Reading Time: 5 minutes

A lot of authors have strong feelings about Goodreads, but no matter where you stand, the reality is the platform is owned by Amazon and having a solid profile, pushing for reviews and ratings, and running giveaways to get books in hands are a part of staying competitive in today’s publishing marketplace.

Another reason you need to be on Goodreads? It’s dedicated to all things book and reading.

Unlike other social media platforms, where your potential buyers are getting distracted by a new recipe they might want to try, funny cat videos, workout tips, parenting advice… the list goes on… you have a captive, book-long audience on Goodreads.

So I’m a fan of Goodreads, and Goodreads giveaways, but if you aren’t using this opportunity strategically, the exposure you get for your book will fall flat.

Let’s cover some key ways to ensure you’re making the most of your giveaways:

Best Length for Goodreads Giveaways

Goodreads encourages you to run your giveaway for a month, because it gives readers more time to enter, and this really is a smart strategy.

And remember, every single reader who enters to win your book gets it added to their “Want to Read” list on their account – which means you’re more likely to stay top of mind and this also supports future sales potential.

But I can tell you from experience, you don’t need to run a giveaway for a month to get solid engagement. In fact, we typically run our client giveaways for roughly 10-14 days and it’s not uncommon for our fiction authors to get 2,500+ entries and our non-fiction clients to get 1,500+ entries.

I actually recommend running shorter giveaways, but running 3 or 4 of them a year to ensure you’re getting back on people’s radar.

Start & End Dates

In terms of choosing a start date, Goodreads requires a 7 day notice before launching a giveaway so keep that in mind as you’re developing your marketing plan. They also require you to run the giveaway for a minimum of 7 days.

Concerning end dates, I wouldn’t recommend ending on a Saturday. Extend the giveaway through the full weekend and end on a Sunday or Monday instead.

This also makes sense logistically if you don’t have the option to give away a Kindle edition and will have to mail out print books, which we’ll also cover.

Goodreads Giveaway Description

Keep in mind only the first handful of lines shows as part of your giveaway preview, so you need to make an impact right away! What’s the best hook for your book? If it’s fiction, you need a first line that makes people go, “Whoa, I need to read more.” Don’t assume you have time to tease them, you have to wow them.

If you write non-fiction your first line should connect to the problem you can solve for them, you want people to instantly think, “Hey, they’re talking to me…” and that will get them to read more and enter.

Whatever you do, don’t follow the format Goodreads gives you. Yes, it makes it easy, but it won’t help you stand out. Being a successful author in today’s market is more about standing out than ever before – don’t fade into the crowd.

What Format & How Many Books

If you’re a Amazon KDP author you can give away up to 100 Kindle copies and I say go for it!

You want books in hands and you’re paying the same price no matter what.

If you need to give away print copies I typically opt for 10, but 5 works too, especially if your book is especially heavy or expensive.

If you ship them from your own stockpile you’ll have to pay shipping, media mail with USPS is perfectly acceptable. And I suggest writing a custom note to the recipient, which is one added bonus of going through all the other work – the connection you make with those 10 recipients is potentially stronger.

Another option is to send print books via Amazon, just as you’d shop for any other product. And if you’re a Prime member you’ll save on shipping. Plus, Amazon allows you to include a gift note as well, so be sure to take advantage of that option and say something personal to each winner. You can even include your email, website or a special bonus offer!

National vs. International

If you’re giving away Kindle copies and you have a strong argument for an international, English-speaking audience, then go ahead and include major markets like the UK and Australia and of course Canada. If you’re mailing print copies you may want to stick to the US for shipping reasons.

Promoting your Goodreads Giveaway

I’ll be candid, I haven’t had a lot of luck with Goodreads ads, so I wouldn’t recommend relying on those for your giveaway promotion.

But your followers and anyone who has already added the book to their Want-to-Read list get a notification, letting them know there’s a giveaway starting.

This helps generate even more entries, creating more stories in the Goodreads updates feed!

But definitely plan to share on social, do a short blog post or special email to your list.

And you may be thinking, “why would I tell people who already follow me, they should have my book!” But one, many of them don’t have your book, sadly. And two, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be encouraging current fans to share the opportunity with their friends and networks. Encourage then to tag friends who are genre fans on social, forward your email, etc.

If you’re using Goodreads strategically you should already belong to genre-appropriate groups and many of these have a self-promotion or giveaway thread going, so be sure to post there.

If you’re not as active in your groups as you should be, this is your motivation.

I hear a lot of authors complain about Goodreads giveaways because they feel the readers are just in it for the free books – and you know what – there’s a lot more truth to that when the author only shows up to give something away, and doesn’t spend any time getting to know their readers and supporting the genre by taking part in discussions, leaving ratings and reviews, and making recommendations, like a true fan does.

If you have a superfan group this is a great time to enlist their help as well!

Ask them to rate and review the book on Goodreads if they haven’t yet, and share your social media posts, tag their friends, etc.

After Your Goodreads Giveaway

Connect with your winners.

Goodreads will email all your winners to remind them to leave a rating or review approximately 8 weeks after your giveaway ends.

But you can do your part too.

Connect with your winners and see if they’ll accept a networking request from you. Be sure to make the message personal, check out their profile first, and don’t spam them.

Some people let you follow them without requesting, others let you follow and message them, just take it all in stride and don’t obsess over each person’s choices for privacy.

If you’re able to send a message, congratulate them on winning a copy, let them know how grateful you are that they’re interested in your book.

If you noticed you belong to any of the same groups (because you checked their profile) call attention to that connection as well. And then sign off saying you’d appreciate adding them to your network and look forward to any feedback about the book, and welcome them to message you directly at any point in the future.

With more than 140 million book lovers online daily – reviewing, sharing, discussing and searching for new books – Goodreads is full of opportunity for authors, and I suggest you start taking it seriously!

Resources and Free Downloads

Publishers unpacked: let’s talk expectations!

How to get your self-published book into libraries.

The must-have author success marketing checklist.

Choosing the right team to produce your book.

How your publishing schedule will affect your success.

Is your Amazon author bio costing you sales?

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

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