Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
III. Goodreads Readers
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What's the best way for Self-Pub Authors to get more readers?
Maybe this has been covered already - what about blogging? Not about your book. But maybe your process, your learning and life experiences, bits and pieces of work getting posted? And doing the Amazon Author page? Has anyone had luck with that? And the biggest thing I seem to find is 'Write more than one book!', on the web. And yes, focusing on your image and book to look so profession is key but what about uniqueness? All this talk of 'Indie' niche stuff... maybe studying that and somehow standing out in that regard? Lastly - I haven't tried this, but what about doing a website and using Wordpress, or some other CMS and selling your book via your own website? I read somewhere about a plug-in for Wordpress and selling books. Then it would be a matter of driving visitors to your website. Google used to have tools to do this. Lastly, podcasting? Or YouTube videos? Not to sit there and yammer on about your own book but using those tools to enforce who you are. ??
The majority of my book sales have come locally. I self-publish, and after months of exclusively attempting to sell my books through Amazon and Smashwords and getting a miniscule response, I made it a point to engage with people in my community about my books and to have a paperback version available for them to purchase (I had only e-book versions prior to this). Offering free copies to a local library has led to suggestions from the librarian of wider distribution to other libraries, though I have not gone over the details with her yet. I offered a free copy of my first novel to the editor of a local newspaper to read and that has led to discussion of a possible future article on my books and me. Another local paper has also shown interest. None of these people had any concern that my books were self-published, only that they met a quality standard. As a self-published author with minimal writing income, I have a separate job that pays the bills. My fellow employees have been enthusiastic about my writing and several are spreading the word after reading and enjoying my books. My point is that I tried to start big and realized you have to start small. Word of mouth is growing locally, and I’m hoping some of that will translate into positive online reviews and increased interest. I’m also trying to expand my social media presence through forums such as this one. I know it’s a long road to travel, but my feet are moving down it.
I think the reluctance to buy or read self-pubbed books is that they carry a tag of being unprofessional; and some writers certainly do just dash the work off carelessly. This is not a hobby or experiment. When those who want to self-publish take the time to seriously learn their craft, explore their talents, and produce a professional product, readers will be more willing to buy. If you are a writer, the best approach is the professional approach and that means hiring professional editors and designers to get the book to be the best it can be.
Paula wrote: "I think the reluctance to buy or read self-pubbed books is that they carry a tag of being unprofessional; and some writers certainly do just dash the work off carelessly. This is not a hobby or exp..."definitely agree. I own a site that allows Indie authors to submit their covers for people to see and link to their sales page. Some writers, I guess gets too excited at writing, that they totally forget or disregard marketing. I've seen book covers submitted like they were done by a fifth-grader. I wonder how they can expect to get a sale from such sloppy work (pardon my term).
Writers IMO should be careful in a world where they're competing with millions others.
BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Lisa wrote: "As for reviews I don't lament the lack of them on my new book because I know that most reviews come from mutual backscratching groups, not readers. I have been invited to such groups o..."Then I sincerely hope that one day you will take a risk on mine - perhaps via Prime library - I would love one or two stranger reviews :)
Shomeret wrote: "I do read self-published authors. I just need to read a sample and be impressed by it. I read yours on your website and you're very good. I just ordered your book from Amazon.The key element w..."
The Prophecy I just read your post and would like to ask, "How do you get introduced to the authors you want to read?" or "How do authors introduce themselves to you?"
I have been on Good Reads only a short time but am always trying to understand connections. I would look forward to your answer.
Mark Boyd
eLPy wrote: "So I'm going to jump out here and try to run this topic from some of the things talked about in the super thread about why more people don't read self-published books. Of course if you've followe..."For a minute there I thought you were printing your books on your own personal printer. I was going to say congrats. That is my ultimate dream. To publish my own books on my own equipment.
I have to admit the cover on a book draws me in. Then the description. Whether the author is indie or not makes no difference. The book preview will seal the deal.
-Mark Alan Trimeloni
Nudist Horror Writer
Laurel wrote: "Andrew wrote: "If ten years of ad sales work have taught me anything, it's that people hate being sold to, or overtly marketed to. So I'd far rather people stumble across my stuff in their own good..."I come from a rural Pennsylvania city as well. What has slowed the promotion of my books is the nudity factor. I don't want to bring the wrong attention on my parents that I love more than anything in the world. I keep wanting to promote my books in person right in the middle of town and say, "Here I am Central City. Love me or hate me. But just let me write." Not to mention I do a lot of good work in my hometown. Good luck with your writing.
-Mark Alan Trimeloni
Nudist Horror Writer
p.s.-Luckily, most of them don't use the internet. So, I'm safe here.
Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I do read self-published authors. I just need to read a sample and be impressed by it. I read yours on your website and you're very good. I just ordered your book from Amazon...."
I run across authors on groups and if they post anything that catches my interest, I go to their profiles and find out what they write. It isn't always my sort of thing. No offense Mark, but horror in general doesn't spin my wheels.
Shomeret wrote: "Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I do read self-published authors. I just need to read a sample and be impressed by it. I read yours on your website and you're very good. I just ordered your book f..."I'm with you on that. There is so much to read out there that one can stick with their preferred genre' and never run out of new material to enjoy. Except in my case. No one writes Nudist Horror Novels. I pray that will change so I have something more to read than my own stories.
-Mark Alan Trimeloni :)
Nudist Horror Writer
BarkLessWagMore wrote: "What would make you more likely to read a self-published book if you don't already? What would help to draw you in? Do you want to know up front that the book is self-published or just read and may..."Really interesting - and God, yes, I know just what you mean about those awful spam messages. I tell them all - this is spam. If you want me to read your book, check if I'm interested in its type first, and then at least talk to me first.... I have also told new writers that it will NOT get their book looked at - it's junk mail!
As a writer who has a blog about writing too (I have one on UK Arts Directory about self publishing), I get loads of new writers asking me to review their books. If they had bothered to read my blog they would know that I am a writer, not a book reviewer....
One of the things most writers never consider is this: is my book any good? Is the reason it is not getting recommended/catching on, simply that it's just not good enough? A hard one, that.....
Lisa wrote: "I have noticed so many people saying KDP Select isn't worth it, and yet in the month I have been using it I have a very healthy number of borrows recorded. Every time someone borrows your book on s..."Precisely. Also, you have Kindle Countdown - I sold a tidy of books with that last week, but please note that the party is already over with that - I observe these things alot and notice that you have to do something else to give the book a push, otherwise it doesn't sell any better than normal. The free promo still works; even if not well enough to get the sales surge, you get new reviews and readers. If not, maybe it's the book itself that needs looking at.
What an earlier commenter said about back-scratching reviews - yes, horrendous. At least with the groups you're invited to, you can tell them what you think of them. Worse, are the crap writers who give 5 stars to everyone hoping they will get them back, or who chat up their readers to the extent that they daren't give anything less than a 4 star. As a book buyer, it makes me angry when I've bought a book that's got loads of great reviews, only to discover they're all by the writer's writer friends, or people who've never bought anything else (ie, their mates). I've wasted money like this a few times!
Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I do read self-published authors. I just need to read a sample and be impressed by it. I read yours on your website and you're very good. I just or..."It sounds like a really unique genre Mark :) I would be happy to check it out. I like original books!
Lisa wrote: "Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "Mark wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I do read self-published authors. I just need to read a sample and be impressed by it. I read yours on your website and you're very goo..."Yes, but would you be willing to write me a Nudist Horror Story to read :)
-Mark Alan Trimeloni :)
Nudist Horror Writer
No, but I do have a vegetarian vampire :)
Terry wrote:"One of the things most writers never consider is this: is my book any good? Is the reason it is not getting recommended/catching on, simply that it's just not good enough? A hard one, that..... "This is a problem. The book must be good that's why it should always be read by several unbiased people, not family members or friends who don't want to hurt your feelings by telling you the painful truth. And you should never review something you've written and give it 5 stars. I see so many new writers do this but please don't. Of course you think it's great, you wrote it but it turns me and a lot of readers off.
Michael wrote: "The majority of my book sales have come locally. I self-publish, and after months of exclusively attempting to sell my books through Amazon and Smashwords and getting a miniscule response, I made ..."I should try that, but having been a music teacher I worry about my ex-pupils giggling at me :D
The one thing I've noticed with self-published books is that a LOT of them look cheap and tacky. Yes the story could be good, but how many people will get that far with a really unprofessional looking cover? I've received quite a few self-published books, both from giveaways to review requests and only about 2/3 have looked like professional books.
I've also noticed that there are a lot of self-published books that are really poorly written and it completely distracts me from the actual story. Having said that there's one SP book that has stood out for me as it really was written fantastically.
I think knowing that a book is self-published could turn a lot of people off because there's generally a negative stigma attached to it. But I can feel all that changing.
@BarkLessWagMore I agree with you with the 5 stars rating but do you think it is ok to write a review about your thoughts on it but without rating it? I'm asking because back when I didn't know you could remove a book from your library I accidently click on mine (To read). So I just put it 'Read' and give my thoughts about it. (Mostly, I explained why I can't rate it.)
BarkLessWagMore wrote: "And you should never review something you've written and give it 5 stars. I see so many new writers do this but please don't. Of course you think it's great, you wrote it but it turns me and a lot of readers off ..."Blimey, do people do this? I gave an old charity anthology to which I contributed five stars when I stumbled across it on Goodreads, but that's been out of print and unavailable for years (plus at the time it wasn't linked to my author profile...). For my own self-pubbed books, I've added the, to my shelves, but would never stoop to giving them a rating or review of any kind! :)
G.G. wrote: "@BarkLessWagMore I agree with you with the 5 stars rating but do you think it is ok to write a review about your thoughts on it but without rating it?"For me? The only thing I want to see in that space is something about the writing process or something about the story, not a commentary on how fabulous an author thinks their book is and all the reasons why they think I must buy it.
I read your comments on your book and what you've written didn't turn me off at all and was helpful to me as a reader. I want to know that it's part of a series and can be read alone. There's nothing worse than finishing a book and discovering you have to read another book to get a little closure. I dislike huge cliffhangers and you state things that I would need to know. That kind of thing is what an author should be writing in that space not "buy this book because it's better than anything out there. I love it!" That is a huge turnoff!
@Andrew They do this all the time! Click on a few SPA links and you'll be surprised that it's done more often than not.
Blimey. I'll be frank - if I was sad enough to do that, I'd at least have the common sense to set up a fake account.Dishonesty annoys me, but dishonesty mixed with stupidity enrages me.
I find that there are some traditionally pubbed authors out there that are overrated and really do not write well at all. Those faults don't belong only to the self-pubbed author. I hated Gone by Gillian Flynn. Ridiculous story, flat narrative, dull self-absorbed characters, and the writing was poorly executed. Yet it was and is popular and getting positive reviews: highly promoted and keen marketing is what got that book on the best seller list. 50 Shades of Gray? Same poor quality and keen marketing, but erotica makes up 1/3 of self-pubbed books on the market compared with traditionally pubbed erotica at 1%.Maybe the best thing to do when looking to buy a book or at a new author, self-pubbed or traditionally pubbed, is look at who they are as a writer and what kind of profile or literary track record they might have. Book reviews are only half the story.
I have asked for reviews from readers here and been given them. I never do the mutual reviews between authors nor pay for reviews. As such our books at FootSteps have just begun to gain reviews from strangers and they maintain our high standard.Whilst good typography and design are imperative I also believe high quality of writing is where it all starts. There is no doubt at all you can sell indifferent writing - mainstream publishers do all the time - but what small publishers should be aiming for is a high standard of publishing and something different, 'unfound' in the mainstream, that attracts readers.
That's what we do.
Our author Shanne sands was called one of the whole world's finest poets, her semi-autobiographical book on India 'the finest literary prose I have ever read.' We have republished Jonathon Coudrille who had the Children's Book of the year in 1976.
If you have excellence as your goal readers will find you. I do not know of anyone who loves books who doesn't recommend books to friends. You cannot buy those recommendations, you have to earn them.
@BarkLessWagMore Thank you for your feedback. I had been debating about deleting it since I've found out how to remove a book from my library, but since someone had liked the comment, I was stuck in a dilemma.
Wowzers, I feel a bit chewed out by all the "authors who rate their own work should be hung upsidedown by their toenails" talk. When I naively first got on GR and added my first book, I was prompted to rate it. At the time, I thought, "Uh, ok?", but I did it, since that seemed like it was expected. In my defense, though, I didn't put MY review, I put (not just one, but) several reviews that I'd received from places other than GR. So reviews that are actually from other people -- not me. Does that still make me a "turn-off", I wonder?
Andrew wrote: "BarkLessWagMore wrote: "And you should never review something you've written and give it 5 stars. I see so many new writers do this but please don't. Of course you think it's great, you wrote it bu..."I did this. But you gotta give me a break. I was just learning. lol
-Mark Alan Trimeloni
Nudist Horror Writer
Richard wrote: "Some writers do review their own work, and whether they give it five stars or one star, it's an instant turn-off for me."I couldn't rate or review my own work, but on recommendation by a GR reader/reviewer, I used the review space to re-post blog interviews, which reveal quite a lot on working methods and where I get my ideas and such.
Richard wrote: "Personally, as a reader I care less about who published the book than about whether it's well-written, and in a genre I read. (For example, most writers couldn't pay me enough to read a horror stor..."You hit the nail on the head. A book needs to be in a genre' I read. Simple fact, I have not read a book in a long time. I'd rather play on-line games that I enjoy more than reading about clothed people in stories. I keep hearing a writer has to be a good reader first. Well, if no one writes in a genre' I want to read, then I guess I'm not a good reader and thus not a good writer. But it won't be long before I find daring writers out there ready to take a chance on a new genre'.
-Mark Alan Trimeloni
Nudist Horror Writer
Hello and thanks for letting me join the group. My first book was published with Journeymakers Publishing but my published used create space and I didn't know she was going to do that. My second book Skin Deep is published through my spirit books and is doing ok. I have had one book signing where it snowed so much no-one much was in town. Still it was nice to see it in Waterstones who had a few copies in the local store. My third book Liberty Angel is self published through create space - I really liked doing this and I was surprised that it was not that difficult to do. Then my published handed me back the rights of The Silver Lining so I have now created another edition through create space. I am currently trying to get on radio shows. I was on Radio Suffolk with Skin Deep as it is a novel about adoption so that was something I could talk about. I think it doesn't matter if you are published or self published - it appears to be about reviews, articles and getting yourself out there. I do events as part of my job so may be easier for me in some ways but only small events - it is a slow process at the moment.
V.K. wrote: "Wowzers, I feel a bit chewed out by all the "authors who rate their own work should be hung upsidedown by their toenails" talk. When I naively first got on GR and added my first book, I was prompte..."I do the same thing. I make it clear that the ratings are not mine but from the other reviewers.
V.K. wrote: "Wowzers, I feel a bit chewed out by all the "authors who rate their own work should be hung upsidedown by their toenails" talk. When I naively first got on GR and added my first book, I was prompte..."Exactly! I never reviewed my own book, but if I rated them any less than 5* how could I expect anyone else to like them? You do as Goodreads prompts when you are a newbie. Simple, and I think we should be cut some slack for that. But reviews? I wouldn't...
McKenzie wrote: "Maybe this has been covered already - what about blogging? Not about your book. But maybe your process, your learning and life experiences, bits and pieces of work getting posted? And doing the Ama..."Blogging is good. Also try local art festivals or farmers markets - good for local exposure. Exposure yourself to libraries in your county or the next couple of counties. Put your name up for book club's and offer to donate books.
There are many more ideas but these are a few to get you going. Not just 'write more'. (Although you should do that too.)
Re: starring/reviewing your own work...What do you do when your "own work" is actually one short story in an anthology, with all the other stories by other authors?
I'm soon going to be in this very case, so what do I do? Review the anthology just like I would in any other case (perhaps adding that I'm reviewing every story but mine)? Or not review/rate it at all, in fear of that being a turn-off... but with the risk of sending a "I don't care about my fellow authors" message?
Yzabel wrote: "Re: starring/reviewing your own work...What do you do when your "own work" is actually one short story in an anthology, with all the other stories by other authors?
I'm soon going to be in this ..."
In your place, I would review the collection as a whole and mention that one of the stories is your own, but you are reviewing your fellow authors. That would be honest and hopefully would not get you hung up by the toenails ;)
Yzabel wrote: "Re: starring/reviewing your own work...What do you do when your "own work" is actually one short story in an anthology, with all the other stories by other authors?
I'm soon going to be in this ..."
I have two anthologies I'm in. I rated each one but made note that I was not reviewing my own work. I was reviewed the other authors in the anthologies.
You don't have to leave a rating. Also, if you've accidentally left a rating for your own book, you can go back and edit and remove it.
Well I got my first bad review today. 1 starI guess that makes me a legitimate author now.
@J.T.,You became an author the moment you published, not the moment you were reviewed. I didn't see a 1-star review, just a 5-star review by someone with the same last name and no other reviews than your book...
Maybe he was referring to this one where the reader was upset at themselves for not doing the "look inside" thing before hitting the buy button:By Right of Arms on Amazon
That look inside button is your best friend people. Use it!
I don't get much time to be on GR so my comment is a bit slow.Daniel wrote that, if your work is really noteworthy, people will find it. How?
I've noticed there are hundreds of authors here on GR. Many of their books must be well worth reading. Even such a book is easily lost in the shuffle unless the author does something to get it noticed by those first readers who can then recommend it to others.
Karen wrote: "I don't get much time to be on GR so my comment is a bit slow.Daniel wrote that, if your work is really noteworthy, people will find it. How?
I've noticed there are hundreds of authors here on GR...."
The only way to get people to notice - however well you might write - is to network and sell your book. It is a process that needs huge time and effort before it reaches critical mass. Use twitter, use facebook, use giveaways... and hope someone with lots of followers decides they like you enough to give you a boost. I am finding it takes more effort to promote a book than it does to write one!
BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Maybe he was referring to this one where the reader was upset at themselves for not doing the "look inside" thing before hitting the buy button:By Right of Arms on Amazon
That look inside butt..."
Correct on both counts. I think that a bad review validates the good reviews. Oh and BTW my family is not into giving good reviews because I am family. They cut me to the bone during beta reading. As a matter of fact My daughter (who is 21 and out of the house) told me she had to force herself to get through Blood and Steel.
J.T. wrote: "BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Maybe he was referring to this one where the reader was upset at themselves for not doing the "look inside" thing before hitting the buy button:By Right of Arms on Amazo..."
Ouch! You probably should have gotten her that pony she wanted when she was a kid.
She is a tough girl that speaks her mind. I taught her to be that way. She makes me proud.
Needless to say it has been through a large number of revisions since then.
Martyn wrote: "@J.T.,You became an author the moment you published, not the moment you were reviewed. I didn't see a 1-star review, just a 5-star review by someone with the same last name and no other reviews t..."
I know that. But a bad review qualifies the good ones. Because not everyone will like your writing.
Goodreads Authors/Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Cougar (other topics)A Phantasy And Other Prose Poems (other topics)
The Prophecy (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lisa Marie Gabriel (other topics)Lisa Marie Gabriel (other topics)
Wow, thanks for that helpful post! You're the kind of reader we authors would love to have. I'm sad you don't read middle-grade fantasy/adventure. ;-)