Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

When you enter for a giveaway here on Goodreads, there's an option to automatically add the book to your To Read shelf. I'm one of those who always leaves it on.

But I realize a lot of people don't want to add it to their To Read shelf. If you're one of these, what's your own reason for skipping it?

I leave mine on so I don't have to add them manually. I don't think I know a reason not to leave it on.

I usually leave mine on as well unless for some reason I dont want it checked off.

The other day I won a giveaway for a book I don't even remember entering to win but sure enough it was in my to-reads folder lol.

I don't leave mine on, but I realized that I have a massive list of to-reads now! lol

Do you think that's the main reason someone doesn't add a giveaway gook to their To-Read list? Because they feel like they already have too many books in there? :-)

Curious -- To all -- how many of those won giveaways have you actually read and how long did it take you to "get to it"? I've got a giveaway up now, Juror 1389: Dorsie Raines Renninger and am looking for feedback on what will actually happen when a winner receives it.

I unclick the 'add to bookshelf' button so that the book isn't added to my shelves. The reason is that, with the exception of my 'please lend me' shelf I own every book on my bookshelf. It is available to me to read in some format. If I win the book, it goes on a shelf (several actually) but not until then. This is how I keep track of my books and having such books on my shelves would confuse the system.

@G.T. I've read about2/3 of the books I've won. The few I haven't were either really long entry periods, such that by the winner was chosen and I got the book I'd lost interest in it (if I remembered it at all). I'll still read it eventually, just not right away usually. Or something unexpected happens, for example, I have one that I won that didn't mention in any of its description/cover/contest info that it was a sequel and unless I come across the first book, I'm unlikely to read it.

With one exception (a book I'm said to have won and never received) I've received a won book within a couple weeks of winning it. But again, sometimes the contests themselves are really long.

Hope that helps.

Sadie wrote: "I unclick the 'add to bookshelf' button so that the book isn't added to my shelves. The reason is that, with the exception of my 'please lend me' shelf I own every book on my bookshelf. It is avail..."

Sadie, this was REALLY insightful, thanks! I think I get your particular system--you only put a book in your "to read" shelf if you actually own it and haven't read it yet, right?

During the period that 10 copies of my novel were offered in a Goodreads Giveaway, from Dec. 1, 2013 to Jan. 2, 2014, 1,053 members entered the contest and 452 of them placed the book on their To Read shelf.

I mailed a copy to each of the ten winners on the same day that Goodreads e-mailed their addresses to me.

V.K. wrote: "you only put a book in your "to read" shelf if you actually own it and haven't read it yet, right? "

Exactly, V.K. and I have a lot of books on those shelves, but not all of them will actually get read. There are reference books, sequels in series I have dropped, series I'm putting together as I find them on sale, etc. But I generally only shelf books I have available to myself. That way when I look to pick out a book I don't waste time on books I don't have.

G.T. wrote: "Curious -- To all -- how many of those won giveaways have you actually read and how long did it take you to "get to it"? I've got a giveaway up now, [book:Juror 1389: Dorsie Raines Renninger|232185..."

I've read all the books I've won on Goodreads giveaway, and reviewed them all. Usually, I read them as soon as they arrived. However, there's one book I waited a few months to read. It was a traditional published book. The fond was very small in a Massmarket format so I waited a few months until spring arrived (for more sunlight).

I also add all books to my to-read list when I enter a contest.

I add the books I enter to win on my "want to read" list because I do want to read them. If I didn't want to read the book, I would not have entered the giveaway.

Brenda wrote: "I add the books I enter to win on my "want to read" list because I do want to read them. If I didn't want to read the book, I would not have entered the giveaway."

That's how I feel, Brenda. Some people don't enter giveaways to read books, though. But others have a different reason for not "adding" giveaway books, and I just wondered what some of those reasons are.

I think about 50% of readers add giveaway books to their shelves, based on my own experience.

I don't do giveaways of my works. I can't afford to right now :(

I'm a reader, not a writer. I do sometimes read free books, but usually if they're first books by a new author.

I've never seen a giveaway where you might WIN a printed copy. I would enter however many books the author had written, but only if I liked the sample. I never download just because a book is free. I have to want to read it, and then I might put it on my To Read list, or I might not. I read so much I'd spend all my time updating :-)

I enter a lot of giveaway contests, as I figure the books I win turn out to be pretty random, a nice infusion of books I didn't already know about to add to the books I already blog about. But, I only win 1 or 2 a week, when I'm not behind in my reading and reviews, and adding all the books I enter to win would make my 'to read' shelf pointlessly useless, so I check for new wins and add the books I win to my 'to read' shelf within a few hours of the end of the contest each night. I also try to read and review all of them on Goodreads within a month of when they arrived. (And yes, since I have won ~25+ books since August, and do read other books as well, I do have a backlog to catch up on, which might explain why I've only won 4 books this month.)

My to-read shelf at this point has become a the-blurb-sounded-interesting wasteland. I created a different exclusive shelf just for things I definitely plan on reading ASAP. It's comprised of ARCs, current Group Reads, and Buddy Reads only.

I have a giveaway going here right now. 161 have requested a copy of the book. 81 total have added it to their to-read list. I don't know how many of these were not giveaway people.

In my experience 50% of people who enter your giveaway will also add your book to their to-read list.