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An Easy Way to Promote Your Book: Goodreads Giveaways
Posted by Mimi on November 1, 2019Whether you want to break out your debut book, keep the momentum going with your latest release, or rekindle interest in an older title, Goodreads Giveaways is here to help. Authors and publishers use Goodreads Giveaways as a creative way to promote their books to potentially millions of readers, add an element of excitement to their marketing, and help readers introduce their books to friends.
We designed Goodreads Giveaways to deliver several marketing benefits to authors:
Help build your audience and discovery of your book:
- Giveaways are shown in the popular Giveaways section of Goodreads, where readers can discover new books.
- Your giveaway is prominently displayed on your book page on Goodreads to help your title gain more entries to your giveaway and keep building the audience for your book.
- Your followers on Goodreads and anyone who has already added the book to their Want-to-Read list automatically get notified about your giveaway.
- Everyone who enters your giveaway automatically has the book added to their Want-to-Read list on Goodreads. This builds an audience of people interested in your book on Goodreads and provides opportunities to engage with them in the future, e.g. when the book goes on sale, if you share Kindle notes and highlights about your book, etc.
Help drive reader-to-reader discovery:
- Learning about a book through a friend is one of the most powerful forms of discovery. 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.
- 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.
Choice of format - print or Kindle ebooks:
- You can offer up to 100 copies (either print book or Kindle ebook) in a Goodreads giveaway.
- 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. Authors and publishers are responsible for the cost of the books and mailing them to winners.
- With our 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. This option requires a Kindle Direct Publishing account.
- PRO TIP: The Kindle ebooks are included in the giveaways listing price (there is no additional cost to you) so you may want to choose 100 copies to get the book into the hands of as many readers as possible.
All of the above benefits are included in the Standard package which costs $119 (either Kindle ebook or print book). The Goodreads Giveaways program is open to your choice of U.S. and/or Canada residents.
EXTRA BENEFITS IN OUR PREMIUM PACKAGE
The Premium package gives you even more chances to personally connect with readers. For $599, in addition to all the benefits of the Standard package, you receive:
- Exclusive “Featured” placement on the highly-trafficked Giveaways homepage with millions of visitors each month, helping to give your giveaway significantly more visibility and potentially more entrants.
- A message written by you to readers who entered but didn’t win, giving you the opportunity to connect directly with readers interested in your book and potentially convert their interest into purchase.
- PRO TIP: Consider a limited time offer for your book immediately after your giveaway ends as a thank you to those who entered and a reason to buy now.
Get started with your Goodreads Giveaway. Click here to learn more.
BONUS TIPS TO GET MORE OUT OF THE GOODREADS GIVEAWAY PROGRAM
To help you get the most out of your giveaway, here are five tips:
1. Maximize the exposure for your book by running the giveaway for 30 days.
Since the goal of your giveaway is to gain as much awareness as possible, take advantage of all the time your book can be shown to potential readers.
2. Get the word out about your giveaway.
Don’t forget to promote the giveaway yourself! It gives you a fun reason to talk about your book again. 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.
3. Run multiple giveaways in advance of publication.
If you have budget, a series of giveaways can fuel continuous buzz for your book, building readers’ anticipation. Many authors and publishers start running giveaways over six months in advance of publication. With each giveaway, you may grow the number of readers invested in your book launch. It also helps to keep your book top of mind among readers as Goodreads emails those who entered previous giveaways, letting them know about the next one.
4. Giveaways aren't just for new books.
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.
5. Craft your giveaway description based on reader feedback.
You have around 150 characters to hook people in. That’s the amount of copy shown for each giveaway on the page listing current giveaways. But you’re a writer and we think you’re up to the challenge! Think about the words that will prove irresistible to readers and drive them to click “view details” to learn more about your book. If this is your first giveaway, study the descriptions and reviews of similar books and see what piques customers’ interest.
PRO TIP: Look at how people who have read and reviewed your book already are describing your book and use that as your guide when writing your description and choosing the genre.
6. Complete your bio on Goodreads.
The first few lines of your bio get pulled onto the unique landing page for your giveaway, along with a “Follow Author” button to allow readers to stay up-to-date on your activity on Goodreads. We recommend making your bio personal and friendly, while drawing attention to any previous success. For inspiration, see Lauren Blakely, Mike Omer, and William P Young.
Do you have more tips for giveaways? Please share your tips in the comments!
Comments Showing 51-100 of 170 (170 new)
message 51:
by
Lance
(new)
Jan 24, 2020 07:59AM
Ehhh, not worth it to pay to give away books that aren't going to reach my target readers and then get reviews saying the reader didn't get it or it wasn't their type of book.
flag
Lance wrote: "Ehhh, not worth it to pay to give away books that aren't going to reach my target readers and then get reviews saying the reader didn't get it or it wasn't their type of book."Yes, Lance; it is amazing how many 'readers' don't bother to check out a book before taking it on and are then surprised/shocked that it is not what THEY expected. But greed rules; if it's free, grab it!
I'm giving a paperback giveaway. Does Goodreads/Amazon handle the shipping? How will that work?If an author gives away the kindle ebook that is part of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program, will that violate Amazon's exclusivity rules?
For Goodreads Giveaways, what about Spanish titles and people who lives in other countries different fo US and Canada? When will be possible?
E.A. wrote: "In the article above, it says that the cost of the Kindle ebooks is included in the list price of $119. Am I missing something? My books list for $3.50 each so if I gave away 100 ebooks, the cost w..."No you are paying for the distribution of the Kindle ARC, so it is one fee of $119 for 100 winners
As an indie writer, I tried your program and out of the hundred copies I shared, I received only three book reviews. I sincerely doubt that I will return the money invested and my impact is 3% which is devastating to the number of books distributed. Why don't you put in a program of five, ten, or max twenty books that would be a lot cheaper and more affordable for indie writers? With this Giveaway, you just destroyed indie writers, to whom this was the only possible promotional tool. The old Giveaway was a lot better and I honestly doubt I'll ever put my book on this Giveaway again. Investing money in something that won't pay off is just a futile effort. The essence of Giveaway is for readers to find books you can't find in big publishing houses. They have perfect promotion and indie authors do not have that.
You're right, Stjepan. Great comment! And on top of it, there's no chance for Giveaways out of US residentes. What about the rest of the world, the Spanish speakers?
Vicente wrote: "You're right, Stjepan. Great comment! And on top of it, there's no chance for Giveaways out of US residentes. What about the rest of the world, the Spanish speakers?"When I came to Goodreads in 2015, it was possible to make a Giveaway for all readers. However, this is no longer possible and it is very bad for all other writers from other countries. I publish books on Amazon and I can do Giveaway but it no longer comes to my mind. If they return the previous Giveaway method then I'll do it.
Bob wrote: "Scott wrote: "I know, right! Amazon was a great option and now I don't even know how to do a giveaway anymore."I've been using social media groups for giveaway contests which require contest entr..."
I'm checking out your page right now. I have $5k into my book and haven't sold more than 10 copies. Everything is too expensive.
E.A. wrote: "In the article above, it says that the cost of the Kindle ebooks is included in the list price of $119. Am I missing something? My books list for $3.50 each so if I gave away 100 ebooks, the cost w..."
Charging money for Giveaways transforms completely the concept of Goodreads. This used to be a place for real readers and real authors, a place for independent publishers to show their work. Now is a business, as everything. Now, only the publishers who have budget can show their titles. As a consequence Goodreads will end up being as boring, monotone and superficial as the offer most big publishers have in their catalogues. This idea is a shame and defeats the whole purpose of this community. No more surprises or new discoveries, just the same titles and authors over and over again. As an author and independent publisher I take this as a betrayal. Whoever has had the idea of charging for Giveaways has destroyed a beautiful concept, has closed the doors to the people who really care about books and opened to the traffickers of books, those who treat books as a product instead of culture. Having published with Random House, Lübbe and Planeta I can tell that the people who are in charge of these big publishing companies treat books as soap, tables or disinfectants. They don’t feel they have a responsibility with culture, ideas or beliefs. Most of them come from corporations and big companies and don’t know anything about books, less about culture. As I say, it is a shame. We need a new community because this one has been corrupted by “employers and employees”, clerks without imagination whose minds only allow them to think in terms of profit and product. Books are more than that. For those who have forgotten this is a reminder:“Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. […] Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind.” Henry David Thoreau. Walden
Samantha wrote: "Charging money for Giveaways transforms completely the concept of Goodreads. This used to be a place for real readers and real authors, a place for independent publishers to show their work. Now is..."Well said, Samantha.
Samantha wrote: "Charging money for Giveaways transforms completely the concept of Goodreads. This used to be a place for real readers and real authors, a place for independent publishers to show their work. Now is..."I totally agree with you, Samantha. The old Giveaway was great, this new Giveaway has unfortunately lost its true purpose, which is to introduce readers to writers who cannot be found on the shelves of major publishing houses. The greed for the money put it off, a great previous Giveaway.
Dorothy wrote: "I put three of my books up for Goodreads Giveaways at four copies each. My purchase price plus shipping cost me about $60 for each giveaway. I received ONE review on Amazon that could be identified..."Thank you, Dorothy. Very helpful comment.
Hi everyone. I wrote "The Little Belly Dancer's Kindness" for children.It can be found in the search button on Indigo's website.
I found my eBook giveaway beneficial. It got my book "out there" and I have received reviews, which we all know are incredibly hard to come by. I will use it again in the future.
Sounds like a load of garbage. Every time I pay for a promotion, I make not a single sale. Ever.
BookBaby, BooksButterfly, Books Marketing International, WordLikes, Online Book Club, NetGalley, International Review of Books, and Amazon Ad Campaigns are all scams. I know because I've spent hundreds of dollars on all of those and I have yet to recover one penny of it. Goodreads is more of the same. You don't have a magic wand either. You're crazy if you really expect me to pay you to give away free copies of my book, all in the hopes of "creating buzz." The Internet is nothing but one big LIE.
Shaun wrote: "Hi all, after a huge amount of research we found the marketing value of the giveaways feature underappreciated whilst they were offered at no charge. At the same time, authors and publishers asked ..."Have to say, Shaun that the Giveaways at that price are a waste of money for publishers. People tend to write reviews on print books more so than Ebooks, so when you figure the cost of listing a Giveaway with Goodreads PLUS the cost of mailing them out, it is absurd. It costs the company nothing to list the Giveaways, and if the publishing companies are paying to send them off, it costs you nothing overall. A small fee would make sense, but I see very little benefit to listing with Goodreads for a Giveaway.
In light of the pandemic and all of us new authors who lost our book launch to the quarantine, perhaps you could throw us a bone with a month of free giveaways?
Scott wrote: "I know, right! Amazon was a great option and now I don't even know how to do a giveaway anymore."I've noticed authors using Twitter for giveaways. Maybe that could help?
I'm here just to make my presence known really As usual Promotional tools are only accessed once u set everything up
You set it up and see the price tag
There seems to be this impression from Wix et all that writers are hobbyists with high paid jobs who can afford these tools
We ain't
We can't
There are several negative issues associated with GR giveaways. The first one I'd like to mention is the worst. GR simply ignores it. That is that the hard copy giveaways do better because many of those who enter are only there to turn around and re-sell the book to make a buck. That is sad, but true. The second issue is the price. An author would be far better served to do a giveaway on one of the large book blogs. They cost about half the price of a GR giveaway, and you'll see about 10x the number of books go out.
The final item/issue is the lack of reviews one gets. And even the reviews you do get may be from people who are out to get a free book, who may not read in your genre, but simply want 'free.' (Imagine a GR reader who normally reads romance, giving your action thriller a review!) Of course that reader will give a bad review because they don't like you genre. GR does nothing to prevent that. You would think that such a highly organized site, one that charges more than double the going rate on the book blogs for a giveaway, would try to help the authors who are craving genuine feedback. But no.
Bottom line: GR marketing does a great job of selling their giveaways. The truth however, is that the service is over-priced and doesn't work as it should because GR doesn't screen the participants.
Can you offer both eBooks and Print Books in a giveaway, or do you have to only offer one or the other? Could you offer 25 print books and 75 eBooks? Also, if I run the giveaway for 30 days, no one received a book until that time has expired?
I'm convinced there is no real benefit in return for the cost. Unless GR guarantees the books go to mainly interested individuals and ensures we get reviews, it seems pointless. But then you cross into the whole "is it considered a paid review or not" argument. Truth is like others have said, people enter out of greed and barely ever review. So what's left to do?
I came inhere yesterday to take out some ads. Very quickly found out that it was not possible UNLESS I have $5000 to spend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously? At $3.99 a pop, I can hand $4 to 1200 of my twitter followers and probably do better. And I don't need to spend $200 + books to give books away. But I was willing to take out some ads for $50. Oh well . .
Michelle wrote: "The cost for running a giveaway is way too high for those of us who publish independently. We have limited budgets and, if you aren't selling a lot of copies already, it doesn't make sense. I can j..."Hi Michelle, I'm new to Goodreads, and came across this post. I was wondering if you can share how to freely create a giveaway on Amazon as you stated.
Grab ur glasses .Shes ready to spit some empathy your way. Remember watch what comes out of those lips
E.A. wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Since you will give kindle versions away (for free) and goodreads/amazon does all of the work for you, they have a fee of $119. And yes, in theory you will be giving up what you coul..."Leslie wrote: "As said in my earlier mail, giveaways is a complete non-starter for all who don't live in the USA & Canada. Our situation is that we have lost the only mode of reaching out to readers who do not kn..."
I agree. I just ran a giveaway this year and it cost me $190 I gave away 8 paperbacks. It cost me $119 to run the giveaway and another $47 to buy the author copies and $24 to mail the books at the book rate. I have yet to receive one review. I wrote Goodreads about it and they said that the winners are not required to review your book. Then what is the point of the Giveaway? They said to let people know about your book. So I have over 600 people who say they want to read my book and not one of them have purchased my book. The readers know that you want a review, For winners to get free books and not give a review should not be allowed.
Joyce wrote: "I agree. I just ran a giveaway this year and it cost me $190 I gave away 8 paperbacks. It cost me $119 to run the giveaway and another $47 to buy the author copies and $24 to mail the books at the ..."The whole business seems to get worse and worse.
Diane wrote: "I used to offer Giveaways for my poetry books, but once you imposed a price--and a very high one at that--I was no longer able to offer them. As a small press publisher of poetry books, I cannot af..."I agree. I'm a new teacher and a writer and cannot afford to pay to get my book out like that.
Personally, I would love to add my opinion to this conversation--as in, this is highway robbery--but I'll take the time to ask a question instead. As a fairly new author (published March 2019), I have neither many readers/followers nor much exposure. To get the most bang for smallest buck, I would give away 100 Kindle books at $119. If I only had 50 entries, what would happen to the other 50 books? I'm assuming I wouldn't get a refund and that I'd only (at best) have 25 people even say something about my book, so I suppose the real question is if any of this crap is worth it. I'm a minor, so my sole income is writing books. Not that I need a sole income, obviously, but my point is that I don't have the money to just blow it on something that won't win me readers, reviews (I'll even take negative ones at this point), or a sense of satisfaction.
Also, is there any merit in giving away less books (5, 10, 20) to avoid having some leftover?
I'm sure someone has answered this already, but what about giving away an ebook listed at $5.99 or one at $0.99?
Basically, I just want to know, is this is worth scrimping and saving my meager royalties for the next six months to turn around and put into a give away for my next release...??
I realize I'm in the minority here, but I've found the giveaway feature to be very successful, in particular with adding reviews. I've noticed quite a few reviewers mentioning that they received my book via a giveaway. Since I currently have 6 books in my series, I've noticed reviewers saying they've discovered a new author and will be checking out the rest of my books as well. I can't quantify the value of the $119 fee, but overall I think it's been a helpful tool.
Gary wrote: "I realize I'm in the minority here, but I've found the giveaway feature to be very successful, in particular with adding reviews. I've noticed quite a few reviewers mentioning that they received my..."Finally, someone's had success! I'm beginning to warm up to the idea, more for widening my radar and less for reviews, but it's great to hear that someone has had a good experience with giveaways.
Has anyone done the standard AND premium giveaways? Specifically, I was wondering about the differences in entry rates. I've run a few standard giveaways, and I usually get around 400-500 entries. If the premium giveaways only net a few hundred more entries, no thanks. FYI, I'm like most responders in that the giveaways have been a losing proposition. But I'm in it more for the exposure. In that sense, they're not too bad. Plus, in the giveaway descriptions, I always mention that the book is available on Kindle Unlimited. That leads to a bump in pages read.
I’m tempted but really can’t afford it. I wonder about doing your own giveaway on your Facebook author page. Something easy, like like my page, and you’ve entered to win?
Celia wrote: "I’m tempted but really can’t afford it. I wonder about doing your own giveaway on your Facebook author page. Something easy, like like my page, and you’ve entered to win?"That sounds like a great idea. If not through a social media platform, maybe a website/blog. (There's always Rafflecopter, which has a free plan, as well as priced ones.) I've even thought about doing a drawing for a physical copy with a local business. I think I'll try a giveaway here (I'm saving up 😉) and in other forms to see whether or not it's worth it and what works best for future reference. I'm more interested, at this point, in the marketing aspect than anything else, in which case the Goodreads avenue is best. Afterwards, once I've generated a reader- and follower-ship which could take years, I suppose), free/self-made giveaways through other platforms would be easier to do successfully, since they'll be following my progress and such.
If you have a great deal of followers/friends, social media like Facebook will probably work really well, so long as you can figure out how to get copies to your readers. Physical copies will cost to print and ship, in which case Goodreads might be cheaper. On the other hand, a Kindle eBook could only be sent through email to Kindle, and only if your reader(s) has one. A great portion of my readers are older and don't have Kindles or, in some rare cases, even an email address, so that is definitely something that I've considered. I'm blessed to have a local business that would support a giveaway, allowing winners to pick up a copy there rather than me shipping them.
Anyway (hope I haven't TMI-ed anyone), Celia, I would definitely suggest trying to run a giveaway on Facebook. With Rafflecopter, you can run a giveaway through Facebook (and the app, too, I think) for free, although I have no idea how that would work. (Check out their plans here.)
Has anyone else tried a giveaway through social media?
Wait, to give my books for free... I have to pay?
Hector wrote: "Wait, to give my books for free... I have to pay?"Yes! I am amazed how many authors on Goodreads don't realise that it is possible to give one's books away without paying for a third party (Goodreads) to do this. Still, if you pay for it, it must be better value, mustn't it?
Bob wrote: "I can remember when the Goodreads giveaway was a no cost benefit for the authors who participated in the program. Looks to me like some bean counter came out with the idea to squeeze out revenue fo..."I am just exploring Goodreads. Wow, it feels like a scam, unless you are already a high sales volume author.
Shaun wrote: "Hi all, after a huge amount of research we found the marketing value of the giveaways feature underappreciated whilst they were offered at no charge. At the same time, authors and publishers asked ..."WHILST?
Peter wrote: "Shaun wrote: "Hi all, after a huge amount of research we found the marketing value of the giveaways feature underappreciated whilst they were offered at no charge. At the same time, authors and pub..."I'm laughing so hard at this! 🤣
It caught my eye too but seeing it caps🤣🤣
Miriam wrote: "Peter wrote: "Shaun wrote: "Hi all, after a huge amount of research we found the marketing value of the giveaways feature underappreciated whilst they were offered at no charge. At the same time, a..."In some cultures that's a standard mode of speaking, but it jumped off the page at me haha!
Peter wrote: "Miriam wrote: "Peter wrote: "Shaun wrote: "Hi all, after a huge amount of research we found the marketing value of the giveaways feature underappreciated whilst they were offered at no charge. At t..."Yeah, it gave me the same impression!
How do I set up a giveaway for a book that does not have an ISBN yet? The giveaway app requires an ISBN or for the book to be in your database already. What am I missing?
My third book will be available in two days, so I decided to use a Goodreads 'giveaway' to promote it and discovered the program now includes a prohibitive fee. What a disappointment. It's difficult enough to sell books if you're not a celebrity, politician or professional athlete, and I thought Goodreads was a great way to reach my readers, but apparently it's all about money now. I'll still do a giveaway, but not on Goodreads.
David wrote: "My third book will be available in two days, so I decided to use a Goodreads 'giveaway' to promote it and discovered the program now includes a prohibitive fee. What a disappointment. It's difficul..."I have been am doing just that for a year or two now and will be again on 1 & 2 October. For your information my last one resulted in 1300+ downloads. You will need to do a bit of plugging on social media. Good luck.
The cost is ridiculous. There is no longer a need to use Goodreads.
