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- Gus reads Kenyon’s Devil May Cry
Getting Chummy with Goodreads
I have lots of friends who read as much as I do and constantly recommend books that sound fantastic. As soon as I hear a book recommendation that fits my interests, I add it to my Goodreads To-Be-Read (TBR) list. It’s the only way I can remember the titles of all these great books.
So, what is Goodreads? Goodreads is an online social book club. Readers have access to read reviews, create reviews, recommend books, and generally discuss all book things. It isn’t limited to readers. Authors have a chance to interact with readers and promote their work.
I’m a member of Goodreads. I am able to friend other readers on the site in much the same way that I can on Facebook. I can see the reading selections of my friends on Goodreads as well as their ratings. If someone has similar reading taste, I might add a book to my TBR list because he/she recommends it. If I don’t want to friend an author, I can become their “fan” and still follow activity.
I have an author profile on Goodreads. If you are an author, you must begin as a member. As soon as you have a published book, you can join the author program. Then that author profile is attached to your regular member one. I’ve created both and have some friends. I must admit that I enjoy browsing books and reviews. If I’m on the site with my author hat on, what can/should I do?
1. Read reviews. If you are looking at a review of your own book, you can click LIKE. You could also add, “Thank you for the review.” I do not recommend discussions over the review. Every reader has a right to an opinion. Don’t let the less than stellar reviews get you down. Reader opinions can vary widely. I’ve seen bad reviews for books I enjoyed and rated a 5-star read. We readers are all so different in our tastes.
2. Blog. If you have a blog, make sure that it is feeding into Goodreads where you can reach another audience. On your Author Dashboard, there is a place to sync your blog by typing in the address and clicking on Add Feed. Then it is automatic. If you don’t have a blog, you can set up a blog within Goodreads.
3. Grab the html from a widget. You can add a Goodreads widget to your regular blog sidebar or page. There are several to choose from and I have a couple on my blog. Here are some examples:
GOODREADS WIDGET EXAMPLE #1 (not sneaky self-promotion…. well, maybe a little bit)
Brinda Berry’s books on Goodreads
ratings: 52 (avg rating 4.50)
GOODREADS WIDGET EXAMPLE #2 which adds The Waiting Booth to your TBR list (See how easy this makes it for the reader while on your website? )
GOODREADS WIDGET EXAMPLE #3 (any reader could have this one displayed after joining the reading challenge)
4. Post an excerpt for readers. Log in into Goodreads and go to www.goodreads.com/story/new . I haven’t done this one yet.
5. Post a quiz. I’ve taken a few quizzes and they are fun. I haven’t created one yet, but I would like to make one for The Waiting Booth.
6. Advertise an event. An event can be a book signing at a physical location or an online event like a Twitter party or book cover reveal. From the Home screen, look at the menu at the top that begins with Home and ends with Explore. Drop the menu by clicking on the down arrow. Go to the bottom selection called Events. At the right of the screen, you will see My events, Add an event, and Friend events. You can probably take it from here.
These are a few reasons why authors might be interested in Goodreads. Do you have an account on Goodreads? Where do you keep your TBR list?
BIO: Brinda lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality.
Find Brinda: FACEBOOK , TWITTER , WEBSITE/BLOG
The Waiting Booth LINKS: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books, Etopia Press, All Romance eBooks, Borders online
The Waiting Booth TRAILER: http://youtu.be/xIBrZWsJ3Ls
Hi brinda/Gloria
I’ve heard about goodreads but never had the time to investigate. It sound like a great idea, because I think the big publishing houses are going to struggle in the face of ebooks, but people still want books and an evaluation of them (just like any product).
Cheers!
Hi, Nigel! Thanks for visiting and I hope you’re still enjoying your world view through those new pair of glasses. WOOT!
Hi Nigel,
I think it’s a great place to read reviews and select the next book to read. There are discussion groups and other fun things in Goodreads that I didn’t mention. I’ll leave that for another post. It’s easy to sign up and have fun as a reader/consumer. I spend more time on it in “reader mode” than “author mode” and enjoy it. Thanks for commenting!
GOOD MORNING, faithful followers of Brinda Berry and/or Gloria Richard Writes.
I would have done an intro for Brinda, but chose not to for two reasons.
First, anything I said would put that picture farther down on the page. And, that would have killed my morning glee. It’s eye-candy for dog and book lovers alike.
Second, Brinda has been a regular here for so long, it seems natural to sleep through her posting schedule, grab a cup of java and settle in as others visit to read her words of wisdom.
See those links up there? The ones for Brinda and WAITING BOOTH? I anxiously await release of her second in the Whispering Woods series (March release). I’ll be able to say “I knew her when.”
WELCOME BRINDA!
That picture is the best part of the post. HA! Thanks, lovely Gloria, for the welcome. I come in and make myself at home now. I feel like I’m your Ed McMahon.
Another great post from Brinda! Love it! My librarian told me about Goodreads several years ago as a great place to keep your TBR list and find books, but it took me a while to get on. As a reader, I love it! As an author, I have yet to make an author page, but now when I do, I’ll know what to do with it. Love these posts Brinda!
I don’t know where I would put my TBR list if I didn’t have Goodreads. *grin* It is a lengthy list.
Hey Brinda!
I’m on Goodreads, and have an author page.
(http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5053648.Sherry_Isaac)
Like Facebook, it’s great to ‘meet’ and message with people from around the globe, read reviews, and yes, grow that teetering TBR pile! And, like Facebook, you can make friends, but those friends don’t always know they can become a fan.
With FB, you can invite friends to LIKE your page, and I find most people are receptive to the invitation, and would have LIKED my page if they’d known to look for it. I suspect the reaction to becoming a FAN on Goodreads would be the same, but how to go about it… Do you know of an invitation system in Goodreads?
Brinda, you are always a source for techie tips. Must look into posting my own excerpt. (I did get my trailer up, tho) I also joined the Reading Challenge, but didn’t know about the widget. More To-Dos! Off I go…
Hi Sherry,
When I go to your author page, I see the “Become a Fan” button below your picture. I just clicked on it when I realized I wasn’t your “fan” in addition to being your friend. I looked all through the help section of Goodreads and cannot see an easy way to invite friends to “Become a Fan” in the same way that Facebook does. Maybe someone else will know. I agree that some people might rather become a fan than a friend.
I bopped over to Goodreads and (finally) updated my profile AND discovered I had not yet “officially” become a fan of yours on Goodreads, Brinda. That has been remedied. Now, to get busy using the TBR and Reading and Read features.
A fan of yours in the universal sense? You betcha!
Sherry- You are so smart that you included a link to your author page. I wrote an entire post and didn’t even put that in the information.
For anyone who wants to visit my author profile, here it is: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5053831.Brinda_Berry
All great points! Goodreads is such an amazing resource to readers and writers.
Ciara,
I bet you know more about Goodreads than I do! Yes, it is an amazing resource. I haven’t yet tapped its full potential.
Thanks for visiting, Ciara. I’m sold. I’ve run across many want-to-read books through other sites and chose to store them in my noggin. Bad idea.
Oh Brinda, are you telling me there is another “place” I need to frequent out there? Actually, this one sounds a bit more to my liking than most of the other social network sights. I’ll take a look, maybe I’ll friend you, maybe I’ll put in a little “plug” for your book, maybe I’ll do that after I finish the damn query for the book I’m sending out next month
Heesh, more work, less time.
Dearest Florence….don’t visit for me. Do it for yourself. It’s a fun place for readers. Go stroll around in its virtual aisles and have a blast. You’ll then know more about it when you have your author page on your “to-do” list. I think I confessed a couple of posts back that I don’t invest enough effort there. If only we had more hours in the day. NOW- go query that book.
Firstly, that Yorkie is delicious! I want to squzzle Gus. Is he yours? If we lived closer he and Bella could have a play date
I love Goodreads; like yourself, I would NEVER remember all the great books recommended to me, and likely would end up missing out on a lot of great fiction. I actually need to go update my account; I’ll see if I can find you while I’m over there!
Have a wonderful day, Gloria!
You have a wonderful day, too, Cara!
To set the record straight, Brinda is the one who has made Goodreads an effective media tool for her.
I’m the newbie in the Goodreads library and SO grateful to have her on speed dial. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. You’re the best.
I took the goodreads Widget off of my blog because it was all messed up with the changes they were having with Amazon. I may reinstall it at some point if they fix it.
Phew, Michael! I was getting the heebie-jeebies (highly technical medical term) with the chatter about widgets on Goodreads. Thanks for the excuse.
“I would activate widgets, but have it on very good authority that…”
Thanks, also for visiting!
I love Goodreads. I have a TBR list there … And some more in a notebook that I haven’t read yet.
I love stalking my friends book piles
Michelle, I may manufacture my TBR file to throw you off scent.
FYI, Brinda is responsible for the serious comments on this topic.
Stalking friends book piles- HA! I love it.
Thank you Brinda for the informative post! I look forward to opening my own Goodreads account. It is a helpful site for readers. I’ve frequently used the sight to find new authors and books to read.
I really like seeing what others have on their reading lists. I’ll look for your list in the future!
Good reads is a great site.
Thanks for visiting MPax. I depend on Brinda to point me in the right direction. MUST get busy with my TBR stack now that I’ve updated my profile.
Thanks for visiting! I agree.
I do most of what you’ve suggested. I’ve been doing a few more reviews this year – sometimes a few lines about my thoughts regarding a book. Another great post, Brinda.
Thanks, Shelley. There’s so much more to do on the site. I picked out the things I’m either doing now or would like to do in the future.
Great post i have an author page on Goodreads but haave a lot to learn
Hi Hildie,
I learn new things about it everytime I log in, so we’ll both figure it out together.
Great post! I have yet to join, or explore, Goodreads. I might do so after this!
Once you check it out, I think you’ll really like it. I can’t imagine a reader who wouldn’t. It’s like browsing one big bookstore where you don’t have to buy anything.
So… I was wondering…
Someday will Gloria Richards actually post on Gloria Richard’s Blog? The last three times I’ve hopped over Brinda’s been stepping in.
Geez. You’d think you were trying to write a novel or something.
Jennifer,
Did you not realize that Gloria has officially dubbed me her Ed McMahon? Gloria has jumped into a vortex of MG novel writing and she let me have the key to the blog door. Plus, she lets me write about my favorite topics- tech stuff. How can I resist?
Ha! I need to go to Wrestling practice. And I’m writing to a deadline. Where do I find me a Brinda!
Thanks, Brinda! Good tips. I modified my wordpress blog so it now will show up automatically on Goodreads. Good-oh!
Yay! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I am looking for an RSS feed for Goodreads…can anybody point me in the right direction?
newbie Sally
Hi Sally,
No problem! Can you post your blog URL here? I’ll help you. If you are on WordPress and have enabled RSS feed, you will find it easily. For instance, if you scroll to the top of Gloria’s blog and look at the right sidebar, you will see a link that says, “RSS – posts” for the link. If I right-click on that link and choose COPY LINK ADDRESS, that is the RSS feed for Gloria’s blog.
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