tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post5839070346215714679..comments2024-03-27T06:54:55.000+02:00Comments on Ellis Shuman Writes: Is Goodreads Good for You?Ellis Shumanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884885978804222016noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-11121783035814608402016-12-25T20:16:45.814+02:002016-12-25T20:16:45.814+02:00As an author, I question the benefits of Goodreads...As an author, I question the benefits of Goodreads. First, the interface is not very good. For example, it gives "instructions" on listing ebook samples, but the click-on-to-upload buttons cannot be found. Second, its worst book list is a disservice to all writers. Books like Conrad's Red Badge of Courage and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 are on it. It is complete BS. Third, I see no connection between book sales and Goodreads at all. I think it is probably good for readers, though, so indirectly, I guess it is good for authors. But I find it so hard to use, I rarely bother. RJ Schneider / richardjschneider.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686724848954355035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-71031328332814767262015-12-29T05:23:13.320+02:002015-12-29T05:23:13.320+02:00I belong to a lot of Goodreads groups but the only...I belong to a lot of Goodreads groups but the only one I have found to be helpful as an author is the Support for Indie Authors group. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/154447-support-for-indie-authors Otherwise, I have not had much luck with getting people to read and review my books, although there have been a few.<br /><br />I think Google Plus and Twitter are much more effective in marketing. Another handy tool is co-promote https://app.copromote.com/#promotion-requests That's a site where you pick things that interest you and retweet them and earn reach. You can use it for free or pay (expensive at $49 a month, so not for me). I retweet a few things I find interesting each day and then, when I've accrued enough reach, I boost a Tweet that is then retweeted by a variety of different people. it at least drives people to my book sale sites. I also post on book pages on Facebook. You've got to keep at it and be consistent. It's hard, but being an indie author involved a lot of hard work. Writing the book is the fun part.Ann Wernerhttp://annwerner.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-44024761629226050392015-10-15T04:04:17.812+03:002015-10-15T04:04:17.812+03:00I wouldn't worry about it to much, I usually i...I wouldn't worry about it to much, I usually ignore goodreads invites. -- Aluenvey<br /><br />RegardsLWFlouisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08735056301888020337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-59873552265782093502015-10-02T11:53:06.684+03:002015-10-02T11:53:06.684+03:00Goodreads is a minefield for authors and you can a...Goodreads is a minefield for authors and you can actually do yourself more harm than good promoting yourself there. It's geared for readers.<br /><br />It is, however, useful for the reviews groups.Jaq D Hawkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853548485341129192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-29868859916314119062015-08-09T07:25:18.908+03:002015-08-09T07:25:18.908+03:00Hasn't done anything for me as a writer. Howev...Hasn't done anything for me as a writer. However I continue to read lots of books and review them here.<br />I will try a Goodreads giveaway.Susan B Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10752641433121011158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-9737283089807758232015-07-22T16:36:03.071+03:002015-07-22T16:36:03.071+03:00I love Goodreads as a reader, but I have a couple ...I love Goodreads as a reader, but I have a couple of friends who are self-published authors, and when one of them started to sell A LOT of books, and got 15 five star reviews, he was immediately targeted by a crowd of horrible people, headed by one particular woman (a published author). They posted abusive messages against him not only on the site itself but on other book-related sites. They listed his books on nasty lists, and gave him 1* nasty reviews. These people were giving bad 1 star reviews to literally hundreds of books EVERY DAY - of course they were not genuine, they had never read that many books. His sales dropped to nearly nothing. When he complained to Goodreads nothing was done, and I can still see the bad reviews there on his books even though he left Goodreads. So if I was an author I would think twice about exposing myself to such a lot of sick people, at least until Amazon start protecting authors from harrassment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-44212375307766540912015-05-09T00:10:43.053+03:002015-05-09T00:10:43.053+03:00I've been a long-time user of goodreads since ...I've been a long-time user of goodreads since before I seriously began embarking on my writing career, so I was already familiar with some of its features. I still have a bit of learning to do to learn how to use the site as an author. Since I've discovered lots of new books via goodreads, I'm excited about using it to promote my books. I just read the book "Goodreads for Authors" by Michelle Campbell-Scott and found it helpful, so I would definitely recommend checking that out. But ultimately, goodreads is a tool that night not be for every author, and that's ok. Zed Amadeohttp://www.zedamadeo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-21803400937896413912015-05-07T10:30:38.409+03:002015-05-07T10:30:38.409+03:00Dear Ellis,
in times of Facebook an other social m...Dear Ellis,<br />in times of Facebook an other social media channels the word "friend" has an other meaning as before. Today it just means we are in contact with each other. Being in contact with other people is the reason why I am part of the Goodreads Community. For me as an author it's important being in contact with all the people who read or even might read my books. And I like being in contact with other authors as you.<br />So that's why I asked you being my friend on Goodreads.<br />I hope we will remain in contact, KariAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12466818484724686676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-19872450411182404632015-03-19T12:50:45.518+02:002015-03-19T12:50:45.518+02:00Hi Ellis,
Great post and lots of good responses. ...Hi Ellis,<br /><br />Great post and lots of good responses. My wife wrote a novel a couple of years ago and we realised just how hard it is for writers to get recognition. A friend who is a successful author personally introduced her to his agent who explained that she only takes on one new author per year ! <br /><br />Have you heard of www.thepenfactor.com ? It's like a writing competition where every submission always gets three independent reviews and the best writers get put on a leader-board (with your own URL) and win talent spotting prizes. The idea is to allow writers to focus on honing their talent as the best way to get recognition, rather than self marketing.<br /><br />Regards,<br />JimJim Hnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-42143783658749626002015-02-17T17:27:55.173+02:002015-02-17T17:27:55.173+02:00Well, just so you know I haven't read through ...Well, just so you know I haven't read through all of the 200+ comments ;) But my piece of advice her is two fold. 1) I found you on Goodreads via Twitter so that may answer one of your above questions. 2) Goodreads and really any other site that hosts your book is really only as successful as you. What I mean by that is often an author writes a book, sticks it up on Amazon etc., does their initial promotion and then assumes it will catch fire like the next Harry Potter. That's very unlikely (unless you have an endorsement from JK Rowling haha). The best way to ensure (or at least work toward) success is to publish another book. Then another. And so on. The more books you publish, the more exposure you have, the more credibility, and the better chance you'll find success as a self published author. I'd say in that case Goodreads would be very helpful. Your 14 reviews may seem small now but if you capture those readers and keep giving them more good writing, it WILL multiply. But the key here is good solid writing, a voice that connects, and professionalism in all areas (editing, book cover, plot etc). Well, that's my two cents :) happy to be friends on Goodreads!Emilie Hendryxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060916393458502057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-75655292461831208462015-02-12T14:16:51.199+02:002015-02-12T14:16:51.199+02:00Where do Goodreads friends come from? In my case,...Where do Goodreads friends come from? In my case, I simply linked in my Twitter followers. As for your other questions, being new to the Goodreads experience, I must confess I don't have a clue! but maybe i'll be enlightened reading all the other comments here!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-79552534784708605132015-02-09T19:42:16.875+02:002015-02-09T19:42:16.875+02:00Hi Ellis,
We follow each other on Twitter and hav...Hi Ellis,<br /><br />We follow each other on Twitter and have enjoyed many of your recent blog posts, but sometimes I miss individual tweets in my endless twitter feed. I thought it would be good to connect with you here to share any common interests and thoughts on writing/reading. In answer to your question about Goodreads, I've been on the site for about a year now, but haven't explored its full potential as an author as much as I should have. <br /><br />I was initially sceptical, but I could see the benefits of joining as Goodreads has a huge audience of not only readers but authors and bloggers. And as an indie author with no readership as yet, I felt it might help to gain me that all important visibility. At first, I found the sheer number of groups and different threads mind-boggling and quite intimidating at times. Also, I was (perhaps naively) wary of handing over free e-copies of my novel for the read and review programme for fear of piracy. Of course, I've since discovered if someone is determined enough to remove the DRM from your e-book they will find a way. <br /><br />The Goodreads R&R policy forbids illegal sharing of books, so a year later I decided to push my fears aside and give it a try in order to gain some honest reviews of my first book. I signed up for my first one in December. To be honest, the response was underwhelming, but other authors have had varying degrees of success. There are review programmes on many of the Goodreads groups if you're prepared to put in the effort to find the ones appropriate to your target audience and genre. Thankfully most of these offer honest and unbiased reviews without the need for quid pro quo. Review exchange is something I'm not comfortable with, nor is buying reviews. Hence, gaining reviews has been an uphill struggle. <br /><br />You can promote your new books, giveaways and promotions in the author thread of the groups you decide to join in order to reach readers, as long as you're respectful of the rules. So far, I've found the giveaway the most useful in raising my profile as more readers have added my book to their TBR list. Whether they will ever get around to reading it is another matter, but it does seem to make you a bit more visible. Linking your blog to your Goodreads page is another effective way of sharing content, book updates and up and coming promotions.<br /><br />I tend to use the site mainly to compare and review books I've enjoyed, although I can't keep up with the diehard readers who can digest hundreds of books in a year. I only dip into the discussion forums now and again as I quickly realised it would become a huge drain on my writing time. Time will tell if the site will gain me greater visibility and sales in the long term. Marketing doesn't come naturally to me, but if you have the time and know how, I'm sure Goodreads can be very effective strategy to build a new readership and to meet like-minded people.<br /><br />If you have any more specific questions, feel free to message me personally. Happy to help.<br />Wendy J Lennoxhttp://www.wjlennox.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-19319915881266264062015-01-28T22:00:13.843+02:002015-01-28T22:00:13.843+02:00I'm DS Kane and long a while.II was a covert o...I'm DS Kane and long a while.II was a covert operative for a group nested within the US government. I've been writing technothrillers for several years. Last year I published the first four books in my Spies Lie series. I'll admit I've had great professional help; cover designer Jeroen Ten Berge, copyeditor Karl Yambert, project manager Sandy Beris, and formatter booknook.biz created the ebooks and print books from my written text, and they cost me a great deal of money. But the gem in the group is my current publicist and marketer, Rebecca Berus of 2 Market Books. She and her predecessor, Brandi Andres, pushed my first two books, Bloodridge and DethByte into Amazon bestseller status. None of that was my own work. I just write 'em. As for Goodreads, I'm now becoming more active and don't have any expectations as yet. So far, I've had Goodreads Giveaways and lots of folks put my books on their "to read" lists, but I don't see much movement here. I have four times the reviews on Amazon that I have on Goodreads. Maybe that will change. Seems to me, to get readers, an author has to use every social media outlet they can, and then just pray. Great book coves, <br />great writing, great editing, excellent formatting and wonderful publicity will go a long way toward introducing you to readers, but the rest is sheer luck. In the end, no one knows what really works to craft a career in writing. I've gotten two of my boos to bestseller status and I don't know. Rebecca Berus is great and she knows how to drive sales. But the industry is evolving so fast, knowledge has a short shelf life. Goodreads may just be another point among so many in the struggle to gain readers. Do everything!DS Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09398991019448360458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-68435532561151482802015-01-25T17:54:18.190+02:002015-01-25T17:54:18.190+02:00Way to early to tell as an author. So far I get li...Way to early to tell as an author. So far I get little to no feed back in the specific genre forums. And, the ads on Goodreads seem to be for naught so far. will stick it out as my novel is beginning to sell through the Smashwords network and I have two dozen requests to review over at Net Gallery. Jennifer Morse William Mortimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01907724613074976678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-44812619955317027382015-01-20T18:01:50.827+02:002015-01-20T18:01:50.827+02:00I believe a lot of these people find you on twitte...I believe a lot of these people find you on twitter - I add all my twitter followers on goodreads. It helps me keep up with their published books. As a book reviewer it is a great resource. Alishahttp://thebohemianhousewife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-55580954277337441692015-01-17T22:14:32.908+02:002015-01-17T22:14:32.908+02:00Ellis, here's my answer to your general questi...Ellis, here's my answer to your general question: Is Goodreads Good For You? <br />Yes, it's good for me. As a reader, I use Goodreads for book recommendations. I prefer word-of-mouth promotions versus taking a chance with the next six hours of my life. As an author, I've found the reviews on Goodreads are a bit harsher than on other sites, but I'm not one to get all bent out of shape when my work is criticized. In fact, I glean ways to improve my writing from the honest--though blunt--critiques. I haven't utilized GR to its fullest yet, but can definitely say I see the value and potential.Lorena Angellhttp://lorenaangell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-67513069022295474672015-01-13T17:35:32.716+02:002015-01-13T17:35:32.716+02:00I'm absolutely convinced that Twitter is vital...I'm absolutely convinced that Twitter is vital for networking, but hopeless for marketing books. I carried out a little experiment a while back. The figures are 100% accurate, and the results will astound you;<br /><br /> https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/6767851-does-twitter-help-sell-books<br />Karl Wigginsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-24087029822031949032015-01-04T18:37:21.444+02:002015-01-04T18:37:21.444+02:00Hi Ellis
(Hope this doesn't publish twice, re...Hi Ellis<br /><br />(Hope this doesn't publish twice, realised I wasn't logged in when I posted!)<br /><br />I'm with you: I don't get quite Goodreads, either, at least not as a platform for publicising books as a self-published author. As far as I can tell it's merely a meeting place for readers rather than authors who like reading the same type of books and who share their opinions about them. Like you, as an indie author, I have problems attaining reviews, so I thought, after reading an article about promotion by someone who works with Goodreads and by following her advice for indie authors, I would add my books to the Listopia, meaning I would have to join Goodreads to do it. Apparently, by listing your books alongside those which are 'popular' and 'sell well', someone is bound to notice your titles. <br /><br />Right, OK. Just have to wait and see, won't I? I'm already waiting to 'claim' myself as an author and I can't edit my author profile and upload a photo until I've got 50 titles showing of stuff I've read (I currently have 25). The only way I can see it helping indie authors is if someone is kind enough to add your title to Goodreads and add a review, not through anything you do yourself. And this is what put me off Goodreads years ago: someone who may well have read my first book - I don't really know - posted a review of it on Goodreads but she poached the review from another site! It wasn't the same person at all.<br /><br />I joined yesterday and have amassed 80 friends within 24 hours, but I think that's only because I've posted info about books I've read and I follow a lot of those people on Twitter already. I can't really see it doing anything for me as an author, unless I show that I read and review as well as write. I have a book on GR which two people have been wanting 'to read' since March 2013!<br /><br />You mention reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Everyone and his dog knows you can't review on Amazon unless you've bought an item from them. They kick off reviews from review sites (I ought to know, I've had a few reviews taken off because of that policy). I review books by indie authors I've bought on Amazon, not the mass market stuff, so if I want to post that review on GR I won't, I'll just refer people to my Amazon review.<br /><br />Accuse me of being negative if you want, but I don't think indie authors stand a chance against the more popular, traditionally published authors on sites like Goodreads. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09818038962136906945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-49881291335569076692014-12-22T10:38:25.563+02:002014-12-22T10:38:25.563+02:00Hmm.... Goodreads....
I try to connect with peopl...Hmm.... Goodreads....<br /><br />I try to connect with people who say they have an interest in Sci-Fi in order to try to promote my own science fiction novel ^Racing Dragons^ but with little to no success. I considered posting a "giveaway" but the rules stipulate it must be a physical copy--not an eBook. I ran out of hardcopies so only have it in digital form.<br /><br />The groups are entirely pointless. To begin, there is no format for knowing if someone has responded to your own post or someone else's. If you post your own topic, there's plenty of people waiting to hijack it for their own ends.<br /><br />I don't mind people "friending" me as I do review every book I win on giveaways or get given, and I feel that people putting honest reviews helps me to consider what books I would like to get next. As a developmental editor, I don't mind pointing out privately to an independent author what I felt would have made their book work better.<br /><br />I fully support independent authors (as I am one myself) and feel that the best thing about Goodreads is the ability to review each other's work so others may be able to make a decision on what they want to read next.<br /><br />I think the problem currently is that EVERYONE has a novel they want me to read. I detest serialized books as I think that a good story should stand up on its own, and I shouldn't be coerced into purchasing subsequent (and usually substandard) sequels which is all the rage at the moment. (Look at the giveaways ... you'll be hard pressed to find anything which isn't Book 3 or Volume 5 or whatever).<br /><br />But as for friends, the more the merrier.... :-)<br /><br />(Todd A. Burnett ... www.facebook.com/tab-editing)Todd Burnetthttp://www.facebook.com/tab-editingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-12240836145580369032014-12-21T15:35:40.365+02:002014-12-21T15:35:40.365+02:00Hi Ellis, thank you for this post and thank you to...Hi Ellis, thank you for this post and thank you to all the writers and bloggers, who have added so much information here. Very helpful. Zeenat Mahalhttp://www.zeenatmahal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-41599884733226541452014-12-17T17:00:56.808+02:002014-12-17T17:00:56.808+02:00I am new to Goodreads, but my author friends tell ...I am new to Goodreads, but my author friends tell me that Goodreads is a great place to have my book noticed and review. So, to test Goodreads, please read my new novel, "Enemy in the Heartland" if you want to read a great book about a terror attack that is not in New York!Stephen Schwertleyhttp://www.stephenschwertleyauthor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-48006499544329718962014-11-28T21:41:15.178+02:002014-11-28T21:41:15.178+02:00Hello all,
Here is a good article with some practi...Hello all,<br />Here is a good article with some practical advice for using Goodreads as a marketing tool: How to Connect with Readers on Goodreads http://badredheadmedia.com/2014/11/16/connect-readers-goodreads/ via @PrismaticLissaJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11584807385075888865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-64383229956191023322014-11-12T22:36:03.369+02:002014-11-12T22:36:03.369+02:00I'm really impressed by the amount of comments...I'm really impressed by the amount of comments that you have on this blog post. Do you have this set as an automatic responder to send to goodreads friends?<br />SueSue Detweilerhttp://www.suedetweiler.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-42343469460839633132014-10-29T16:46:06.593+02:002014-10-29T16:46:06.593+02:00Hello all, unfortunately I think the comment featu...Hello all, unfortunately I think the comment feature on this article has been broken by too many comments! Thank you for reading the article - it is truly appreciated!Ellis Shumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07884885978804222016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102623923329719653.post-82785718339705723092014-10-16T07:59:37.959+03:002014-10-16T07:59:37.959+03:00Hi Ellis,
Thanks for your email! I am a new autho...Hi Ellis,<br /><br />Thanks for your email! I am a new author trying to find my way through all the self-marketing advice that I've been reading. I started following you on Twitter recently and so your name came up today when I was looking at how to make friends on Goodreads (I clicked on the 'people you know on Twitter' link). <br /><br />It is all very new to me but I joined Goodreads to help get my name out there and hopefully gain some reviews. I have suddenly become very aware of how difficult getting reviews is as a 'noob' and honestly I felt guilty about how often I have failed to review books myself in the past so I have made a pledge to myself to review every book I read if I can find something positive to say about it! <br /><br />I am also becoming aware that's it's not always easy connecting with readers and the biggest draw for me to join was the sheer number of readers on the site. I'm hoping that if I become visible there and write regular reviews readers might be more inclined to try my books.<br /><br />I'm not finding it the easiest site to navigate but I'm muddling through and will see where this experiment goes. When I get a bit more exposure I will try doing a giveaway, though from what I've read here it does sound like the number of readers who will actually post a review after reading a book is disappointing, especially when the cost of books and postage are coming out of our pockets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com