Goodreads is the largest and most popular online booklover community in the world for readers and book recommendations, boasting more than 7.3 million members, from casual readers to bookworms. On this platform, booklovers interact with each other, post book reviews, recommend books, track their yearly reading goals, and other bookish things. This platform is great for authors who don’t necessarily want to write auxiliary content but do still want to communicate with readers.
Goodreads is best known for its database of published books (which you’ll need to set up if you haven’t already) that readers can add to their “shelves” and store for reading later. It requires a very low time commitment in order to maintain an active profile on this social media platform.
Unlike other social media platforms, everyone on Goodreads loves and reads books, and as an author, getting good reviews on Goodreads helps generate more readers. Reading lists, book clubs, and more are used by readers on this social media platform to make friends with other readers and give and receive reading recommendations. Librarians are particularly avid fans of this social media as well.
This platform is often new to authors when they’re releasing their first book, so the question authors often ask is, “What can I do to stand out on Goodreads?” Here are a few tips to help you be successful on this social media platform.
1. Understand that Goodreads is a Social Platform
Would you create your Facebook or Twitter page, add some info and pictures, and then just leave it there to magically collect followers? No, probably not. Unfortunately, that is often the attitude authors use toward Goodreads. Instead, an easy way to gain exposure for your book is to get involved on Goodreads as a reader. You’re sure to have loved books long before you became an author, so enjoy the platform like any other member would. Explore it and see what books you find!
2. Join Discussions and Groups
Goodreads has tons of discussions and groups talking about genres, libraries, and book clubs—truly anything bookish. If you are a mystery author, join a mystery group or book club and start meeting new mystery lovers. All it takes is one click on your name for people in the group to see that you also write mysteries, and now they know who you are and can easily talk to you about what you’re working on.
3. Don't Be Too Self-Promotional
Let your writing come up naturally from having normal encounters with other Goodreads users. You probably wouldn’t start a conversation with a stranger by saying, “I wrote a book.” Social media is a digital extension of normal social interaction, so if you don’t like strangers calling or knocking on your door to sell you things, odds are good you wouldn’t like it in digital form either. Don’t be a stranger. Develop a relationship first and then let your book come up naturally.
4. Maintain Your Author Blog
Authors with time to blog (which we’ll discuss in the next chapter) can increase their blog reach on Goodreads, even if they cross-post the blogs they already write for their own author website. The difference between your blog on your author website and your blog on Goodreads is that if you’re interacting with other Goodreads users, they are likely to click on your name at some point, and when they do, your blog will appear on your profile page. This makes your blogging much more accessible to people from within the Goodreads social media platform.
5. Check Out the Goodreads Authors and Advertisers Blog
Goodreads has a blog specifically for authors on Goodreads. It’s filled with industry insights, Goodreads events, and tips for authors as they set out on their journeys of creating, publishing, and marketing a book. It’s a great place to learn more about Goodreads.
Goodreads also offers a giveaway program which allows authors to get copies directly to interested readers, who are then prompted to review the book. This viral spread of attention to your book can majorly change the life of its promotion—The Girl on the Train is a very famous example of Goodreads working in action to make a bestseller.
As with all social media marketing, remember to have fun!
Are you looking to get more Amazon reviews? Many Goodreads reviewers also review on Amazon, so staying connected here may be a good strategy for that end goal as well.
If this sounds like a platform for you, get out there and explore the many features Goodreads offers and maybe even find a few new books to add to your to-be-read list!
This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:
What Social Media Should Authors Use by Sara Wigal, Senior Manager at JKS Communications
Goodreads Tips for Indie Authors by Sydney Mathieu, Digital Marketing Expert at JKS Communications
The Power of Online Book Communities by Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association
