Chapter 17

Promoting Your E-Book on Goodreads

In This Chapter

Getting set up on Goodreads

Connecting with other Goodreads members

Promoting your e-book via Goodreads

On the Goodreads book-centered social network, readers (and authors) can list and rate the books they’re reading, send messages to other members, and engage in group discussions. Founded in 2007, the site now has more than 9 million members.

If you’ve ever had good intentions about keeping a book journal, or a list of all the books you’ve read and the books you plan to read, you’ll enjoy Goodreads. It’s an easy way to keep track of the books that you’ve read or that you’re planning to read — and to inspire ideas about what to buy next.

As an author, though, you can benefit from Goodreads in other ways. You can see which members have rated and reviewed your e-book, and you can even see who has added it to the To Read list (known as a shelf on Goodreads). If you want, you can befriend those people. You can also join groups on Goodreads where you can promote your e-book.

This chapter first explains how to set up your Goodreads account. (You need to apply for a special author account.) It then walks you through the process of adding an e-book to Goodreads, finding readers who might enjoy your e-book (by making friends and by joining groups), and getting the word out about your e-book without causing annoyance to other Goodreads users.