Greg Leaping
asked
Jodi Perkins:
Jodi, as an author such as yourself or for publishing companies, why are books given away for free on giveaways or read and reviews, when it's probably guessed or known there will probably be very little in return in the way of honest reviews?
Jodi Perkins
Wow, what an insightful question.
To answer this, let me illustrate by using my most recent Goodreads giveaway as an example. I only gave away one book, yet over 1500 people entered. The woman who ultimately won never left a review. So what was in it for me? Well, every time someone enters a giveaway, an update pops up on their newsfeed saying "Jane (or whoever) just entered a giveaway for Chasing Echoes". That means my book was getting exposure to not only the 1500 people who entered, but all of their friends as well. Also, to enter a Giveaway, Goodreads prompts the participant to add the novel to their "To Read" shelf. It's not mandatory, but a lot of people do it. My last two giveaways resulted in Chasing Echoes being added to over 1800 shelves. So yes, while I would have loved to have received a review from the winner, the exposure I gained for Chasing Echoes was reward enough, and definitely worth the ten bucks I spent mailing out her prize.
Long story short--giveaways might not always lead to reviews, but they drum up interest in a book and lead to more exposure. (I guess I could have just said that in the first place, huh?)
To answer this, let me illustrate by using my most recent Goodreads giveaway as an example. I only gave away one book, yet over 1500 people entered. The woman who ultimately won never left a review. So what was in it for me? Well, every time someone enters a giveaway, an update pops up on their newsfeed saying "Jane (or whoever) just entered a giveaway for Chasing Echoes". That means my book was getting exposure to not only the 1500 people who entered, but all of their friends as well. Also, to enter a Giveaway, Goodreads prompts the participant to add the novel to their "To Read" shelf. It's not mandatory, but a lot of people do it. My last two giveaways resulted in Chasing Echoes being added to over 1800 shelves. So yes, while I would have loved to have received a review from the winner, the exposure I gained for Chasing Echoes was reward enough, and definitely worth the ten bucks I spent mailing out her prize.
Long story short--giveaways might not always lead to reviews, but they drum up interest in a book and lead to more exposure. (I guess I could have just said that in the first place, huh?)
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Jun 11, 2016 04:16PM
Jun 11, 2016 04:21PM