GoodReads.com Giveaway Promo
As a fresh, new author, with my first book available to the world, I sit and ponder the most difficult aspect of self-publishing. How can I get this book in the hands of the public? There are plenty of opportunities within the social media circuit that can be of assistance but we must be selective in which avenue we choose because there is only so much time, that we as human beings have to work with. I am quite active with my Facebook fan page, Twitter and Triberr. In addition to these three forms of social media, I have been active with GoodReads.com, a free website in the form of a massive library, which book lovers can peruse.
GoodReads.com has a number of unique components such as a personalized library, a live blog and a wonderful giveaway book promotion opportunity where the author can share their book with the world. It is very easy to set up an account and the process for the book giveaway promotion is smooth and painless. The author decides how long the promotion will last, how many copies they would like to giveaway and any unique details they would like to include that may lure readers to their book. Upon the completion of the promotion, GoodReads.com emails a list of winners and the author is then responsible to physically mail out a copy of their book. In return, the Goodread.com winners are encouraged to write and post a review of the book. It’s that plain and simple.
Do I believe there is a positive return on my investment, well; it depends on how much value is placed in a book review? Is it worth the cost of postage to send out the book? Then, there is the risk that the reader does not post a review as it is highly recommend but not mandatory. All in all, I think it has been worth it. I had roughly 500 readers enter to win At the Window, and that is 500 more people around the world that now know about my book. In addition, I have seen an increase in readers who marked my book as “want to read,” and at the time that this article was submitted, At the Window had been marked by 300 readers.
Overall, I have had a very positive experience with GoodReads.com. It is a great avenue to get your book out to the public, and with a little bit of luck, a number of key book reviews may be landed.
