THE Group for Authors! discussion

My book, A Stone's Throw Away, by Carl Lee, is available on Amazon.

While soliciting reviews from an indie list, I received a response that asked why my book wasn’t on Goodreads.

I had joined this website back in 2010, posted a few chapters of my work, had a few people come look, but that was it.

Decided this place was pretty dead, and basically haven’t been back since. When I did come back, I deleted what I posted and found one person friended me. (I accepted, and will accept all new connect request as well)

Now I see this site is no longer dead. And though my seniority is up there, I’m really a newbie.

Questions:

What’s the purpose of putting my book on Goodreads?

I see a lot of book covers, is that what the indie reviewer meant to put on GoodReads?

If so, maybe there’s more than one way to put your book on Goodreads? I’m not interested in posting chapters here again for the world to read, I could just give it away on Amazon, if that were my inclination. Which, I think, brings me back to questions 1 & 2. (hope I’m being clear with what I’m trying to convey about my dilemma as to putting my book on Goodreads)

Carl, Goodreads is, in effect, an Internet book club. So one advantage to listing your book on GR is that readers who have found your book elsewhere can rate or review it here, which may spark some interest in those readers’ friends.

You set up an author profile, link to your book, upload your cover (and a sample if you like), and wait to see what happens, if anything.

Carl wrote: "I see a lot of book covers, is that what the indie reviewer meant to put on GoodReads?"

Not precisely. They probably meant that your book is not listed on Goodreads for shelving and reviewing.

To fix this: http://www.goodreads.com/help/show/9-...

Carl wrote: "My book, A Stone's Throw Away, by Carl Lee, is available on Amazon.

While soliciting reviews from an indie list, I received a response that asked why my book wasn’t on Goodreads.

I had joined thi..."

Carl, there some fellow indie authors at Goodreads who are willing to read your book, give it a review, tell what marketing ideas they have tried that worked, exchanged FB likes etc. There are also some writers who completely ignore me and don't seem to like my type of humor. What a shock! Writers are just as friendly or snobbish as the rest of the world. However, receiving a kind word or tip is nice. It is always a good idea to return the favor when you can.

Thanks C.P.,

So I take it you're saying only one way to put your book on GR...

Post the chapters. Right?

And no, I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be a reader showing up at a site full of Authors. Maybe Piranha and Prey. Poor reader wouldn’t stand a chance... Them Authors are hungry. lol Burp, excuse me, sorry.

Carl wrote: "Thanks C.P.,

So I take it you're saying only one way to put your book on GR...

Post the chapters. Right?

And no, I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be a reader showing up at a site full of Aut..."

No. Do NOT have to post the chapters. Just need book title and author name to add book to goodreads (prefer also having cover, description, isbn/asin/bnid, publication date, book format [paperback, hardcover, audio, ebook...], publisher and page numbers as well — goodreads could care less if you put up sample chapters.)

Think a big giant catalogue of books that users use. The actual book or sample chapters not necessarily here, just the catalog data with purchase links and additional interactions. More library database than anything.

Basically, goodreads is a site for booklovers to catalogue their books, explore for new reads and interact socially.

If you claim your author profile, you can also link to an external blog (if you have one) or manually post status update/blog types of messages like when a new book is being released that are potentially seen by however million readers currently on goodreads. If you are already blogging frequently, goodreads will just automatically pick that up for you (works with most common blog sites/services) without you having to work at it.

Mainstream publishers automatically add authors' books (sometimes by various data feeds like Ingram's systems). Goodreads no longer gets data feeds from amazon and other booksellers (their choice) so indies need to either add themselves or hope their fans are adding.

You can choose to be as social as you like, participating in groups in same genres you like to read (think book club); groups all have their own rules on promoting your book (often just to keep it to certain discussion folders). Most authors are also readers, so a good place to track your own books. Readers seeing you like some of the same books they read may friend you just for that and are likely to checkout your books if you do nothing else.

Optionally, there are giveaways of print editions with isbn numbers that at least get your book noticed and assorted paid ads you can do.

I suspect it's very good for sales if any group chooses your book as their monthly read.

Kobo, Google Play and other sites also have arrangements with goodreads to pull ratings and reviews so that activity here is also reflected in some bookseller sites. Again, gets your book noticed.

Several book cataloguing sites (like Living Social's Visual Bookshelf) went defunct and goodreads attracted those members who did not want to migrate to the sites under bookseller control; for that and other reasons just keeps growing and growing in members.

Is this you: A Stone's Throw Away? If so, you can claim your author profile and be able to do some editing of your books by clicking:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/confi...

(cannot replace replace published covers unless you make a new edition but can add missing covers and other information and make other edits)

Any book issues/adds you want help with rather than editing yourself, just post over in the librarians group.

rivka wrote: "Carl wrote: "I see a lot of book covers, is that what the indie reviewer meant to put on GoodReads?"

Not precisely. They probably meant that your book is not listed on Goodreads for shelving and r..."


Good call rivka, I would have been 10 yrs finding that link. And who'd thought I had to start a thread in a library group requesting my book be added.

Thank you so very much

Thanks, Debbie, for clarifying. Carl, what she said is what I meant.

J DeWayne wrote: "Carl wrote: "My book, A Stone's Throw Away, by Carl Lee, is available on Amazon.

While soliciting reviews from an indie list, I received a response that asked why my book wasn’t on Goodreads.

I h..."

DeWayne, what did you have in mind?

Debbie wrote: "Is this you: A Stone's Throw Away? If so, you can claim your author profile and be able to do some editing of your books by clicking:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/confi...
(c..."

Yes, I set this up first, got the wrong book, which program asked if it was right or wrong. I selected wrong, then it posted what you just found.

Then I went to the library group and requested an add with a new thread.

C.P. wrote: "Thanks, Debbie, for clarifying. Carl, what she said is what I meant."

:-)

Carl wrote: "And who'd thought I had to start a thread in a library group requesting my book be added."

Only if one doesn't want to add it themselves, which I see you did without any trouble.

It's not "a library group", by the way. Goodreads Librarians are volunteer members who work to keep the Goodreads database spic and span. That is the official group to ask for any assistance with a book record -- adding it, editing it, adding a cover, etc. Any user -- author included -- is more than welcome to join and post requests there.

I still need help with this. see Carl's thread in the library group for explanation.

rivka wrote: "Goodreads Librarians are volunteer members who work to keep the Goodreads database spic and span. That is the official group to ask for any assistance with a book record -- adding it, editing it, adding a cover, etc. Any user -- author included -- is more than welcome to join and post requests there. "

and they are excellent. If I might, I'd like to give them kudos, because they linked my POD paperback version with my ebook version before I even realized that needed to be done! I think it was Debbie or Rivka that did that.

They are excellent. They created a series for me lickety-split. All hail for the GR librarians!