If social media has taught us anything, it's that you probably shouldn't be posting anything other than puppy pictures if you're in any kind of business or industry. From Cinnabon's well-intentioned flub at Carrie Fisher's expense to Sarah Michelle Gellar publicly mourning the wrong British music icon on Twitter, it seems like all of social media serves as nothing more than a … [Read more...] about Authors Behaving Badly…This Time on Social Media
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Is Accurate Book Discovery Really Possible?
One of the major plagues for authors and publishers--from the lone self-published writer to the Big Five--is book discovery. Short of taking out expensive ads and sending literally thousands of copies to advanced readers, there's no surefire guarantee that a book will land in front of paying customers, and that's something even the big guys can't do for every title they … [Read more...] about Is Accurate Book Discovery Really Possible?
Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Announced
Some book awards are determined by panels of expert judges who seem to be fairly out of touch with the interests of the typical reader. Still others are the domain of the "inner sanctum" club where publishers and powers that be proclaim which books are worthy. For my part--and that of many avid book fans--those awards pale in comparison to being chosen by a vast sea of actual … [Read more...] about Goodreads Choice Awards Winners Announced
Clock Is Ticking on Goodreads Choice Awards
There are a number of prestigious book awards--and that number is exponentially dwarfed by the number of "fly by night" book awards that earn a profit off of the entry fees--that can do amazing things for increasing an author's credibility and a specific title's sales figures. The inherent promotion of the contest itself can increase a book's visibility, while the resulting … [Read more...] about Clock Is Ticking on Goodreads Choice Awards
Amazon Guidelines Work to Curb Review Fraud
Amazon reviews are both a blessing to authors and the bane of their existence. Whether it's poor reviews, vindictive reviews, or lack of reviews altogether, authors struggle to get the word out about their work through positive and numerous reader reviews. Over the years, Amazon has come under fire for basically having to come up with the best-but-still-feasible option when … [Read more...] about Amazon Guidelines Work to Curb Review Fraud
Using Book Awards to Drive Indie Author Sales
When self-publishing first began to gain some measure of respect in the industry, there were a few holdouts that were still largely off limits to many indie authors. While some authors with the initiative and the time to devote have had success breaking into the library and brick-and-mortar bookstores spaces, it's still problematic for many authors. Several of the major … [Read more...] about Using Book Awards to Drive Indie Author Sales
GoodReads really wants authors to spend money
GoodReads really wants to start making money. The social book discovery network has unveiled a copious amount of new initiatives in the last year to make this happen. They are charging money to authors and publishers to orchestrate Kindle Giveaways, promote books on the site with Sponsored Books and now GoodReads wants to send an email directly to your inbox and tell you what … [Read more...] about GoodReads really wants authors to spend money
Audible Needs to add GoodReads Integration
GoodReads is a social media platform where you can form bookclubs and discuss upcoming titles with your friends. Amazon has made it really easy to export all of the titles you purchased on your Kindle directly to GoodReads and this helps you keep better track of the books you are in the process of reading. One of the big failures with Amazon and GoodReads is the inability to … [Read more...] about Audible Needs to add GoodReads Integration
GoodReads reports they now have 50 million reviews
GoodReads has reported that they have surpassed over 50 million book reviews on their website and it only took them ten years to do it. The social book community launched in 2006 and was purchased by Amazon in 2013. The CEO of GoodReads Otis Chandler said "On behalf of the Goodreads team, I wanted to give a huge thank you to all of you who've written such amazing reviews … [Read more...] about GoodReads reports they now have 50 million reviews
Goodreads Announces Best Books of 2015
The end of the year is rapidly approaching and many top newspapers and retailers are posting their top books of the the year lists. The Washington Post, Amazon, Indigo and many others have done so. What many people don't know that these lists are put together by only a handful of people, including editors and book bloggers. Things are quite different at GoodReads, who just … [Read more...] about Goodreads Announces Best Books of 2015
Goodreads Soon Available on Kindle E-Readers in the UK
If you live in the UK or Ireland I have some good news! GoodReads will soon be available on Kindle e-Readers and Fire tablets. Now you can highlight and share quotes with your Goodreads friends from inside the book or get inspired with personalized book recommendations. In the next week or so there will be a firmware update that will automatically be pushed via WIFI for … [Read more...] about Goodreads Soon Available on Kindle E-Readers in the UK
The Author Bullying Saga Just Got Real
Authors have existed pretty much since the dawn of the written word and, without a doubt, someone became a critic shortly after that. Unfortunately, whether the opinion of the critic is harsh or complimentary, someone will most likely take issue with it. Author and reviewer "bullying" has taken on a life of its own in the past few years, and it's led to some pretty crazy … [Read more...] about The Author Bullying Saga Just Got Real
GoodReads Testing Sponsored Books
GoodReads started testing sponsored books in different areas on the site—you might have seen the sponsored book at the top of the recommendations page recently. In the near future these will be available to all users and there is no way to turn them off. The only option you will have is to flag a book as "not interested" and a new title will take its place. Many longtime … [Read more...] about GoodReads Testing Sponsored Books
Amazon and Audible Bring Audiobooks to GoodReads
Amazon is starting to engage in more synergy between the brands they own. An example of this is incorporating social book discovery site GoodReads into their complete line of modern Kindle e-Readers, so people can share and discover new e-books together. Today, Audible has announced that they are adding audiobooks into GoodReads and people can listen to samples and add audio … [Read more...] about Amazon and Audible Bring Audiobooks to GoodReads