Five Reasons Even Unpublished Authors Should by on Goodreads by @Cassandra_Carr #buildingaudience #amwriting
Five Reasons Even Unpublished Authors
Should be on Goodreads
by Cassandra Carr
I was asked by the lovely Jessica Subject to talk about Goodreads today. Authors seem to have a love-hate relationship with Goodreads, but in my opinion, even if you stay far, far away from reviews of your own books, you should be on it. But what if you’re not published – yet? You should still be on it — and active. Here are five reasons why.
1. Goodreads is, bar none, the largest number of readers you can reach — whether you’re published or not. And getting to know readers is never a bad thing. This item is number one for a reason because that’s how important it is. Goodreads=readers more than ANY OTHER website online, including Facebook and Amazon (which just purchased Goodreads, incidentally).
2. Goodreads has groups — tons and tons and tons of them. Do you need to participate in all of them? Of course not. Pick two that are closely related to the genre you want to be published in, and start participating in discussions. People will get to know you in a non-pressure (no BUY MY BOOK!) situation. Then when you do become published, potentially thousands of readers of the exact type of book you write already know who you are. Discoverability (getting people to recognize your name and associate it with a particular topic or type of books) — is king in this business.
3. As far as I know, even as an yet-unpublished author, you can still make an author page on Goodreads. I’ve been on there so long I’m not sure I could back out enough to say that for certain, but if you can, great! That’s one less item you have to worry about when you begin promoting your books. You might have to add your books to the page — I always have to myself, though some publishers will do it for you — but all the other stuff, like your website URL if you have one, a section where anyone who comes to your page can see your blog posts, and other nice things like that are already taken care and ready to go.
4. You can friend anyone you want to. Just like Twitter or Facebook, you can send friend requests to anyone you want. That doesn’t mean they’ll accept the request, but hey, it doesn’t hurt. Did you know a lot of editors and agents are on Goodreads? Want to know what they read in their spare time (I’ll give you a moment to stop laughing about the concept of them having free time)? Are you curious about what kind of books they rate highly? Goodreads might have the answer.
5. Here’s one you might not have thought of, and feel free to think I’m nuts. Some authors stalk Goodreads for reviews of their own work. Some stay miles away. But it’s a fact of life that you’re going to get reviewed, whether it’s by a reader, another author, a book blogger, or a professional review site like Night Owl Reviews or The Romance Reviews. Want to learn how to deal with negative reviews? Go read some of the ones for your favorite books. I bet you’ll find some that will make you shake your head and wonder what the reader was thinking. You’ll come to realize that you can’t please everybody, nor should you try. But starting to insulate yourself against negative reviews can’t be a bad thing.
BONUS REASON:
You can start making friends by saying nice things about their books. When you release one, maybe they’ll pimp or review yours!
So there you have it. Five reasons to be on Goodreads, plus a bonus one. Got anymore reasons to share? Put them in the comments!
About Cassandra Carr:
Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora’s Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent Publishing, Siren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Currrently Cassandra also serves as president of Western New York Romance Writers.
For more information about Cassandra, check out her website, “like” her Facebook fan page or follow her on Twitter.
Should’ve Known Better by Cassandra Carr
Sarah Jenkins, a math geek and hockey fanatic, is thrilled when the NHL hires her as an advisor for the Buffalo Storm. She gets to marry her two loves in this perfect job.
Sebastian St. Amant is a young hockey player looking to make the jump from the minors to the big leagues. His lifelong dream is within reach, but he needs to convince the Storm’s management and coaches he’s ready.
When Sarah and Sebastian meet, sparks immediately fly. Both want to succeed, but neither can ignore the growing attraction and a relationship is out of the question—Sarah’s an influential staff member and Sebastian’s a player, not to mention over ten years her junior.
But the impossible becomes the necessary when they can no longer fight their attraction. As everything crashes around them, the strength of their relationship is tested. Will it weather the storm, or should they have known better?
Available from All Romance | Amazon | more
Building An Audience Schedule:
August 9 - Intro & Knowing Your Audience
August 16 - Blogging
August 23 - Using Yahoo & Facebook Groups with author Liz Crowe
August 30 - Twitter
September 6 - Facebook with Tawania from Wicked Readings by Tawania
September 13 - Pinterest with author Desiree Holt
September 20 - Google + with author Fierce Dolan
September 27 - Goodreads with author Cassandra Carr
