GoodReads Giveaways

[Tami]

I have won 7 books since being on GoodReads.

American Rust by Philipp Meyer
The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick
The Gnostic Mystery by Randy Davila
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
The Pirate Vortex: Elizabeth Latimer, Pirate Hunter by Deborah Cannon
Not Art by Peter Esterhazy
and
The Mapping of Love and Death by Jaqueline Winspear.

I know some others have mentioned they have won. Did you like them? Hate them?

It is funny looking at mine. I ranked them all the same. 3 stars. Except 2: Not Art, I really didn't like that one, so one star it is. And The Mapping of Love and Death, because I haven't received it yet.

For those of you that would love to get free books, and haven't signed up for the giveaways before, go to explore, books, giveaways, more giveaways, and scroll through the list. All they ask is that you post a review when you are done reading them.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

I've won a few too!

The Happiness Project
Something Borrowed
Remarkable Creatures
Gemma
Letter to My Daughter

I was pleased with all of them.

[Jen]

I've won one book! Over the summer I won There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd. I like it. It's nice as a quick reference guide (there are some grammar rules that I can never remember).

[Kayla]

I just won 31 Bond Street: A Novel and I'm waiting for it to come in the mail. It was my first firstreads win!

[Tami]

Yay free books!

[Heather]

I won The Girl in the Lighthouse recently and really enjoyed it. I think it's going to end up being a series so I'm curious how the rest of the story will turn out.

[Tami]

Broke through the 3 stars.

The Mapping of Love and Death by Jaqueline Winspear.

Was actually a fun read. Not Great, but good.

[Denise]

I just won my first book: Scattered Petals. Luckily my library has the first book of the series, so I'll be reading both of those soon.

[Ashley]

I won my first book last week, The Executor. I'm so excited! :)

[Tami]

Yay Free Books!

[Ashley]

I won a couple of books. I hate it when I don't win a book I really wanted to get and read.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Yay for people winning their first books!

I just won this book: 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World

[Kelly]

I've entered like 10 giveaways and haven't won anything yet! =(

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Did you make a shelf on your bookshelf named "first reads"? I have won 6 by doing that. I mark the book "to read" and then put it on that shelf.

[Tami]

It also helps to have something written in way of review on your read books. I have actually had some of the authors or people doing the giveaways message me saying that because I do review my books, they will offer a discounted copy if I would like to buy it. I am sure it is to boost sales, but most say it is because they want people's opinions on the books.

I don't dissect books, find their hidden meanings or any of that. I just give a line or two basically stating if the book was okay, good, great or horrible. :)

[Kelly]

Great Ideas, Thanks!

[Zach]

i just got kissing the mask by william vollman

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Yay for winning!

[Kelly]

YaY I finally won one!! I got The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel. I'm so happy because it's one that I really thought sounded like a good read!!

[Alicia]

I have won a couple books. I have read about half of Kevin My Military Man and although it's not the kind of thing I would usually read, I really like it. The author is very sweet and seems to genuinely care in people's opinion of her book as well. Although I haven't finished it, I would definitely recommend it!

[Danielle]

Since I've been on Goodreads I've won
Elysiana
Exploring Jessica: An Artistic Exploration of One Female Figure
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
Rules of Vengeance
The Blue Enchantress
Gemini And The Black Stone: The Coming Of Ra

[Tami]

Just heard I have won another.

Love Is Monumental by Annalisa Daughety

I don't remember actually signing up for this one, it sounds too much like a romance novel, but we will see. Hope it is good.

[Bárbara]

I won my first giveaway! I didn't even notice I had won anything, I just got it in the mail: In All Probability.

[Kelly]

As a joke I signed up for 101 Things I Learned in Business School. I was going to give it to my boyfriend who has been in college forever!! That was a few months ago, and I had completely forgot about it. To my surprise I woke up the other day to find that I had won it oops lol. What a waste of a win!

[Tami]

I finally got mine yesterday in the mail. I saw the notice in my junk email that I had won on the 3rd. :) Love snail mail.

[Jess]

It's a good morning! I just checked my e-mail and saw that I won Crashers. I adore free books.

[Daniel]

I have been a participant from the author side of the spectrum. I've posted my book The Lexical Funk: A Triumph of Words a few times and it has done wonders for my readership. Some times though, I find that people sign up for the giveaway without even checking out what kind of book it is. That's why I always encourage potential readers to check out a sample.

[Tami]

I just received another. Plan on starting it after I finish my current book.

Nobody Does the Right Thing by Amitava Kumar.

Funny, I didn't get notification I had won. It will be a good read, even if I don't like the story, because it takes place in India. I have found I tend to stay away from books that aren't "americanized" enough for me. I really need to challenge that.

Daniel, I have asked GoodReads about that. I wish there were a way to help encourage the poster of a giveaway to put in the blurb what the book is about instead of all these, won this and this awards, or some other author singing the praises, or even enforcing the tag option for the type of book. But they say they don't want to encourage censorship and they feel by telling the posters what they need to post for a giveaway is a type of censorship. It just seems to me like the authors are not experiencing what they hope to when someone wins the book that won't read it and/or won't post a review.

[Caity]

I've been entering give-aways since December and I have only won two books. The first I received in early-ish February but didn't have time for the site because of school, so I didn't read it, write anything in the review box, or make a new shelf.

I then started entering more give-aways in June and have continued to do so. I didn't win my second book until after I wrote that a review of the first book I won was coming and put it on a new shelf just for first read wins. I'm still reading the first one, though, as it is sloooooow because it's not what I am used to (I read Fantasy, it's a non-fiction book/part biography of several people on WWII and the Battle of England. I'm also waiting on the second book I won to arrive, but already have a note that my review is forthcoming.

The two books I have won are:
Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour (the first one and I am determined to finish it)
The Wake of Forgiveness (people seem to like it, but most agree it can be a bit wordy and over-descriptive at times)

[Sashana]

I'm always entering these goodreads giveaways but I haven't won anything yet :(

[Tami]

I enter a lot but win very few. On the feedback group there was discussion that some people have won hundreds. They were upset because the review posted was something along the lines of "Received my giveaway" and that is it. Then it marks that they posted a review so they are picked as winners more often. Lame, but not sure how they can police it better.

I try to read the giveaways right away. The longest I have taken to start a book I had won was almost a week after receiving it. I know they people posting really are trying to get feedback on their books, well most of them anyways, so I try to do that as soon as possible. Probably not the best reviews, I usually stick to if I enjoyed the book or not, but sometimes put in more depth.

I did have one author mention that it looks like I reviewed a bunch of books, and then later I was chosen on their giveaway, so my suggestion is to make sure you write reviews on books you have marked as read. I also have the shelf called Goodreads Giveaways, they suggest it as Firstreads, and I don't know if that has helped or not.

I think Goodreads activity probably helps too. Those I know that have won a lot, have a bunch of groups they are really active in.

[Daniel]

Tami wrote: "I just received another. Plan on starting it after I finish my current book.

Nobody Does the Right Thing by Amitava Kumar.

Funny, I didn't get notification I had won, and I don't remember act..."

I think it's been fine. It's always difficult finding your readership. Some trial and error is inevitable.

[Caity]

Bleh. I've been making an effort to review books as I finish them lately, but I have a terrible memory so a lot of the books I've read I can't review because I only remember that I read them.

Even with that, I have at least 20-30 reviews on the site (they absolutely suck, but they exist), and I'm really active in several groups, and have some activity in a bunch of other groups.

I could probably enter a give-away giving away 1000 copies of a book, be one of 1001 people to enter, and be the one that loses, though. I'm rather unlucky like that, and have actually had something similar happen to me before (junior year of high school at the after-prom, there were something like 900 people in attendance, there were enough door prizes for all but 2 people to win one, I was one of those 2 people, but I think I remember the other person getting something later as an apology).

[Sashana]

Oh man, you guys were right! I’ve been making more of an effort to write more reviews for books I read and I recently won 2 books! I didn’t think it would work so thanks so much for telling me Tami. I’m definitely reviewing the two books I received.

[Kayla]

I just won A City of Ghosts: Stories by Betsy Phillips. This is my second first reads win, and the last time I had won was in February. I have also been making an effort to review more of my books over the past couple weeks, so it really does seem to work!

[Heather]

I just won a copy of Eating Animals from first reads. I actually bought a copy at Borders last weekend because I completely forgot I even entered a giveaway for it! Looks like I'll be taking a trip back to Borders to return the copy I bought and exchange it for something else :)

[Sashana]

It's funny how things work out, Heather.

Kayla, I really do think that the more reviews you write the more chances you have of winning. I entered many of these things and won nothng, when I started writing some reviews I won 2 books!

[Caitlin]

I just won a copy of Living Beneath the Radar!!! That's exciting!

[Tami]

I just received An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor. Plan on starting it as soon as I finish American Psycho.

[Kelly]

I just won Girl, Stolen. Looked like an exciting story! Hope it's good.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Lucky!! I entered that one, too! I've heard good things so far!

[Sarah]

I've only won one book, Twain's Feast: Searching for America's Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens, but I never got it. :(

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Sarah--You can contact the person and tell them that you never got it. It should still be under that part where it says something like giveaways you've won.

[Tami]

I just received another. Bound by Antonya Nelson. Need to finish my current read, then on to it.

[Samantha]

I only found out about these recently and entered a bunch. Today I received a copy of The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men that I won. Looks pretty interesting!

[Jenna]

The only one I've won was Truly, Madly. I didn't have high expectations, but I ended up really enjoying it! There's been one sequel since which I also read and enjoyed and now I'm awaiting the third. I think people who enjoy Sookie Stackhouse and Stephanie Plum will really love Lucy Valentine.

[Tami]

Just received an email that I won Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant

[Jen]

Tami, you have such good luck winning books!

[Kelly]

I won Tears of Pearl: A Novel of Suspense yesterday! Looks like a good Historical Fiction series

[Tami]

It seems like I win right after I finish reading the last one I won and post a review. :) I also will go through books I have read but not written a review and write a couple. Sometimes that seems to kick in a win too. So I think they really look at if you give reviews or not, which makes sense, since that is why they usually give books away; to get feedback.