Get Your Book Noticed on Goodreads & Pinterest

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Disclamer

It’s likely you’ve heard of, or already belong to, Goodreads. Goodreads.com is a site where members create reading lists, add books they’re reading to their “bookshelves,” participate in discussion groups, and review books they’ve read.

If you are a writer, you want YOUR book on those bookshelves.

Also, Amazon recently completed the purchase of Goodreads so now your Goodreads book has the power of Amazon behind it.

Goodreads – Good News for Authors

How Goodreads Can Help You

As an author, you need reviews by real readers. Goodreads offers authors on a budget an (almost) free way to get your books reviewed and noticed via their book giveaway program.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/sign_in

Set Up Your Goodreads Account

(You can create an account and log in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google, or Amazon account. I use Facebook.)Join under your published name so your author profile name will match up with your book(s).Enter your full published name, email address, and a password.Click “create an account.”You’ll need to verify your email address with Goodreads by checking your email and clicking the link in the email they send you.Now join their author program!

Set Up Instructions

The Goodreads Author Program is a completely free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience — passionate readers. This is the perfect place for new and established authors to promote their books.

What Can You Do as a Goodreads Author?

Control of Your Profile- add a picture and bio.Share your list of favorite books and recent reads with your fans!Write a blog and generate a band of followers.Publicize upcoming events, such as book signings and speaking engagements.Share book excerpts and other writing.Write a quiz about your book or a related topic.Post videos.Add the Goodreads Author widget to your personal website or blog to show off reviews of your books.

What Can You Do as a Goodreads Author?

Get the word out! Here are some of the promotional tools available on Goodreads: Sign up to advertise your book to the Goodreads Community—25 million readers!List a book giveaway to generate pre-launch buzz.Lead a Q&A discussion group for readers.Participate in discussions on your profile, in groups, and in the discussion forums for your books.

For instructions and tips visit:https://www.goodreads.com/author/how_toOn this page Goodreads gives you all the info you need to engage with readers.

Promote Your Books

To join the author program, you must have a book already published or be in the process of publishing a book. If so, go to this link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/program

If your book is already on Amazon.com or BN.com, then a search will usually pull up all the information you need to create an author page. Otherwise, you’ll need to manually add your book here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/new

Assuming your book is already published, or you’ve manually added it, type your published name in the search box.

Look for your book in the list of results. When you find it, click on the author name, the book title.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the question: “Is this you? Let us know.”

Click on “Let us know.”

The next page will ask you to confirm that you’re the author of the book. Enter a message: “Please add me to your author’s program” (or something of that nature) in the provided message field.

How Do I Join?

Goodreads Events can be used to promote events like book launches, book tours and author appearances and the best part is that it can be used to give away free copies of eBooks.

Announce your book launch, blog tour, or eBook giveaway page on your blog. Add details regarding your events with a link to your promotion page on your blog.

Events

Include the following information for your event:event start date *event end date *last day to rsvpevent name *venue/placeevent typewebsiteAddress, city, state, postal code, country *description *Reminder for people who responded "yes" or "maybe"list this event in the public listing (until the event date)anyone can send invites to this eventemail me when guests reply

Add a New Event

Your New Event

Featured Groups are a way that authors can interact with readers and create buzz for their books. Author form a special Question and Answer group and agree to answer questions about their books for a period and Goodreads will help in promoting such groups using its word of mouth tools.

All authors need is a few people to join such groups and Goodreads takes it from there to make the group go viral and spread across the Goodreads community. Goodreads will also help feature these groups in the author and group section of the site.

Featured Groups

Featured Author Groups

Featured Author Groups

Featured Author Groups

While waiting for you application to be processed, go to your profile by clicking on your name in the upper-right corner of Goodreads. Click “edit profile” to the right of your name. This is your personal profile. The picture and other information you enter here will only show up on posts, reviews, and personal things you do on Goodreads. Post your professional bio and upload a head shot.

Your author profile is different from your general Goodreads profile. Create a username so you’ll have an easy Goodreads URL link to point people to: www.goodreads.com/EddieJones, for example.

Make sure to enter your blog or website address in the “my website” field. It will show up with your profile and will generate traffic.

Updating Your Profile Page

Click on your name in the upper-right corner. This will take you to your author profile.Click “edit profile” next to your name.Make sure all the fields are filled out, especially your biography.Save! Upload your head shot.When you add your picture you will be required to link to its source. You can use your website link or blog, but you will have to provide the copyright source link and check the box stating you have permission to upload the photo. Then …Upload the photo.

Edit Your Goodreads Author Profile

Add Your Name

Add your:Name, gender, birth date, country and city of birth, bio, influences, official website, twitter name, genre1, (Copyright information for image)

If you have a blog, you’ll want to add its RSS feed so it’ll show up on your Goodreads page. This way you’ll generate some extra traffic to your blog. This will give your blog an identity and brand that readers can count on finding in your books. In other words, if they like your blog, they’ll probably like your books. You can also host your blog entirely on Goodreads.

Add Your Blog To Your Author Profile

To syndicate your blog on Goodreads, you’ll first need to find the RSS or Atom URL for your blog. Go to your blog, http://www.eddiejones.org/category/guest-blog/feed/.

Click your name in the upper-right corner to go to your author profile. Click “edit profile” under your picture, and click ‘add/edit blog.’On the right look for “External blog feed URL.”Click “change” if the URL field isn’t showing.Right-click in the space.Left-click “paste.”Check “Show full post” box.Click the “add feed” button.

How To Add Your Blog

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/new

List the length of your giveaway, your title’s ISBN, book’s release date, number of books to be given away, and a brief description of the giveaway. Goodreads will list (for free) the book on its giveaways page.Goodreads’ members enter to win giveaways. Many will add the book to their “to read” shelf. This is the real gold in Goodreads’ giveaways. Since readers may have lots of books on their virtual shelves, this is one way for yours to be seen by thousands of potential readers.Goodreads reviews the list of those who requested the free book and selects winners. Author ships free book to winner.

Goodreads Giveaways

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/new

List the length of your giveaway, your title’s ISBN, book’s release date, number of books to be given away, and a brief description of the giveaway.

Listing Your First Giveaway

Please explain who you are and who you work for. Please also provide a valid mailing address that confirms who you work for so we can be sure you will fulfill the books. This will not be shown to giveaway contestants.

You only need to offer one copy. We suggest running additional giveaways rather than offering multiple books during a giveaway.Let readers know you’ll be providing an autographed copy.  Include the words “AUTOGRAPHED COPY” in all caps at the top of the giveaway description box. Similarly, if your giveaway is for an ARC (Advance Readers Copy), say so. Readers love to have the first look at new titles.Make your giveaway description compelling. It’s all too easy to simply copy-paste your back-cover-synopsis into the giveaway description box. Don’t! If readers want a synopsis, they can easily click over to your book listing on Goodreads to learn more. Mention that it’s an AUTOGRAPHED COPY (yes, all caps)Add a catchy tagline (One Man Stands Between a Destitute Desert Town and Supernatural Destruction.)List awards for this book. List praise from famous authors who endorsed the book.List links for more info: “Visit www.addyourURL.

How Many Books Should You Giveaway

Reach out to winners. When your giveaway ends, Goodreads will send you a notification and a link to click to view the winner’s name and address. You can also click on the winner’s name to visit his/her Goodreads profile. Send a message congratulating the winner and telling him or her when the copy will be mailed out.Send book(s) promptly.  Deliver on your commitment, and send the book as quickly as you can.Pulse your giveaway lengths.  Run a giveaway for only 2-3 days. In this way your book will be listed (probably) on both the newly listed and ending soon pages for the duration of your giveaway. Readers can search by genre, but many just browse. By alternating longer and shorter giveaways, you can balance cost with impact. Many short giveaways in a row may lose their potency.

Reach Out To Winners & Losers

Schedule your giveaways to start in the future. Don’t set up the giveaway and click for it to start immediately. Goodreads goes through an approval process that can take a couple days. If they approve your giveaway midday, you will be lumped with the authors who scheduled theirs to start at the beginning of the day, and you will spend less time in the recently listed section. I usually schedule mine to start three business days later so that I know it will be ready. NOTE: Goodreads does not work on weekends, so listing a giveaway on Thursday or Friday could be a bad idea!

Schedule Your Giveaway

Give away as many copies as possible. If your goal is to get reviews, it makes sense to give away a lot of books. Nearly 60 percent of giveaway winners review the books they win, so the more books you offer, the more reviews you are likely to get. Contact those who DID NOT WIN and ask if they would like a complimentary copy. Check their profile first to make sure they fit your target market.

How Many Copies Should I Giveaway?

Post our Giveaway Widget on your blog, website, and Facebook page. This might spur interest in your other titles. The Giveaway Widget works by helping you reach the people most likely to enjoy your book − your fans!

The cost of a giveaway is low compared to paid advertising but don’t expect results overnight. Getting attention on Goodreads takes time, but the exposure may lead to “long-tail” sales.

Announce Your Giveaway

Pinterest is large and growing.

In 2012 it have over 10 million monthly page views.

Users (potential readers) spend more time on Pinterest (average of 15 minutes per visit) than they do on Facebook (average of 12 minutes per visit) or Twitter (3 minutes).

Nearly 70% of Pinterest users are women. Pinterest users tends to be young (25-44), upper middle class, and female. Those are people who buy things. And many of them read, too.

http://www.rachellegardner.com/pinterest-things-writers-should-know/

Switching Gears - Your Book and Pinterest

Create a Pinterest board for the main characters or settings in your book. Ask your fans to add photos they think help make those people and places feel real. What does the mysterious hero look like? What about pictures of that icy field where the murder took place?

Give us a behind the scenes glimpse into your process. Show fans your desk, your typewriter or computer, your waste basket of discarded poems, the view outside your window, etc.

Pin pictures of readers with your book.

Consider holding a contest in which you challenge readers to take snapshots of themselves in far-flung places with your book. Then give a prize for the most remote (or most random!) location.

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Get inspirational. Where do you want to travel on your book-tour? Where would you love to spend a week writing? Show the world with photos!

Ask readers to help you develop a new story? Writing a Western? Ask for some photos of old guns.

Promote other books. Give solid recommendations to your fans, and the writers you promote will be thankful.

Stay engaged in the conversation. Follow the Pinterest boards of writers you admire. Pin their books.

Add the “P” symbol on your site or blog so your readers will know they can also follow you on Pinterest.

Make sure the names of your boards have catchy titles.http://blog.bookbaby.com/2012/04/pinterest-for-authors-how-to-promote-your-writing-on-the-fastest-growing-website-ever/

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Create your author pinboard. Use Pinterest to tell your story as an author. Tell your followers and readers who you are, where you came from, and how you came to be a writer. Give them a glimpse into your world, allow them to get to know you and let them discover what’s important to you.

Pin pictures of readers with your book. Consider holding a contest in which you challenge readers to take snapshots of themselves in far-flung places with your book. Then give a prize for the most remote (or most random!) location.

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Create a dedicated board for each of your books. Use those boards to pin the websites or Pinterest profiles of all of the people, events or organizations you mention in your book.

Pin updates to your story — post updates about your book’s characters, people, animals, organizations, companies, and so forth. Nicholas Kristof does a great job with this on the Pinterest board for his book, Half the Sky.

Pin praise and reviews — when people write reviews of your book on their websites or blogs, make sure to pin them!

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Link to all your launch content and book freebies. Do you have guest posts you’re doing in support of your launch? Do you have free e-books or e-courses you’re giving away? Make sure to link to all that great content on your Pinterest boards.

You might consider having an entire board dedicated to free resources and articles. When you do this, remember to drive people to get on your mailing list via website opt-in forms and landing pages, so you can begin the process of converting people from browsers into buyers.

Pin images (and videos) from your in-person book signings and talks.

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Use your book signings, conferences and other speaking engagements as an opportunity to take photos and create videos that you can use on your Pinterest boards. Make sure to feature lots of readers and fans in the photos, and then use the @ sign in your pin descriptions to tag those people (tagging in Pinterest works similarly to Facebook.)

Create a board for book recommendations. Talk about what you’re currently reading and the books that you recommend for further research and information on your book topic. Update this board often, so people have lots of recommendations from which to choose their next book!

Use Pinterest To Promote Your Book(s)

Boards that have multiple pinners are a great way to get more followers quickly.

Collaborative boards will increase your followers. Anyone can make one — all you have to do is invite people to pin to one of your boards.

Click the plus sign to add users. You’ll need their Pinterest profile name to do this.

Collaborative Boards

Click on the Pinterest icon on the right side of your Amazon book’s detail page. (under the order area)

Pick the board to which you want to pin your book.

Pin Your Book From Amazon

Pick an easy-to-remember username. Add a headshot of yourself – not your book cover(s). People want to follow someone that they can meet virtuallyUse keywords to describe who you are and what types of images you’ll be pinning. Connect your profile your Twitter and Facebook account. DO NOT auto pin to your social media accounts. Use discretion. You can chose to feed a pin with each upload.Turn off all email notifications — they can clog up your inbox.

Your Pinterest Account

Start at your Pinterest home page: http://pinterest.com On the top right, click the link, “Add +”Select the choice, “Create a Board.”

Create A Board

Name the board. Use keywords that others might use in a search — but make them unique enough to stand out. (Oswald Chambers, Sarah Young, Mark Twain)Choose a board category from the drop-down list. This is important if you want to be found by others.

Name Your Board

My Boards

You are the Pinner for your boards, but you can allow others to add their pins to your boards. Click on “Create Board” and you’re done!

Add Pinners To Your Board

Go to your Pinterest home page. Click “Add +” in the upper right corner. You’ll have a choice to enter a URL or upload an image. The disadvantage of uploading an image is that it won’t automatically link to anything. You can add a URL later by going to the pin and editing it.

Pin a Pic

Pinterest uses hashtags the same way as Twitter. (# is a hashtag.) Use hashtags in your descriptions before a category word like #books or #novel. If you are unsure, check the Pinterest categories for ideas for hashtag words.

Upload a Pic

Make it easy for people to sort your boards. Click on your profile photo to go to your profile page. Mine is http://pinterest.com/eddiejones. Find where it says “Edit Profile.” Next to it is a rectangular icon with little arrows. When you hover your mouse over it you’ll see, “Rearrange Boards.” Click it.

Organize Your Boards

There is no magic to online marketing. Each author will have to find what works for them and their books. But with Goodreads and Pinterest you can create interest in your books for little or no money.

Pin, Post, Tweet, & Giveaway Books!