Indie authors have fought for years to be considered “real authors” by both the industry and the readers. While progress has certainly been made–namely in the fact that more and more readers don’t care how the book came about so long as it’s a great read–there are still a few holdouts where indie authors don’t garner the same respect or privileges that publishers and their authors can find.
Libraries and bookstores are obviously near the top of that list, as the hoop-jumping required to even make a book eligible for shelf space is time consuming and expensive; getting the book actually ordered is a whole other animal. Book awards and author organizations are other realms where indies often find themselves segregated to the “other” category, if they’re even permitted to enter alongside traditionally published counterparts.
But today, Goodreads announced a move that’s been a long time coming, one that authors have clamored for even while traditionally publishers could take advantage. Two new packages will replace the typical Goodreads Giveaway, letting KDP authors connect with readers through the site.
“Today, we’re announcing our new U.S. giveaways program, with two packages offering new high-impact features to drive increased book discovery and reader reviews. The new program is designed to deliver additional marketing benefits that authors and publishers have been asking for, including more ways to reach the author’s readers, and automatically adding the book to the Want-to-Read lists of anyone entering the giveaway. And for the first time, Kindle Direct Publishing authors can run giveaways for Kindle ebooks—a feature previously only available to traditional publishers.”
While the two packages will be available for either ebook or print book giveaways, they are priced for two ends of the limited-marketing-budget spectrum. In addition, Goodreads is running a sales promotion for the first access to the packages, will be available in early January. For more information, visit the Goodreads blog on the announcement.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.