Goodreads giveaways are a great tool for authors. In fact, Goodreads is a pretty cool platform for many authors to connect with readers and get more exposure (and even sometimes Amazon reviews) for their books. If you’re not utilizing their Goodreads Author Program and you’re wondering if you should (and how you should!) well this guide to Goodreads Giveaways (and the Goodreads Author Program) is for you.
Because our focus at Book Launchers is on using a book for business and brand growth, Goodreads is not our number one priority around here. An author like Roger Hurni who has written a book like Outthink. Outperform isn’t going to get much value out of spending a lot of time on Goodreads.
His book is about understanding customer motivation and behavior as the key to business success. This is Behavioral Marketing for marketing leads at big companies.
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Who Should Use Goodreads Giveaways for Authors
We still run Goodreads giveaways for a book like Roger’s – more on that in a minute – but it’s not like Goodreads is going to be the backbone of a strategy for him.
However, an author like Suzanne Murray who wrote Skidding into Heaven, could benefit from some time spent on Goodreads and a bit more of our launch strategy with her incorporated Goodreads because her audience is much more likely to be on the platform.
But, wait! Just in case you’re still wondering what Goodreads is, or what a Goodreads Giveaway is, let’s cover that first.
What the heck is Goodreads?
It’s a platform where readers and authors come together to share and discover books. And as an author, joining the Goodreads Author Program can be a smart move. Running Goodreads Giveaways, while not always the same results for every book, also has a lot of benefits.
So, what is the Goodreads Author Program? It’s a free program that allows any published author, anywhere in the world, to claim their profile page. Once you’re verified, you get the official Goodreads Author badge on your profile. This badge tells your fans, “Hey, I’m here, follow me on Goodreads!”
Watch this video for full instructions on the setup of your Goodreads Author Page and a Goodreads Giveaway:
Claiming your profile page comes with several benefits. First, you get to manage your profile. You can update your profile picture, write your bio, and ensure your book listings are accurate and up-to-date.
When you log in, you see a section – WANT TO READ LIST.
This is an important section when we get to the Goodreads giveaways because this is where your book will sit when someone adds their book to their list to enter your giveaway.
This page is also where you can also interact with your readers – again this assumes your reader is active on the platform. For Roger, I wouldn’t say he’s going to find a bunch of corporate executives hanging out here, but Suzanne Murray will be sure to find other women who have experienced disease, divorce, and other death-defying moments in their lives. I suspect that if she wanted to invest some time into this platform she could build a robust audience.
With features like Ask The Author, you can take questions from readers, write reviews, and share your favorite books. Readers love knowing what books their favorite authors are reading!
Here are the steps to claim your Goodreads Author Profile (which you have to do before you can run a Goodreads Giveaway):
- Sign in or create an account on Goodreads.
- Search for your most popular book using the ISBN, ASIN, or title.
- Click on your author name.
- Scroll to the bottom of your author profile page.
- Click “Is this you? Let us know!” to complete and submit the application.
Once you’ve applied, you’ll receive an email within two business days letting you know if you’re approved. Your login and password will stay the same.
Now that you have this done, you’re ready for your first Goodreads Giveaway.
What are Goodreads Giveaways for Authors (And How to Set it Up)
Goodreads Giveaways are an effective way to promote your book. They generate interest amongst readers and they will add your book to their want-to-read shelf. The goal is that the winners read, love, and review your book. And, since Amazon owns Goodreads, that can play into your Amazon book review count!
The steps for setting up your Goodreads Giveaway:
- From within your Goodreads Author Account click ‘Browse’ from the top navigation bar.
- Select ‘Giveaways’ from the drop-down menu.
- Click ‘List a Giveaway’ in the right sidebar.
Alternatively, you can go through your Author Dashboard:
- Click your profile picture/button in the top right.
- Select ‘Author Dashboard’ from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down the page and select ‘List a Giveaway’.
Now you have to choose print or e-book. Most authors will do e-book because it’s more cost effective because you don’t have any physical book costs. That said, a physical book may result in you seeing more social media posts from your winners.
You’ll need to choose between the Standard ($119) or Premium ($599) Giveaway package.
The premium is a lot more costly. We don’t use that one because the only real benefit is the personalized email and premium listing. There’s not enough value in that for us and most of our authors. Again, it really depends on if your ideal reader is highly active on this platform, or not. Do your research on this before you invest in the $599 Premium listing.
By the way, Goodreads demographics veer towards women who are under 35 and likely to drive a Van.
Additional considerations and steps for your Goodreads Giveaways:
- Select the book format for your giveaway. But how should you choose? Print books are often preferred by winners who like to post a photo of the book in social media. You are also able to include a personal note and signature in your print book for additional excitement around your giveaway – of course, it has an added expense because you are responsible for the cost of the books and mailing them to winners.
- With the Kindle Ebook Giveaways option, you no longer have to spend time and money mailing books to winners as Goodreads handles the distribution for you. Another benefit is that winners immediately receive the book upon winning the giveaway, allowing them to start reading (and talking about) the book much sooner. You have to be connected via Kindle Direct Publishing for this option. There’s no distribution cost to you – so choosing 100 copies for your e-book giveaway is a lot more viable for you vs. giving away 100 print books.
Here are the steps to complete the Giveaway Details page:
- Start Date: Make sure the start date is at least 3 days out from today but no more than 6 months away.
- End Date: The duration should be between 7 and 30 days. We recommend 30 days to maximize exposure and entries.
- Release Date: Provide the release date for your book.
- ISBN: Enter your book’s ISBN. This unique identifier can be found on the back cover or inside the front cover of your book.
- Eligibility: Choose where you’d like the winners to be eligible. Print book giveaways are open to U.S. and/or Canada residents.
- Copies: Determine how many copies of the book you’d like to give away, between 1 and 100.
- Mature Content: Check the box if your book contains mature content.
- Genres: Choose the appropriate Primary and Secondary Genres for your book.
- Contact Information: Provide your contact details for internal purposes only.
- Description: Write a compelling description of your giveaway. Use up to 150 words to hook readers.
Once you’ve filled out all the details, click ‘Next’ to proceed. Review your Giveaway details and confirm that everything is accurate. Then, proceed to payment by clicking on the “Amazon Pay” button, confirm your Amazon login details, and complete the payment.
After setting up your Giveaway, it will be reviewed by the Goodreads approvals team. Once approved, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the start date of your Giveaway.
Congratulations! Your Goodreads Giveaway is now set up.
Don’t forget to promote your Giveaway on your website and social media to maximize reach and engagement. Use the URL provided in the confirmation email or the HTML code on your Giveaway page to share it out. Share the link to your giveaway on your website, via your newsletter, and your social media accounts. Link to your giveaway at the end of any excerpts you create online. Just before the giveaway ends, promote the giveaway again so people don’t miss their chance to win.
And, while Giveaways are shown in the popular Giveaways section of Goodreads, where readers can discover new books, you should still promote this to your audience. You want to make the giveaway as successful as possible. Then, as you grow your audience it’s a good idea to do new good reads giveaways too because anyone who has already added the book to their Want-to-Read list automatically gets notified about your giveaway.
Every time a Goodreads member enters your giveaway and your book is added to their Want-to-Read list, an update is shared in the newsfeed of that person’s friends and followers, introducing your book to even more people. If you happen to catch the eye of a Goodreads influencer of sorts this can be really powerful.
How Often Should You Run a Goodreads Giveaway?
Oh and how does it help reviews? Well about eight weeks after your Giveaway ends, winners receive an email from Goodreads to remind them to rate and review your book. This will help other readers discover and decide to read your book too.
Because it’s useful to reignite interest, we run them for books that have just launched AND after six months. If you’re interested in working with Book Launchers to market your book for you – please set up a call to chat with us.
A giveaway for an older book can be run anytime to rekindle interest in an older title or be used to cross-promote your next book. It can also re-engage the audience you have already built to start reading your book.
If you enjoyed this article, you’ll also enjoy these:
- How to Succeed with a Bookstore Event as an Author
- Best Paid Book Review Services
- 5 Ways to Leverage AI for Book Marketing.
