Goodbye Shelfari, Hello Goodreads

When I went to my Shelfari landing page last week to update the widget I use on my blog, I saw an ominous notice: Shelfari is shutting down. Shelfari is merging with GoodreadsThe news won’t be a surprise to those who know that Amazon has owned both Shelfari and Goodreads for the past few years. Goodreads is by far the more popular of the two sites, so it stands to reason that Amazon would consolidate its reader experience (not to mention reader data) there. But a number of readers, authors, and bloggers closed their Goodreads accounts and fled to Shelfari during the Goodreads Bullies incident a few years ago; I can’t imagine they will be thrilled to have their information dumped back onto Goodreads. Continue reading “Goodbye Shelfari, Hello Goodreads”

Using the “Ask the Author” Feature on Goodreads

goodreads logoIndies Unlimited has run several posts on marketing strategies for authors on Goodreads, such as this one for beginners,  but the more recently-added “Ask the Author” feature presents even more opportunities for authors.

To find it, visit your Goodreads Author Dashboard. Scroll down past your books to the Ask the Author section. Continue reading “Using the “Ask the Author” Feature on Goodreads”

Goodreads Ad Campaigns

goodreads logoWe’ve had several posts about Goodreads. Melinda Clayton gave an excellent primer on it not too long ago, as well as an introduction to the ways you can advertise on it. As Melinda pointed out, there are several ways to advertise with Goodreads. I tried out the self-serve method, and I was happy with the results. I’ll tell you what I did, but let me put in a small disclaimer: The ad campaign may not work the way you think it will. Continue reading “Goodreads Ad Campaigns”

Goodreads for Beginners

goodreads logoMention Goodreads to an author and you’re likely to get a response like, “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve heard people are mean over there. I think I’ll pass.”

As a longtime user of Goodreads, both as a reader and an author, I’ve seen my share of skirmishes, but the problem, in my humble opinion, lies with misusing Goodreads. For those thinking of braving the waters, here are some basic Dos and Don’ts: Continue reading “Goodreads for Beginners”