Adding Meta Data

[Jennifer]

Hi can someone possibly tell me how you can add meta data to your book? In the edit book section there is a meta data tab but when I click on it it says no meta data questions have been answered yet . It then says on the right to answer the questions but there are none! It´s really important for my book as it´s a niche genre in a way being a time slip fiction but not sci fi at all . This is not, as far as I can see, a category choice anywhere so I´m really struggling. I´ve messaged support but no answer. Can any of you lovelies help?

[Ellison]

I think only the persons leaving reviews can add meta data, i.e., not the author. I looked into this myself at one point and found this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Not sure if it's okay to post another groups thread here.

[[deleted user]]

You can add meta data while converting your book to eBook form in Calibre.

[Jennifer]

Thanks that's really helpful comment wise. Obstructive and useless functionality wise! Anyone else find goodreads pretty hopeless when it comes to any sort of promotion?

[[deleted user]]

I think you're trying to have goodreads answer the #1 question on every new author's, and most old author's minds. So I wrote a book, now what? There are a lot of topics on Indie Authors forum about marketing. Go peruse through them.

I advised you how to add the meta data to your eBook file. That is only a start. There is a real but somehow hard to grasp concept for the new author called an author's platform. This is your public visibility to the world, nowadays through social media. One thing to realize is that you have to build your platform, start with a good author's website. Then move to a Facebook page, if you wish, though Instagram seems to be the better place to put your energy. Get a Twitter account and learn how to use it. I recently bought and read a book by Rayne Hall, called "Twitter for` Writers," which is in my view and outstanding tutorial on how to use twitter effectively.

Since you're new, I will warn you. Trashing goodreads with disparaging remarks will cause the admins to delete or lock your thread. Take your time, go through the marketing threads and take a notebook and make notes. In my estimation, it takes 2-10 years to build a proper author's platform. Without it, your sales will crash and burn.

You are not alone. Everybody has suffered through the difficulty of getting reviews and selling books.

Finally, your first book will probably not be a best seller. You won't really get traction until your second or third, and only if you have a good platform built.

If you are writing because you love to write, nay, because you have to, then by all means, keep right on doing what you love. If you are doing it because you desperately need money, quit right now and go get a job. The need for money rarely is the passionate fuel to make you a great writer.

[Jennifer]

Hi thank you for the comment . I was simply asking if others had found goodreads unhelpful as opposed to Kindle or Nook for example in terms of facilitating marketing strategies. I am a marketer for a real estate company and have never encountered a platform so non user friendly for marketing strategies. My book is actually doing really well everywhere but here which I think goodreads would be as well to perhaps heed rather than blocking any criticism. So whilst I thank you for the advice perhaps it would be better to ascertain the root of the comment first ie my marketing experience. I think as an entity goodreads exists in essence for the reader and it shows, but it would not go amiss for them to facilitate the author a little more in actually bringing their product to the intended market. Being in luxury real estate needing the money is not my issue, I simply made an observation based on my experience. I am happy with my sales(I have no idea if 60+copies in the first six weeks is good or bad but I'm happy) and reviews thus far but marketing isn't a finite business. So yes thank you Morris and I'm sorry if I caused you any offence

[Mark]

Goodreads is a wonderful site, but nothing's perfect. If an individual has a particular issue with the platform then they're perfectly entitled to ask questions. There's asking questions and then there's trashing. You did no such thing Jennifer. You've got nothing to apologise for.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer, you did not cause me any offense. The comment about goodreads, however, would raise some eyebrows with the admins. I made an offhand comment about "noise" concerning the drone of information once, and got my comment deleted, so i just shared from my experience. 60 copies in the first six weeks probably means that you will severely slow down after 90 days, unless you build your platform, and even then, you will need to produce a second book.

Keep in mind, this particular forum is comprised of authors, even the admins. We all have a huge amount of marketing details to address of our own, which is a constant drain on our writing time. Goodreads is not the main vehicle for promotion. Sure, you can have a book giveaway and get some reviews, make an author's page, etc... It will show up in a google search, so that is part of building a platform. Where goodreads excels is where you link up with other authors to learn the indie business. This particular forum is the best.

[Jennifer]

Thank you Mark, appreciated . Morris thank you again for your advice and sharing your experience . Let's see what happens ;) My platform is as strong as time constraints will allow right now and I will ease it up slowly. I have numerous interlaced Facebook profiles aside from my author page with around 3500 connections in total and two twitter accounts witb around 2000 together. Also linkedin with around 800 so I'm getting there slowly. Multi platform marketing is a little tiresome and intensive so I tend to focus my efforts. I wonder whilst you are all here could I ask your views on kdp select and whether or not it enhances marketing for standard paid sales or would detract from these on the whole? There is so much conflicting advice on this issue that I really can't decide whether or not to commit for the 90 days. Getting a second book up is a work in progress along with the rest of my life!

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer wrote: "I ask your views on kdp select and whether or not it enhances marketing for standard paid sales or would detract from these on the whole? There is so much conflicting advice on this issue that I really can't decide whether or not to commit for the 90 days..."

I think we've had several threads in this group about KDP Select. Here's one:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Jennifer]

Ah thank you Ken, very helpful