PR Web / Goodreads?

Do NOT use Goodreads to promote your book; Goodreads is a social, complex and very active community--join it if you're interested in discussing books other than your own, but please, don't pollute the community or exploit it for PR.

Joining Goodreads just for PR is just as bad as when people join AW just to promote their editing or book or whatever, rather than to be an active part of the community.

As with any social networking the key is in being social (two way communication), and networking (two way communication).

They have a good sized membership who are active readers - i think that would be a perfect place to market your book if you treat it like a social network not a one way advertisement like veinglory said -

PRWeb is a press release distribution service and I've used it to promote my books with good results, but you have to be using it to send out newsworthy material and you have to select appropriate media distribution lists. I haven't used Goodreads but from what I know about social networking and book promotion, the advice offered here about how to use it is excellent.

Cheers,
Sandy

SandraBeckwith said:

PRWeb is a press release distribution service and I've used it to promote my books with good results, but you have to be using it to send out newsworthy material and you have to select appropriate media distribution lists. I haven't used Goodreads but from what I know about social networking and book promotion, the advice offered here about how to use it is excellent.

Cheers,
Sandy

Click to expand...

Sandy, how does that work, exactly? Does PRWeb provide you with lists from which to select the media you want the release sent to?

Yes, they provide you with category options -- "packaging trade magazines," "women's magazines," etc. You also need to select the correct title for the person you're sending to, which is particularly important at daily newspapers, so it helps to know ahead of time that you want to send your release to, say, the religion reporter at newspapers rather than the business editor.

Sandy

Thank you!

Re: Goodreads

I joined last year, mostly because I was interested in seeing what people are reading. I enjoy getting the daily updates from my "friends," and I've friended a lot of authors since joining. I'm also a Goodreads Author, I have a page for myself, and a feed to my blog, but I don't use it to advertise. I try to exist there as a member who happens to be an author.

I actually unfriended someone recently who did nothing but send promotion invitations to join groups and events that were all tailored to her self-pubbed book release. I'm all for supporting folks, but when that's all you use a site for....well, don't. It just annoys people.

That's exactly how I'm using Goodreads. And I recently unfriended a couple of people on Twitter for the same reason. Promotion is one thing, spamming your feed several times an hour with the same "look at me! Buy my book!" message doesn't work.

A friend just sent me an invitation to join Goodreads, and while I was checking it out I noticed the same author program mentioned above. Thought it looked interesting all around, whether for its original purpose of book discussion (and isn't encouraging reading and a love books beneficial for all authors in the long run?) or as an author presence.

Looks like another enjoyably addictive way to waste my time (exhibit A: here I am, logged onto AW again!)