to be mindful of that while I work on the follow up. That sort of thing is an absolute gold mine in terms of feedback.
Last but not least, quite a few of the people who straight-up hated it wrote about why they hated it at length, using thoughtful and well-supported arguments. Often they were quite convincing. I have a tear-stained notebook where I keep the best ones.
How do you encourage reviews of your book on Goodreads?
I have the widgets installed on my blog and on my Facebook page, and I have WordPress set up so that it publishes automatically to Goodreads.
What’s one exciting, possibly hidden feature you’ve discovered on Goodreads?
The author dashboard has a feature called "Work Stats." It gives you a listing of how many readers added your book(s), by date. That can give you insight into the impact your promotional work is having.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on a new fantasy/mystery set in the modern world:
Jackie Hadder is a middle-aged murderer working as a fry cook. One day the pretzel billionaire Bob Thackeray approaches her with a job offer. Bob thinks Jackie’s experience as a fugitive might be useful in investigating an old school shooting, and he pays very well.
The shooter was never caught. Now, ten years later, his formerly unremarkable hostages seem to be up to something. Megan Hodges just set off a nuclear bomb in Antarctica. Beth Portier is running a bond trading operation out of a Chicago office staffed mostly by anacondas. Mark Lambert, who rarely leaves the basement of his Boston home, seems to be secretly in charge of the Russian Navy.
They seem like the sorts of people who might have an evil plan, but what is it, exactly? And why are they so interested in Jackie? And whose side is she on?
Check out the great Ask the Author answers Scott Hawkins provides for his fans here and be sure to follow him to see his ongoing great activity.
Posted by Cynthia on May 27, 2016
Calling The Library at Mount Char Scott Hawkins’ first book is technically not accurate–his Goodreads Author profile shows several computer reference books he wrote before then. However, the overwhelming majority of the 7,000 ratings and 1,200 reviews he’s received are on his debut novel, which is was originally published in 2015, received a Goodreads Choice Award nod, and is now out in paperback. We asked Scott a few questions about how he’s navigated Goodreads so successfully. Here’s what he said:
How has Goodreads played a role in your overall promotion campaign?
As a debut novelist, the biggest challenge is getting people to notice the book in the first place. To that end, [my publisher and I] used banner ads targeted at fans of authors working in the same space—Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill and so forth. That has generated a good bit of awareness. I’ve had in-real-life friends tell me they saw the ad, which is encouraging.
I personally focus on connecting with readers. I get quite a few questions and messages, which is great. Writing the book was my main hobby for a couple of years, so I love talking about it with other people.
What’s your approach to responding to reader questions via Ask the Author?
Overall it’s pretty casual. Honestly, I’m always thrilled that there are questions, so I tend to gush. I’ve also found that I tend to clinch up if I think in terms of a zillion people reading, so I make an effort to respond if I were talking to whoever asked one-on-one. For me that makes it easier.
Sometimes the Q&A turns into conversation and spills over into comments—the other day a guy asked me something and we ended up getting into a back and forth on Joseph Campbell. A couple months back a lady in South Africa confirmed that a little Afrikaans quote from the book did, in fact, say what I hoped it said. I’ve also made a couple of goodreads buddies that way.
In practical terms, I check for questions every couple of days, usually at the end of the day. I’ll answer anything new that’s come in the next morning as I’m having coffee. I try not to let stuff sit.
In terms of fun, I like the updates screen. I’ve buddied up with a couple dozen people. Some of them read a lot. If they liked my book, our tastes tend to overlap at least a little bit, so I’ve found a lot of good stuff just by looking at what they liked.
On the professional side, reading the reviews has also been hugely helpful. A minority seemed to love my book without reservation, which is of course fun, but a lot of the people who liked it seemed to have the same general concerns—“a little confusing in the early stages” is something I see mentioned a lot. I’m trying to be mindful of that while I work on the follow up. That sort of thing is an absolute gold mine in terms of feedback.
Last but not least, quite a few of the people who straight-up hated it wrote about why they hated it at length, using thoughtful and well-supported arguments. Often they were quite convincing. I have a tear-stained notebook where I keep the best ones.
How do you encourage reviews of your book on Goodreads?
I have the widgets installed on my blog and on my Facebook page, and I have WordPress set up so that it publishes automatically to Goodreads.
What’s one exciting, possibly hidden feature you’ve discovered on Goodreads?
The author dashboard has a feature called "Work Stats." It gives you a listing of how many readers added your book(s), by date. That can give you insight into the impact your promotional work is having.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on a new fantasy/mystery set in the modern world:
Jackie Hadder is a middle-aged murderer working as a fry cook. One day the pretzel billionaire Bob Thackeray approaches her with a job offer. Bob thinks Jackie’s experience as a fugitive might be useful in investigating an old school shooting, and he pays very well.
The shooter was never caught. Now, ten years later, his formerly unremarkable hostages seem to be up to something. Megan Hodges just set off a nuclear bomb in Antarctica. Beth Portier is running a bond trading operation out of a Chicago office staffed mostly by anacondas. Mark Lambert, who rarely leaves the basement of his Boston home, seems to be secretly in charge of the Russian Navy.
They seem like the sorts of people who might have an evil plan, but what is it, exactly? And why are they so interested in Jackie? And whose side is she on?
Check out the great Ask the Author answers Scott Hawkins provides for his fans here and be sure to follow him to see his ongoing great activity.
Goodreads Deals: A New Way to Promote Your Ebooks to Millions of Goodreads Members (U.S. Market)
Posted by Annarose Mclaughlin on May 17, 2016
What's the secret to successful book marketing? Getting in front of the largest number of readers who are most likely to be interested in your titles! With the launch of Goodreads Deals in the U.S., we’re now offering authors and publishers a new way to amplify ebook price promotions to our millions of members. The Goodreads Deals program comes with built-in personalization options based on members' Want to Read shelves, the authors they follow, and the genres they prefer—all designed to help your deals reach the readers with the highest interest in buying your books.
Goodreads Deals is unique because we'll enable you to reach existing fans and introduce your ebooks to new readers:
Above: Example of a deal
"As publishers, we always want to find readers in the most targeted and direct ways possible," says Heather Fain, SVP, Director of Marketing Strategy at Hachette Book Group. "We want to reach readers where they live, and millions of them live and breathe on Goodreads. Backed by their data, we can match a deal with a reader we know is already interested in our book, something we think will be highly efficient. Consumers have come to expect personalization, and Goodreads Deals is a terrific way to achieve that level of intimacy. Goodreads has long been an integral part of the marketing plans at Hachette Book Group, and I'm excited to see how this new product enhances that relationship.”
We know you may have questions. Here are some answers:
I'm a publisher—how can I get my ebook deal featured by Goodreads Deals? We hand-pick deals on ebooks that will most appeal to the Goodreads community. Publishers who'd like to nominate their ebook deal should reach out to their Goodreads Account Manager to get started, or send an email to [email protected].
I'm an author—how can I get my ebook deal featured by Goodreads Deals?
We haven't opened up deal nominations to authors as we are in beta, but we're working on it. Our plan is to have something to announce very soon, so stay tuned.
Which genres will be featured at launch?
At launch, we will offer daily emails for the following genres:
• Bestsellers
• Romance
• Mystery & Thrillers
• Fantasy & Sci-Fi
If you don't see your book's genre, don't worry. Our readers love a wide variety of books and our goal is to increase our range of genres in the coming months.
How many readers will be notified of my deal, if chosen?
This depends on the book. U.S. members who have added the book to their Want to Read shelves or are following the author will receive an email alerting them to the deal. Members can also opt in to getting deals every day in their genres of choice.
Which retailers will be included in Goodreads Deals emails?
Readers will be able to choose which retailers they would like to see in their personalized deals emails and can select from among the following: Kindle Store, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play, and Kobo.
When will Goodreads Deals be available outside the U.S.?
Goodreads Deals is launching in the U.S. Our goal is to offer all of our features in other markets, but we don't have any timing to share on this.
How much does it cost to have my deal included in Goodreads Deals?
We'll announce pricing soon. Stay tuned.
Have more questions? Find answers in the Goodreads Deals section of our Help Page.
Posted by Annarose Mclaughlin on May 17, 2016
What's the secret to successful book marketing? Getting in front of the largest number of readers who are most likely to be interested in your titles! With the launch of Goodreads Deals in the U.S., we’re now offering authors and publishers a new way to amplify ebook price promotions to our millions of members. The Goodreads Deals program comes with built-in personalization options based on members' Want to Read shelves, the authors they follow, and the genres they prefer—all designed to help your deals reach the readers with the highest interest in buying your books.
Goodreads Deals is unique because we'll enable you to reach existing fans and introduce your ebooks to new readers:
- Existing Fans: Every second, our members add 6 books to their Want to Read shelves—that's 15 million books per month that have captured the interest of readers. With Goodreads Deals, you can now tap into that interest. We'll email members when a book on their Want to Read shelf has a price promotion. We'll also email any members who follow the author on Goodreads.
- Prospective Readers: At the same time, members can choose to receive even more deals by opting in to daily emails featuring books in the genres they prefer. For many of our members, their hunger for books often outpaces their wallets, and they are interested in hearing about price promotions that will help them read more books. With Goodreads Deals, you can drive discovery and sales of your ebook with a broader reader base in your genre.
"As publishers, we always want to find readers in the most targeted and direct ways possible," says Heather Fain, SVP, Director of Marketing Strategy at Hachette Book Group. "We want to reach readers where they live, and millions of them live and breathe on Goodreads. Backed by their data, we can match a deal with a reader we know is already interested in our book, something we think will be highly efficient. Consumers have come to expect personalization, and Goodreads Deals is a terrific way to achieve that level of intimacy. Goodreads has long been an integral part of the marketing plans at Hachette Book Group, and I'm excited to see how this new product enhances that relationship.”
We know you may have questions. Here are some answers:
I'm a publisher—how can I get my ebook deal featured by Goodreads Deals? We hand-pick deals on ebooks that will most appeal to the Goodreads community. Publishers who'd like to nominate their ebook deal should reach out to their Goodreads Account Manager to get started, or send an email to [email protected].
I'm an author—how can I get my ebook deal featured by Goodreads Deals?
We haven't opened up deal nominations to authors as we are in beta, but we're working on it. Our plan is to have something to announce very soon, so stay tuned.
Which genres will be featured at launch?
At launch, we will offer daily emails for the following genres:
• Bestsellers
• Romance
• Mystery & Thrillers
• Fantasy & Sci-Fi
If you don't see your book's genre, don't worry. Our readers love a wide variety of books and our goal is to increase our range of genres in the coming months.
How many readers will be notified of my deal, if chosen?
This depends on the book. U.S. members who have added the book to their Want to Read shelves or are following the author will receive an email alerting them to the deal. Members can also opt in to getting deals every day in their genres of choice.
Which retailers will be included in Goodreads Deals emails?
Readers will be able to choose which retailers they would like to see in their personalized deals emails and can select from among the following: Kindle Store, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play, and Kobo.
When will Goodreads Deals be available outside the U.S.?
Goodreads Deals is launching in the U.S. Our goal is to offer all of our features in other markets, but we don't have any timing to share on this.
How much does it cost to have my deal included in Goodreads Deals?
We'll announce pricing soon. Stay tuned.
Have more questions? Find answers in the Goodreads Deals section of our Help Page.
Goodreads Introduces Kindle Ebook Giveaways Beta Program (U.S. market)
Posted by Greg Seguin on May 03, 2016
Last year, Goodreads helped authors and publishers give away more than 300,000 print books in our popular Giveaways program! Thanks to this success, authors and publishers have been clamoring for the option to run ebook giveaways with Goodreads. Today, we have the news you’ve been waiting for! The beta launch of our new Kindle ebook giveaways program is now underway.
Here’s how it works: The author or publisher of a book – whoever controls the digital distribution rights to the book – can now offer up to 100 copies of the Kindle ebook in a giveaway. The author or publisher chooses how long the giveaway will run, and Goodreads does the rest. At the end of the giveaway, Goodreads randomly chooses winners and automatically sends the Kindle ebooks to their preferred devices and Cloud accounts. Winners receive real Kindle ebooks, complete with all the great features and security that Amazon’s Kindle platform provides.
Kindle ebook giveaways will initially be open to Goodreads members in the U.S. During this beta period, Goodreads is working with Amazon Publishing to host Kindle ebook giveaways, but once out of beta, the program will be open to any author or publisher - whoever owns the digital distribution rights for the book - who sells their ebooks on Amazon.
The cost of listing a Kindle book giveaway is $119, which allows you to offer up to 100 Kindle ebooks. Listing a print book giveaway will continue to be free. Why the difference? Both types of giveaways give authors and publishers a powerful way to market their books, reach lots of new readers, and drive buzz. With a Kindle ebook giveaway, we give you the opportunity to offer a large number of free books, reaching even more readers. We also save you on both costs and hassle. No more printing books, hauling them down to the post office, filling out address labels, and paying to ship them off to winners (which can cost hundreds of dollars for a 100-copy giveaway). No more delays in getting your books in winners’ hands. The readers who win your Kindle ebook giveaway will get their Kindle ebook instantly and will be able to start reading right away, which means you can get readers talking about your title faster than ever.
Authors and publishers have come to count on Goodreads print giveaways as a key part of their marketing plans. They are a powerful way to raise awareness of an upcoming book or reignite interest in a previously published book, and they generate the kind of engagement that makes readers take note. Giveaways are especially useful before a book is published, building the buzz and word-of-mouth excitement – through pre-release reviews and friends seeing their friends adding the book to their want to read shelves – that help successfully launch books.
Why should I run a Goodreads Giveaway?
The primary benefit of running a giveaway on Goodreads is generating excitement for your book. Many giveaway winners review the books they win, meaning that you can build word-of-mouth buzz early in your book’s life. The ability to offer up to 100 copies of a book will greatly increase your chances of receiving a good number of reviews.
Additionally, when a reader enters your giveaway, a post appears in all of their Goodreads friends’ and followers’ newsfeeds, which in turn, creates more entries, more people adding your book to their Want To Read shelves, and more awareness. That’s something you won’t get anywhere else.
Giving away 100 books or more is the technique that large publishers have been using for years with great success on Goodreads. For example, Riverhead Books has said that Goodreads played a major role in helping The Girl on the Train break out to early success. To help drive early reviews, they gave away 100 copies on Goodreads (case study). In total, they printed more than 4,000 advanced copies of the debut novel, as they knew that getting the book into a lot of readers’ hands was a key way to help make it a breakout hit.
Will I still be able to run print book giveaways?
If you love our print book giveaway program, don’t worry; it’s not going anywhere. Print book giveaways will remain free to list (though you are responsible for the costs of printing and shipping the books to the winners).
I’m an author and I want to run a Kindle book giveaway. What do I do?
For this initial beta, we are working exclusively with Amazon Publishing, but you’ll be able to list a Kindle ebook giveaway soon. We will open up Kindle ebook giveaways to all publishers and KDP authors with an ebook in the Amazon store in the near future. Stay tuned for more!
When will Kindle ebook giveaways be available outside the U.S.?
We’re starting off with the program in the U.S. Our goal is to make sure that we offer all of our features in other markets, but we do not have any timing on this.
My book isn’t published yet. Can I offer ebook ARCs?
You can run a giveaway for a book that has not yet been published yet. The only requirement is that the ARC must be in a Kindle ebook format and loaded into the Kindle store before you list your giveaway.
How are these giveaways different from Amazon Giveaways?
The two programs are completely separate. With Amazon Giveaways, you purchase each copy of whatever book you want to give away. With Kindle Ebook Giveaways, you pay a flat listing fee to give away up to 100 copies of your book. Additionally, Kindle Ebook Giveaways are available for pre-publication titles, while Amazon Giveaways are not.
Posted by Greg Seguin on May 03, 2016
Last year, Goodreads helped authors and publishers give away more than 300,000 print books in our popular Giveaways program! Thanks to this success, authors and publishers have been clamoring for the option to run ebook giveaways with Goodreads. Today, we have the news you’ve been waiting for! The beta launch of our new Kindle ebook giveaways program is now underway.
Here’s how it works: The author or publisher of a book – whoever controls the digital distribution rights to the book – can now offer up to 100 copies of the Kindle ebook in a giveaway. The author or publisher chooses how long the giveaway will run, and Goodreads does the rest. At the end of the giveaway, Goodreads randomly chooses winners and automatically sends the Kindle ebooks to their preferred devices and Cloud accounts. Winners receive real Kindle ebooks, complete with all the great features and security that Amazon’s Kindle platform provides.
Kindle ebook giveaways will initially be open to Goodreads members in the U.S. During this beta period, Goodreads is working with Amazon Publishing to host Kindle ebook giveaways, but once out of beta, the program will be open to any author or publisher - whoever owns the digital distribution rights for the book - who sells their ebooks on Amazon.
The cost of listing a Kindle book giveaway is $119, which allows you to offer up to 100 Kindle ebooks. Listing a print book giveaway will continue to be free. Why the difference? Both types of giveaways give authors and publishers a powerful way to market their books, reach lots of new readers, and drive buzz. With a Kindle ebook giveaway, we give you the opportunity to offer a large number of free books, reaching even more readers. We also save you on both costs and hassle. No more printing books, hauling them down to the post office, filling out address labels, and paying to ship them off to winners (which can cost hundreds of dollars for a 100-copy giveaway). No more delays in getting your books in winners’ hands. The readers who win your Kindle ebook giveaway will get their Kindle ebook instantly and will be able to start reading right away, which means you can get readers talking about your title faster than ever.
Authors and publishers have come to count on Goodreads print giveaways as a key part of their marketing plans. They are a powerful way to raise awareness of an upcoming book or reignite interest in a previously published book, and they generate the kind of engagement that makes readers take note. Giveaways are especially useful before a book is published, building the buzz and word-of-mouth excitement – through pre-release reviews and friends seeing their friends adding the book to their want to read shelves – that help successfully launch books.
Why should I run a Goodreads Giveaway?
The primary benefit of running a giveaway on Goodreads is generating excitement for your book. Many giveaway winners review the books they win, meaning that you can build word-of-mouth buzz early in your book’s life. The ability to offer up to 100 copies of a book will greatly increase your chances of receiving a good number of reviews.
Additionally, when a reader enters your giveaway, a post appears in all of their Goodreads friends’ and followers’ newsfeeds, which in turn, creates more entries, more people adding your book to their Want To Read shelves, and more awareness. That’s something you won’t get anywhere else.
Giving away 100 books or more is the technique that large publishers have been using for years with great success on Goodreads. For example, Riverhead Books has said that Goodreads played a major role in helping The Girl on the Train break out to early success. To help drive early reviews, they gave away 100 copies on Goodreads (case study). In total, they printed more than 4,000 advanced copies of the debut novel, as they knew that getting the book into a lot of readers’ hands was a key way to help make it a breakout hit.
Will I still be able to run print book giveaways?
If you love our print book giveaway program, don’t worry; it’s not going anywhere. Print book giveaways will remain free to list (though you are responsible for the costs of printing and shipping the books to the winners).
I’m an author and I want to run a Kindle book giveaway. What do I do?
For this initial beta, we are working exclusively with Amazon Publishing, but you’ll be able to list a Kindle ebook giveaway soon. We will open up Kindle ebook giveaways to all publishers and KDP authors with an ebook in the Amazon store in the near future. Stay tuned for more!
When will Kindle ebook giveaways be available outside the U.S.?
We’re starting off with the program in the U.S. Our goal is to make sure that we offer all of our features in other markets, but we do not have any timing on this.
My book isn’t published yet. Can I offer ebook ARCs?
You can run a giveaway for a book that has not yet been published yet. The only requirement is that the ARC must be in a Kindle ebook format and loaded into the Kindle store before you list your giveaway.
How are these giveaways different from Amazon Giveaways?
The two programs are completely separate. With Amazon Giveaways, you purchase each copy of whatever book you want to give away. With Kindle Ebook Giveaways, you pay a flat listing fee to give away up to 100 copies of your book. Additionally, Kindle Ebook Giveaways are available for pre-publication titles, while Amazon Giveaways are not.
Six Lovely Lessons Learned at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention
Posted by Cynthia on April 20, 2016
More than 3,000 romance authors and readers attended the Romantic Times Convention, which was held in Las Vegas this year (many attendees noted that their husbands were more than happy to tag along to this one!). Romance authors are among the most savvy when it comes to online community building, creative marketing, and reader engagement, so they are worth listening to even if you write non-fiction or mysteries. Here are some of our key takeaways from the convention:
1. Get your street team working for you. A street team is a curated group of your biggest fans that helps build buzz and excitement for your books. The romance authors we talked to give them early access to new books, chat with them regularly via email and video, and give them other exclusive experiences. In turn, their street teams spread the word about their work online and off. A street team is not quite your mother boasting about you but also not quite a hired PR-hand. Find your most passionate fans and cultivate them. We recommend using a Goodreads group to build and communicate with your team.
2. Every author is a reader first. Always remember what first inspired you to write: reading a story and realizing you wanted to tell one, too. Even the biggest romance authors get star-struck when their favorite authors are in the room with them. Engage on Goodreads as you would as a reader by reviewing, rating, and shelving books—meeting other readers and building your platform while you’re at it.
3. Driving discoverability is the key to building a readership. 60% of survey respondents told us that because they read so many romance books, they actually have a hard time finding enough good new romance books to read! Reviews and recommendations from friends top the list of where readers turn when looking for their next book. At Goodreads, the book page reflects the social circle of each member, displaying reviews from friends first, then people you follow, and then the general community.
4. Rethink your tchotchkes. Besides the standard bookmarks and buttons, we saw shot glasses, breath mints, and temporary tattoos getting handed out for free—the raffle prizes were even more elaborate! If you’re going to invest in promotional items, invest in something memorable. But remember, for most readers, the most valuable thing is still your time and your writing.
5. Your cover is your biggest advertisement. What’s on your cover should reflect what’s between the lines without giving too much away. Don’t mislead a reader by showing a sweaty, shirtless guy with a six-pack, only for them to read a clean love story. Keep the packaging consistent if you’re writing a series, and make sure the cover looks good as a thumbnail image on a computer screen or phone.
6. Metadata can be sexy... Though we know it’s not the most exciting thing (we heard that groan!), metadata is critical for helping readers find your book. Be as descriptive as possible and think hard about what keywords to use. For instance, keywords for inspirational romance books would include ‘sweet,’ ‘wholesome,’ and ‘gentle.’
Did you attend RT this year? What was the most important thing you learned as an author?
Posted by Cynthia on April 20, 2016
More than 3,000 romance authors and readers attended the Romantic Times Convention, which was held in Las Vegas this year (many attendees noted that their husbands were more than happy to tag along to this one!). Romance authors are among the most savvy when it comes to online community building, creative marketing, and reader engagement, so they are worth listening to even if you write non-fiction or mysteries. Here are some of our key takeaways from the convention:
1. Get your street team working for you. A street team is a curated group of your biggest fans that helps build buzz and excitement for your books. The romance authors we talked to give them early access to new books, chat with them regularly via email and video, and give them other exclusive experiences. In turn, their street teams spread the word about their work online and off. A street team is not quite your mother boasting about you but also not quite a hired PR-hand. Find your most passionate fans and cultivate them. We recommend using a Goodreads group to build and communicate with your team.
2. Every author is a reader first. Always remember what first inspired you to write: reading a story and realizing you wanted to tell one, too. Even the biggest romance authors get star-struck when their favorite authors are in the room with them. Engage on Goodreads as you would as a reader by reviewing, rating, and shelving books—meeting other readers and building your platform while you’re at it.
3. Driving discoverability is the key to building a readership. 60% of survey respondents told us that because they read so many romance books, they actually have a hard time finding enough good new romance books to read! Reviews and recommendations from friends top the list of where readers turn when looking for their next book. At Goodreads, the book page reflects the social circle of each member, displaying reviews from friends first, then people you follow, and then the general community.
4. Rethink your tchotchkes. Besides the standard bookmarks and buttons, we saw shot glasses, breath mints, and temporary tattoos getting handed out for free—the raffle prizes were even more elaborate! If you’re going to invest in promotional items, invest in something memorable. But remember, for most readers, the most valuable thing is still your time and your writing.
5. Your cover is your biggest advertisement. What’s on your cover should reflect what’s between the lines without giving too much away. Don’t mislead a reader by showing a sweaty, shirtless guy with a six-pack, only for them to read a clean love story. Keep the packaging consistent if you’re writing a series, and make sure the cover looks good as a thumbnail image on a computer screen or phone.
6. Metadata can be sexy... Though we know it’s not the most exciting thing (we heard that groan!), metadata is critical for helping readers find your book. Be as descriptive as possible and think hard about what keywords to use. For instance, keywords for inspirational romance books would include ‘sweet,’ ‘wholesome,’ and ‘gentle.’
Did you attend RT this year? What was the most important thing you learned as an author?
How to Participate in Shakespeare Week on Goodreads
Posted by Cynthia on April 11, 2016
Approximately 38 plays and 154 sonnets as attributed to Shakespeare, as well as a variety of other poems—in total, his complete works consist of a whopping 884,647 words (written by hand, not on the computer, mind you!).
From April 18 - 22, Goodreads is celebrating William Shakespeare’s literary legacy in honor of his 400th anniversary. All authors inspired by Shakespeare are invited to participate. Help readers discover books inspired by Shakespeare’s plays, share how Shakespeare influenced your life, or tell readers which Shakespeare character you portrayed in your high school play.
Here's how you can get involved next week:
Enable Ask the Author from your author dashboard, and answer any pending writing prompts or questions from readers.
Tell your followers you're participating in #ShakespeareWeek. If you haven't answered the pre-seeded questions from Goodreads yet, now is a great time to do so.
Share a link to your Ask the Author landing page on Twitter using #ShakespeareWeek. Invite readers to ask you a question, or share a great answer.
Join the conversation with readers and other authors to discuss best quotes, favorite sonnets, or alternate endings.
Answer questions from readers throughout the week. Answer at your own pace, and remember it’s ok to skip questions. Thoughtful answers go much further than short, dismissive ones.
Shelve your favorite works by Shakespeare. Even if you just read a few plays in high school, share what works you've read with your followers. Writing a review is optional (not like it was back in Ms. Smith's English class...)
List a giveaway. Have a book that features Shakespeare, or is based on a Shakespeare play? Be sure to do this today, as the giveaway needs to be scheduled 7 days in advance.
Ask another author a question. Browse our list of Featured Authors to connect with more authors. Ask a question, or like and comment on an answer. Remember: the answer gets shared in both your newsfeeds, which exposes you to new followers.
Tweet your favorite quote from Shakespeare. Find inspiration on on our quotes page.
The fun starts Monday, April 18th so be sure to check our Goodreads blog for a complete overview of what's happening.
Posted by Cynthia on April 11, 2016
Approximately 38 plays and 154 sonnets as attributed to Shakespeare, as well as a variety of other poems—in total, his complete works consist of a whopping 884,647 words (written by hand, not on the computer, mind you!).
From April 18 - 22, Goodreads is celebrating William Shakespeare’s literary legacy in honor of his 400th anniversary. All authors inspired by Shakespeare are invited to participate. Help readers discover books inspired by Shakespeare’s plays, share how Shakespeare influenced your life, or tell readers which Shakespeare character you portrayed in your high school play.
Here's how you can get involved next week:
Enable Ask the Author from your author dashboard, and answer any pending writing prompts or questions from readers.
Tell your followers you're participating in #ShakespeareWeek. If you haven't answered the pre-seeded questions from Goodreads yet, now is a great time to do so.
Share a link to your Ask the Author landing page on Twitter using #ShakespeareWeek. Invite readers to ask you a question, or share a great answer.
Join the conversation with readers and other authors to discuss best quotes, favorite sonnets, or alternate endings.
Answer questions from readers throughout the week. Answer at your own pace, and remember it’s ok to skip questions. Thoughtful answers go much further than short, dismissive ones.
Shelve your favorite works by Shakespeare. Even if you just read a few plays in high school, share what works you've read with your followers. Writing a review is optional (not like it was back in Ms. Smith's English class...)
List a giveaway. Have a book that features Shakespeare, or is based on a Shakespeare play? Be sure to do this today, as the giveaway needs to be scheduled 7 days in advance.
Ask another author a question. Browse our list of Featured Authors to connect with more authors. Ask a question, or like and comment on an answer. Remember: the answer gets shared in both your newsfeeds, which exposes you to new followers.
Tweet your favorite quote from Shakespeare. Find inspiration on on our quotes page.
The fun starts Monday, April 18th so be sure to check our Goodreads blog for a complete overview of what's happening.
Five Things to Remember When Engaging on Goodreads
Posted by Cynthia on March 25, 2016
There are many places to interact with readers on Goodreads, including Ask the Author, in the newsfeed where readers post their reading updates, in book reviews, and in group discussions. Every interaction gets amplified and helps promote discovery of your titles, so keep in mind that all your actions are for public consumption. As with any online community, there are some things that work and some that don't. Check out our author guidelines, which can help you identify what works best. Here are some key things to remember:
• Always practice basic online etiquette, or "netiquette." Consider including emoticons to help add personality to your message and set the right tone. Also, be sure to stay on topic in a conversation and avoid writing in all caps, which is the online equivalent to shouting.
• Join groups that interest you. You'll meet readers who share a common interest, whether it’s "Cozy Mysteries" or "Biker Book Babes." Avoid self-promotion, as your focus should be on the topic of the group, not on yourself.
• Provide thoughtful, generous responses when answering questions from readers in Ask the Author, and contribute general good content in the form of reviews or group comments.
• Pace yourself. Respond to one or two questions a day rather than 40 questions in one Ask the Author sitting. Similarly, it’s easier to actively participate regularly in two groups than two dozen.
• Review books. Talk about the books you’re reading, not just the books you’ve written. Write reviews of the books that most influenced you when you were first getting started as a writer.
• Whatever you do, don't argue with reviewers or try to change their opinions of your book. If the review violates our guidelines, flag it so we can check it out.
Taking the time to get to know readers online and connecting with them on a personal level will help drive book discovery organically. Readers cherish your time and attention above all, and with sincere interaction it's possible to build a loyal readership that will help you spread the word about your books!
Posted by Cynthia on March 25, 2016
There are many places to interact with readers on Goodreads, including Ask the Author, in the newsfeed where readers post their reading updates, in book reviews, and in group discussions. Every interaction gets amplified and helps promote discovery of your titles, so keep in mind that all your actions are for public consumption. As with any online community, there are some things that work and some that don't. Check out our author guidelines, which can help you identify what works best. Here are some key things to remember:
• Always practice basic online etiquette, or "netiquette." Consider including emoticons to help add personality to your message and set the right tone. Also, be sure to stay on topic in a conversation and avoid writing in all caps, which is the online equivalent to shouting.
• Join groups that interest you. You'll meet readers who share a common interest, whether it’s "Cozy Mysteries" or "Biker Book Babes." Avoid self-promotion, as your focus should be on the topic of the group, not on yourself.
• Provide thoughtful, generous responses when answering questions from readers in Ask the Author, and contribute general good content in the form of reviews or group comments.
• Pace yourself. Respond to one or two questions a day rather than 40 questions in one Ask the Author sitting. Similarly, it’s easier to actively participate regularly in two groups than two dozen.
• Review books. Talk about the books you’re reading, not just the books you’ve written. Write reviews of the books that most influenced you when you were first getting started as a writer.
• Whatever you do, don't argue with reviewers or try to change their opinions of your book. If the review violates our guidelines, flag it so we can check it out.
Taking the time to get to know readers online and connecting with them on a personal level will help drive book discovery organically. Readers cherish your time and attention above all, and with sincere interaction it's possible to build a loyal readership that will help you spread the word about your books!
How to Get the Most Out of Goodreads in Five Minutes a Day
Posted by Cynthia on February 25, 2016
Goodreads is the world's largest site for book discovery, and savvy authors know to claim their author profile, run a giveaway, and enable Ask the Author. But a Goodreads author profile is not complete unless you share your favorite books.
To get the most out of your time on Goodreads, you must be able to speak the same language as the millions of members on Goodreads: talk about books! Goodreads was built around the concept of discovering the next good book by browsing your friends’ bookshelves. Imagine how special it is for readers to browse the shelves of their favorite authors!
As part of Romance Week, Nalini Singh took the time to delight her fans by adding some of her favorite romance books to her shelf, and adding a few lines to her review:
Her fans responded not just by liking and commenting on her review, but by adding the book to their own shelves:
There are many ways to indicate your personal love for reading, and it all starts by adding books to your shelf.
Adding books takes a few minutes. You don’t need to write a full review or give the book a star rating; simply adding the book to your ‘Want to Read’ shelf to show readers what you’re interested in.
Adding books generates a newsfeed update to your followers. This is a quick and easy way to keep yourself top of mind with your followers on Goodreads.
Adding books gives you credibility. Every author started as a reader. Give new readers a better understanding of where you came from by sharing what you enjoy.
Adding books gives you conversation material. When readers comment on a book review you wrote, it’s absolutely ok to respond. Remember though: everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Adding books is an ongoing activity. New books are constantly being published, so show you’re up with the times (you must have read Girl on the Train by now, haven’t you?). It’s a great activity to do when you’re in between books.
Here are some more examples of bookshelves we like:
Sonali Dev, author of A Bollywood Affair
What we like on her shelf: An eclectic mix of romance and literature, this author helps readers discover similar books to hers.
Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City
What we like on his shelf: A custom shelf of 18 “all-time-favorites” helps readers identify a good book recommendation they can pass along to fans of The Devil in the White City
Amber Smith, author of The Way I Used to Be
What we like on her shelf: As a writer who also earned a BFA in Painting, Amber’s list of books shelved under “art books” must be legit.
Take the next five minutes to find and shelve the books that made you fall in love with reading. Share the link to your shelf with us in the comments below!
Posted by Cynthia on February 25, 2016
Goodreads is the world's largest site for book discovery, and savvy authors know to claim their author profile, run a giveaway, and enable Ask the Author. But a Goodreads author profile is not complete unless you share your favorite books.
To get the most out of your time on Goodreads, you must be able to speak the same language as the millions of members on Goodreads: talk about books! Goodreads was built around the concept of discovering the next good book by browsing your friends’ bookshelves. Imagine how special it is for readers to browse the shelves of their favorite authors!
As part of Romance Week, Nalini Singh took the time to delight her fans by adding some of her favorite romance books to her shelf, and adding a few lines to her review:
Her fans responded not just by liking and commenting on her review, but by adding the book to their own shelves:
There are many ways to indicate your personal love for reading, and it all starts by adding books to your shelf.
Adding books takes a few minutes. You don’t need to write a full review or give the book a star rating; simply adding the book to your ‘Want to Read’ shelf to show readers what you’re interested in.
Adding books generates a newsfeed update to your followers. This is a quick and easy way to keep yourself top of mind with your followers on Goodreads.
Adding books gives you credibility. Every author started as a reader. Give new readers a better understanding of where you came from by sharing what you enjoy.
Adding books gives you conversation material. When readers comment on a book review you wrote, it’s absolutely ok to respond. Remember though: everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Adding books is an ongoing activity. New books are constantly being published, so show you’re up with the times (you must have read Girl on the Train by now, haven’t you?). It’s a great activity to do when you’re in between books.
Here are some more examples of bookshelves we like:
Sonali Dev, author of A Bollywood Affair
What we like on her shelf: An eclectic mix of romance and literature, this author helps readers discover similar books to hers.
Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City
What we like on his shelf: A custom shelf of 18 “all-time-favorites” helps readers identify a good book recommendation they can pass along to fans of The Devil in the White City
Amber Smith, author of The Way I Used to Be
What we like on her shelf: As a writer who also earned a BFA in Painting, Amber’s list of books shelved under “art books” must be legit.
Take the next five minutes to find and shelve the books that made you fall in love with reading. Share the link to your shelf with us in the comments below!
Five Tips for Running a Giveaway on Goodreads
Posted by Cynthia on January 22, 2016
Running a giveaway is one of the most important things you can do in your book promotion. You can set up a giveaway on Goodreads for the print edition of your book here. But before you do that, read our five tips to running a giveaway on Goodreads:
Tip #1 Give away as many copies as you can afford. You don’t need to give away all your books at the same time, but allocate a number of copies you’re willing to provide to Goodreads members for free. The more copies you give away, the more reviews you’re likely to get.
Tip #2 Write a concise description. You have a limited number of characters to pull your audience in, so make those opening lines good. Don’t bother rehashing the details of the giveaway (“Five copies of my new book available here”), since Goodreads provides that information for you. Instead, find something that will hook the reader into clicking on the book and your author profile to find out more (“Find out why Goodreads members are raving about this book!”).
Tip #3 Plan your giveaway in advance. Working backwards from your publication date, identify the right time to run your giveaway. Three months prior to publication date is a good rule of thumb. If you’re running multiple giveaways, space them out by several weeks. Your giveaway is required to run for at least a week to allow more readers to discover it, but we recommend running a giveaway for at least a month to increase the number of entries.
Tip #4 Keep shipping costs in mind. Making your giveaway open to every country has its benefits, as some countries don’t receive as many giveaway opportunities as others. However, inquire about the shipping costs to these countries at your local post office. Shipping to the winner directly from your distributor might be more cost-effective than shipping to yourself first.
Tip #5 Send your books in a timely fashion. Goodreads notifies the winners that they have won a copy, so readers are expecting your book within 2-3 weeks. Resist the urge to contact winners to inquire about the progress they’ve made in your book, or the status of their review. Remember: giveaways are “no strings attached,” meaning readers are not obligated to write a review upon winning a book. Contacting winners may be considered spam and could have serious consequences. Read the updated terms and conditions to understand what you can and cannot do.
Did you know?
Goodreads sends out an email to anyone who has marked your book as Want-to-Read when your giveaway goes live. Goodreads also sends a friendly reminder email about the book a few weeks after the giveaway ends.
One more thing:
If you’re traditionally published with a publishing house, shoot them a quick courtesy email letting them know when you’re planning your giveaway. They might be planning similar promotions. Since only one giveaway can run for a book in one country at the same time, it helps align your plans with your publisher’s plans.
Ready to list a giveaway? Click here to get started.
Posted by Cynthia on January 22, 2016
Running a giveaway is one of the most important things you can do in your book promotion. You can set up a giveaway on Goodreads for the print edition of your book here. But before you do that, read our five tips to running a giveaway on Goodreads:
Tip #1 Give away as many copies as you can afford. You don’t need to give away all your books at the same time, but allocate a number of copies you’re willing to provide to Goodreads members for free. The more copies you give away, the more reviews you’re likely to get.
Tip #2 Write a concise description. You have a limited number of characters to pull your audience in, so make those opening lines good. Don’t bother rehashing the details of the giveaway (“Five copies of my new book available here”), since Goodreads provides that information for you. Instead, find something that will hook the reader into clicking on the book and your author profile to find out more (“Find out why Goodreads members are raving about this book!”).
Tip #3 Plan your giveaway in advance. Working backwards from your publication date, identify the right time to run your giveaway. Three months prior to publication date is a good rule of thumb. If you’re running multiple giveaways, space them out by several weeks. Your giveaway is required to run for at least a week to allow more readers to discover it, but we recommend running a giveaway for at least a month to increase the number of entries.
Tip #4 Keep shipping costs in mind. Making your giveaway open to every country has its benefits, as some countries don’t receive as many giveaway opportunities as others. However, inquire about the shipping costs to these countries at your local post office. Shipping to the winner directly from your distributor might be more cost-effective than shipping to yourself first.
Tip #5 Send your books in a timely fashion. Goodreads notifies the winners that they have won a copy, so readers are expecting your book within 2-3 weeks. Resist the urge to contact winners to inquire about the progress they’ve made in your book, or the status of their review. Remember: giveaways are “no strings attached,” meaning readers are not obligated to write a review upon winning a book. Contacting winners may be considered spam and could have serious consequences. Read the updated terms and conditions to understand what you can and cannot do.
Did you know?
Goodreads sends out an email to anyone who has marked your book as Want-to-Read when your giveaway goes live. Goodreads also sends a friendly reminder email about the book a few weeks after the giveaway ends.
One more thing:
If you’re traditionally published with a publishing house, shoot them a quick courtesy email letting them know when you’re planning your giveaway. They might be planning similar promotions. Since only one giveaway can run for a book in one country at the same time, it helps align your plans with your publisher’s plans.
Ready to list a giveaway? Click here to get started.
How to Run a Goodreads Giveaway
Posted by Cynthia on January 22, 2016
If you do just one thing when promoting your book on Goodreads, run a giveaway. The benefits of running giveaways have been proven time and time again: they increase the overall exposure of your book, they allow people to read and review your book, and they increase the number of To-Read shelvings of your book. We’ll walk you through some of the best tips and tricks to make your book giveaway on Goodreads successful.
To run a new giveaway on Goodreads, your book needs to be in our database and you must be a Goodreads member (ideally you will have already claimed your author profile and made it look great, since curious readers will want to learn more about you!). Simply tell us how many copies of which of your books you’d like to give away, write a brief description, and set the dates and eligible locations. Giveaways are for print editions only, so if you publish in eBook format, look into print-on-demand options to create a few specifically for the Goodreads giveaway.
Giving readers access to your book early is the only way you’ll get reviews in advance of publication. The publishing industry invests thousands of dollars into the production of galleys or Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) to hand out at conferences or to send to influencers, including the audience on Goodreads. Avid readers are familiar with the term, but you should still indicate in your giveaway description that you’re giving away an ARC.
You can give away finished copies, too. Consider setting up at least one giveaway of a finished copy around publication date—make it extra special by signing it!
Your giveaway will show up on the giveaways page, your book page, and it has a unique landing page. This landing page includes the first few lines of your bio, your author profile picture, and a follow button (another good reason to make sure your author profile is in top shape!).
Promote your giveaway the entire time it’s running, not just at the beginning and end. Include the link to your giveaway in your newsletter, on your blog, and in advertisements or social media posts. The more people you tell about the giveaway, the bigger it will be. Readers also browse giveaways by genre, so identify the two most relevant ones for your book. Finally, giveaways that have advertising running concurrently have 60% more entries than giveaways without. Consider running a self-serve ad campaign directing to your giveaway.
Want more? Read our five tips to running a successful giveaway on Goodreads.
Posted by Cynthia on January 22, 2016
If you do just one thing when promoting your book on Goodreads, run a giveaway. The benefits of running giveaways have been proven time and time again: they increase the overall exposure of your book, they allow people to read and review your book, and they increase the number of To-Read shelvings of your book. We’ll walk you through some of the best tips and tricks to make your book giveaway on Goodreads successful.
To run a new giveaway on Goodreads, your book needs to be in our database and you must be a Goodreads member (ideally you will have already claimed your author profile and made it look great, since curious readers will want to learn more about you!). Simply tell us how many copies of which of your books you’d like to give away, write a brief description, and set the dates and eligible locations. Giveaways are for print editions only, so if you publish in eBook format, look into print-on-demand options to create a few specifically for the Goodreads giveaway.
Giving readers access to your book early is the only way you’ll get reviews in advance of publication. The publishing industry invests thousands of dollars into the production of galleys or Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) to hand out at conferences or to send to influencers, including the audience on Goodreads. Avid readers are familiar with the term, but you should still indicate in your giveaway description that you’re giving away an ARC.
You can give away finished copies, too. Consider setting up at least one giveaway of a finished copy around publication date—make it extra special by signing it!
Your giveaway will show up on the giveaways page, your book page, and it has a unique landing page. This landing page includes the first few lines of your bio, your author profile picture, and a follow button (another good reason to make sure your author profile is in top shape!).
Promote your giveaway the entire time it’s running, not just at the beginning and end. Include the link to your giveaway in your newsletter, on your blog, and in advertisements or social media posts. The more people you tell about the giveaway, the bigger it will be. Readers also browse giveaways by genre, so identify the two most relevant ones for your book. Finally, giveaways that have advertising running concurrently have 60% more entries than giveaways without. Consider running a self-serve ad campaign directing to your giveaway.
Want more? Read our five tips to running a successful giveaway on Goodreads.
Marketing Advice and Tips from Kendare Blake
Posted by Cynthia on December 18, 2015
Kendare Blake is the author of Anna Dressed in Blood, a “deliciously creepy” and “hilarious” Young Adult horror story that “leaves awesomeness behind” (according to some of her Goodreads reviewers). She’s been a Goodreads member since 2010, and has amassed more than 16,000 followers. All these followers surely delight in her activity on Goodreads, where she answers any question that comes in from her fans via Ask the Author—164 and counting, many of them inquiring about the possibility of a movie adaptation of her book!
She recently answered a few questions of ours about her Goodreads activity and what tips she can share with other authors about marketing books on Goodreads. Will this spark a trend in author profile pictures with turtles? Read on to find out!
You’ve amassed quite a following on Goodreads! How do you encourage readers to follow you?
I couldn't be happier about my Goodreads following, but I must admit, this one is a bit of a mystery. I certainly try to engage with all readers, and to keep my blog posts zippy and (semi) regular, but I don't know what in particular makes someone decide to follow. There's a turtle in my author photo. Maybe he has hypnotic eyes.
What’s your approach to responding to reader questions via Ask the Author?
I check in multiple times a week for reader questions. And I will answer the same question no matter how many times it is asked! If a question is a spoiler in itself, I still try to respond via the messaging system.
What’s your favorite thing about Goodreads?
Honestly, the thing I love most about Goodreads is that it keeps me up to date on books! I use it like any other reader: to zero in on new authors and find new releases on lists or in my updates feed. Staying current on your favorite authors can be difficult. Goodreads makes my book life so much simpler: one location, savable lists, all the info I want.
How do you encourage reviews of your book on Goodreads?
I don't think I do. Goodreads is just a review-friendly platform. As an author, I don't want reviewers to feel as though I'm looking over their shoulder. I won't do more than discreetly "like" those that particularly speak to me. Unless a reviewer asks what I thought of their review, I stay out of it.
What’s one exciting, possibly hidden feature you’ve discovered on Goodreads?
I really like checking all of the recent status updates of books that I'm reading, so it feels like I'm reading along with people. Sort of a book club for introverts. Is that sad? I don't care.
Also, (and I know this is two) I love that Goodreads showcases our upcoming releases. Readers can talk about them prior to release, speculate on covers, add them to lists. I definitely keep an eye on those new book details: making sure the description is correct, watching for community questions, etc.
What are you working on right now?
I'm working on my Fall 2016 release, Three Dark Crowns. It's about three young queens on a magical island. Each has a particular gift: one is an elemental, who can call the storms and wield fire, one is a naturalist who can commune with animals and make things grow, and one is a poisoner, an expert assassin who can ingest poisons with no ill effects. Only one can rule. Two must die. Did I mention that they're sisters?
Read a few of Kendare’s ATA answers here to give you a sense of how her personality shines through in her engagement with readers (this doubles as advice about writing!). Be sure to follow her to see more of her great activity.
Posted by Cynthia on December 18, 2015
Kendare Blake is the author of Anna Dressed in Blood, a “deliciously creepy” and “hilarious” Young Adult horror story that “leaves awesomeness behind” (according to some of her Goodreads reviewers). She’s been a Goodreads member since 2010, and has amassed more than 16,000 followers. All these followers surely delight in her activity on Goodreads, where she answers any question that comes in from her fans via Ask the Author—164 and counting, many of them inquiring about the possibility of a movie adaptation of her book!
She recently answered a few questions of ours about her Goodreads activity and what tips she can share with other authors about marketing books on Goodreads. Will this spark a trend in author profile pictures with turtles? Read on to find out!
You’ve amassed quite a following on Goodreads! How do you encourage readers to follow you?
I couldn't be happier about my Goodreads following, but I must admit, this one is a bit of a mystery. I certainly try to engage with all readers, and to keep my blog posts zippy and (semi) regular, but I don't know what in particular makes someone decide to follow. There's a turtle in my author photo. Maybe he has hypnotic eyes.
What’s your approach to responding to reader questions via Ask the Author?
I check in multiple times a week for reader questions. And I will answer the same question no matter how many times it is asked! If a question is a spoiler in itself, I still try to respond via the messaging system.
What’s your favorite thing about Goodreads?
Honestly, the thing I love most about Goodreads is that it keeps me up to date on books! I use it like any other reader: to zero in on new authors and find new releases on lists or in my updates feed. Staying current on your favorite authors can be difficult. Goodreads makes my book life so much simpler: one location, savable lists, all the info I want.
How do you encourage reviews of your book on Goodreads?
I don't think I do. Goodreads is just a review-friendly platform. As an author, I don't want reviewers to feel as though I'm looking over their shoulder. I won't do more than discreetly "like" those that particularly speak to me. Unless a reviewer asks what I thought of their review, I stay out of it.
What’s one exciting, possibly hidden feature you’ve discovered on Goodreads?
I really like checking all of the recent status updates of books that I'm reading, so it feels like I'm reading along with people. Sort of a book club for introverts. Is that sad? I don't care.
Also, (and I know this is two) I love that Goodreads showcases our upcoming releases. Readers can talk about them prior to release, speculate on covers, add them to lists. I definitely keep an eye on those new book details: making sure the description is correct, watching for community questions, etc.
What are you working on right now?
I'm working on my Fall 2016 release, Three Dark Crowns. It's about three young queens on a magical island. Each has a particular gift: one is an elemental, who can call the storms and wield fire, one is a naturalist who can commune with animals and make things grow, and one is a poisoner, an expert assassin who can ingest poisons with no ill effects. Only one can rule. Two must die. Did I mention that they're sisters?
Read a few of Kendare’s ATA answers here to give you a sense of how her personality shines through in her engagement with readers (this doubles as advice about writing!). Be sure to follow her to see more of her great activity.
