How to Run a Goodreads Giveaway: what I learned from running one (Part 1)

The Stone Dragon just finished its three-week giveaway at Goodreads.

Goodreads is a reader/writer online community of over six million people. Sponsoring a book giveaway is a means of promoting a book for very little cost: the cost of the book plus shipping.

Here is information regarding my book giveaway that just finished at Goodreads:
Run-time: 23 days. Entrants: 803.2 books given away166 "to read" designationsThe results for the giveaway were about average--although I could have run the contest for two months rather than three weeks. I wanted to end early enough to send the giveaways out before Christmas, though.

Patrick Brown from Goodreads was interviewed at Novelists Inc. by Vonna Harper: "Goodreads for Writers."

On average, about 750 people enter each giveaway, and of those people, we've found that about 8% of them will add the book to their to-read shelf, win or lose. About 45% of the winners review the book, meaning that the more copies you offer, the more reviews you are likely to get. And reviews are really the fuel that drives everything on Goodreads. When a member reviews your book, not only do their friends see that review, but it often gets pushed to Facebook, Twitter, and their blog, too. We've found that about 1/5 of all Goodreads users write a book blog, and we do our best to make it easy for those users to share their reviews on their blogs.

The interview is quite informative, and anyone interested in setting up a Goodreads giveaway should read it. Goodreads' inception and the development of the Author Program are covered in addition to the giveaway promotional opportunity.

Brown also mentions how to set up a Goodreads giveaway in the interview. Another explanation in a different blog article also describes the steps, at Ebook Formatting Made Simple. By the way, Goodreads is doing beta testing on ebook giveaways and hopes to have a program available sometime in the upcoming year.


What would I do differently with the next Goodreads giveaway?
Run for a longer period of timeGive away more booksCreate a strategy and task timeline prior to starting the giveaway Promote the giveaway more with forums and discussion groupsContact bloggers that I know to also feature the giveaway and use the giveaway widgetContact Facebook and Twitter friends to share the giveaway news--in general, to utilize the social networks I've developedAnyone else who has suggestions, please comment below.

Goodreads is a vast resource, and I'm only now beginning to learn how to use it. It's a great big bunch of readers who love books, a virtual library and book shop: seems like a good place to hang out.

Copyright 2011 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved