Goodreads is a social network for authors and readers alone.
It has over 90 million users, the majority of whom are voracious readers or desire to read more.
Table of Contents
What is Goodreads?
Goodreads is a book-review website that debuted in January 2007 and was purchased by Amazon in 2013.
It’s a website for readers and book suggestions, with the objective of assisting individuals in discovering and sharing books they enjoy.
You can find new books to read by searching for specific titles or authors, getting tailored Goodreads suggestions based on the books you’ve read and rated, or browsing lists of new releases or themed lists voted on by users.
You can browse titles on Goodreads lists by topic, category, release date, and more.
Goodreads is a free service that allows you to access your account using the Goodreads website or the iOS or Android app. Kindle owners may also rate books and add them to their Goodreads shelves directly from their device, due to the Amazon connection.
What is Goodreads Account?
Goodreads is a website for book enthusiasts. You can keep track of the books you’ve read, the books you’re reading, and the books you wish to read with a Goodreads account. You can also follow friends and authors to see what they’re reading, leave reviews, and leave comments on other people’s reviews.
How Goodreads Works
After creating a Goodreads account, you’ll be asked to review books you’ve already read and add them to your bookshelf so that Goodreads can provide tailored recommendations for what to read next.
To add a book to your “read,” “now reading,” or “to-read” bookshelf, type the title into the search box at the top of the page and navigate to the book’s dedicated page.
Click the arrow beneath the cover image to display a drop-down menu and select which bookshelf to add it to.
Your Goodreads book shelves allow you to rate, review, record read dates, and many other things.
To access your bookshelves, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and select “My Books.”
You may edit your star rating, leave a review, and even add the date you read it here.
If you want an accurate total of the number of books and pages you’ve read each year, add a date.
Each book on Goodreads has its own page that displays the total rating given by users, a summary, author information, and reviews from the Goodreads community.
You can ask a question, submit a review, and like or comment on other people’s reviews here.
Connect with reviews, learn more about the author, and find related recommendations on book pages.
Quick tip: You can rate a book from one to five stars by clicking the stars under “Rate this book.”
If you’re looking for new books to read, go to the home page and click “Recommendations” to obtain customized Goodreads recommendations based on books you’ve already read and rated.
Books are recommended by Goodreads based on prior readings and curated lists.
There is a “readers also loved” section of comparable books on book pages.
You may also search by genre, see a list of new releases, and browse lists voted on by Goodreads users in the Browse tab.
Those interested in becoming more involved in the Goodreads community can visit the community page to join like-minded groups or participate in a book discussion.
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Why is Goodreads so Popular?
You may use Goodreads to keep track of what you’re reading, but there are also many other options to enjoy.
You can join reading challenges and track your progress on Goodreads.
You may follow your friends’ reading and rating habits, join book clubs, enter sweepstakes to be the first to read freshly released books, ask authors questions, and more. Goodreads even provides customers with a free selection of whole ebooks and ebook extracts.
Join a Goodreads book club and talk about your favorite books from wherever you are.
The easiest approach to learn what Goodreads has to offer is to browse the website or use the app.
Why do Readers Use Goodreads?
Goodreads is popular because it helps Amazon tackle two problems.
Goodreads displays book recommendations from your friends.
When readers are looking for their next book, they frequently seek recommendations from their reading pals, and Goodreads facilitates that interaction.
Goodreads prioritizes your friends’ reviews.
While Amazon purchases Facebook social graph data in order to erase your friends’ book reviews, Goodreads wants you to read what your friends are reading.
Goodreads has more informative reviews than Amazon.
While most book reviews on Amazon are around four stars, star ratings on Goodreads are more variable and often lower due to a distinct ranking mechanism.
A three-star rating on Goodreads indicates that a reader enjoyed your book.
These distinctions are more useful to readers than Amazon’s standard four-star ratings.
MYTH: Goodreads is full of trolls.
Some authors claim that Goodreads is full with online trolls due to the overall lower star ratings.
Trolls can be found in every corner of the internet, but Goodreads has less than other social networks.
Trolls aren’t interested in reading and reviewing books.
Even if they did, users would rarely notice troll reviews because Goodreads emphasizes reviews from readers’ friends above trolls.
Who Makes Use of Goodreads?
If good three-star reviews are given by real people, who are they and what do they like?
A typical Goodreads user
- Reads 50+ books each year
- Enjoys both popular and obscure books
- Is frequently asked for book recommendations by their friends
- Would benefit from book recommendations from other voracious readers on Goodreads.
- Enjoys reading and discussing books with other readers in person and on Goodreads forums.
- Aspires to read more each year.
If you’re a writer, Goodreads users are your audience.
If you spend time on Facebook looking for readers, keep in mind that only 30% of the population has ever read an ebook.
However, on Goodreads, all users are book readers, and the majority of them read ebooks.
Goodreads Signup: How do you create an account?
- Please visit https://www.goodreads.com/.
- Enter your name in the Name field.
- Enter your available email address in the Email Address box.
- Enter the password you want to use in the Password box.
- Press the Sign Up button.
- Fill out the following information based on your reading habits.
How do I Sign in to my Goodreads Account?
Here’s how to sign in to your account on the desktop site:
1. Go to the Goodreads homepage.
2. Enter the email address you used to sign up in the top right corner of the page. 3. Enter your password in the Password form.
4. Select Sign in.
To sign in to your account on the iOS app, follow these steps:
1. Open the Goodreads iOS app.
2. Select Sign In.
3. Fill in your email address and password in the appropriate spaces, then click Sign in.
Here’s how to sign in to your account on the Android app:
- Start the Goodreads Android app.
- Select Log In next to Are you already a Goodreads member?
- Fill in your email address and password in the appropriate fields, then click Log In.
Here’s how to sign in to your account on the Mobile site:
- Scroll down on the Goodreads mobile site till you see Already a member? Sign Up
- Select Sign In.
- Fill in your email address and password in the appropriate spaces, then click Sign In.
If you already linked your profile to your Facebook, Amazon, or Apple accounts, you can log in by tapping the appropriate button and inputting your login credentials for those sites.
Click on Already a member? To sign in with Google. Sign in using the link on the Goodreads home page.
To gain access to your account, click Sign in with Google.
Tips for Making the Most of Goodreads
Here are six strategies to market your novels using Goodreads.
1. Use Goodreads as a Reader
Cost: Free
The key to using any social media network is to understand the language and become involved in the culture of the platform. Signing up and exploring Goodreads is the best way to learn about it. It is free to create an account, and Goodreads will help you through the process.
Set a Reading Goal
Because most Goodreads users want to read more books, Goodreads allows you establish an annual reading goal and then tracks your progress as you finish and review books throughout the year.
Read in Your Genre
Knowing what authors in your category are writing is the best way to prevent writing a novel that sounds derivative.
When you know what’s out there, you can write a novel that adheres to the genre’s norms without inadvertently creating a story that appears derivative.
Review Books You Read
Review Books You’ve Read Write reviews for all the books you’ve read on Goodreads.
The reviews will count toward your reading goal and will be valuable to your Goodreads friends and followers.
While Amazon reviewers often only provide five-star or one-star ratings for books they loved (five stars), Goodreads reviewers leave longer, more nuanced ratings for all the books they read.
Review Your All-Time Favorite Books
You might discuss classics you enjoyed or novels that affected your writing.
These evaluations will provide your prospective readers a sense of which novels influenced you as a writer and what books you enjoy reading.
Reviewing your favorite novels will help you define yourself as an author and connect with your readers.
2. Claim Your Author Page
Setup time: 1-2 hours, approval time: up to two days.
Setting up your author page on Goodreads is the first step toward connecting with your readers.
Consider it similar to a Facebook Author Page on Goodreads.
Creating an author page will provide you with statistics about your works as well as a location for your readers to see what you write and read.
Your author page includes a photo, biography, and a list of your published works.
Fill out your author page with as much information as possible. The more comprehensive your author page, the more useful it will be to readers.
When Goodreads approves your page, you’ll see their signature “g” next to your name, indicating that you’re an official Goodreads author.
Join the Goodreads Author program and follow the setup instructions.
3. Give Books Away
Cost: $119 for Standard Giveaway or $599 for Premium Giveaway plus 1 hour + books + shipping + $119 for Standard Giveaway or $599 for Premium Giveaway
The most popular and effective tactic for authors on Goodreads is a book giveaway. Giveaways are one of the cheapest ways for an author to gain attention, and they encourage good reviews.
Should I giveaway print or ebooks?
Their robust giveaway engine enables authors to provide either paper copies or ebooks to giveaway participants. While giving away physical books used to work, due of recent fraudulent entries for print books, I now advocate giving away ebooks rather than paper books.
Some super-resellers have set up thousands of bot accounts in order to enter print book giveaways in order to obtain a free copy of a book.
Then they resell the book on Amazon.
A print giveaway is considerably more expensive because you must print and mail the books to the winners.
Ebooks, on the other hand, do not need to be printed or shipped, and Goodreads allows you to give away up to 100 ebooks.
The winners are overjoyed when they receive their free book.
That favorable mood generates reciprocity, and they are far more inclined to leave you a review as a result.
I’d advise you to give away as many copies as possible in order to acquire as many reviews as possible. If you run a Premium Giveaway, Goodreads will even send an email on your behalf encouraging winners to leave a review.
When should I host a Goodreads giveaway?
I propose that you hold your giveaway at least 30 days before your launch. Your giveaway will be the sole opportunity for readers to receive an advance copy of your book for the next thirty days. Anyone who enters your contest will be connected to you on Goodreads and will receive future notifications about the release of your book from Goodreads.
Connect Your Blog to Goodreads
Cost: 30 minutes
One of the benefits of the Goodreads Author Program is blog integration.
When you connect your blog’s RSS feed to your Goodreads account, Goodreads users will see your new blog post while on the Goodreads website.
Goodreads will even notify all of your followers once a week that you have published a new blog article.
Even if you just blog when a new book is out, Goodreads will send an email to all of your Goodreads followers with a link to your blogpost announcing your new book.
Connecting your blog to your Goodreads author profile is a terrific method to get more people to read your blog entries.
It’s finished once you’ve set it up.
5. Ask Fans for Reviews on Goodreads
Cost: 1 hour
A book is featured on Goodreads based on the amount of reviews it has.
The more reviews your book receives, the more popular it appears to be.
The more popular it appears to be, the more people read it.
After 300 reviews, Goodreads will begin marketing your book to readers who are likely to enjoy it.
But how do you get that many reviews?
You must solicit feedback from your readers.
When it comes to requesting readers for reviews, Amazon’s terms of service are a little complex, as it frequently removes reviews from people linked to you as friends on Facebook.
For authors, Goodreads’ terms of service are more lenient.
Goodreads wants your friends to read and review your books.
Encourage your friends and launch team members to submit Goodreads reviews.
Because Goodreads does not sell books, it is simple to lead visitors there. Amazon and Kobo do not want you to link to competitors in order to acquire reviews, but they do not mind if you link to Goodreads.
6. Connect Goodreads to MyBookTable
Cost: 10-15 minutes per book
The MyBookTable WordPress plugin includes a Goodreads button. If you already have the plugin installed, you’re only a few steps away from having the Goodreads button on your website.
Users can directly add your book to their Goodreads shelf from your website. Goodreads reviews can now be displayed within MyBookTable. The plugin allows you to have reviews on your website and raises your Goodreads review count.
Best Novels of 2022 (So Far), According to Goodreads
- ‘The Candy House’ by Jennifer Egan (3.74/5)
- ‘Olga Dies Dreaming’ by Xochitl Gonzalez (4.02/5)
- ‘The Golden Couple’ by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (4.03/5)
- ‘Violeta’ by Isabel Allende (4.06/5)
- ‘The War of Two Queens’ by Jennifer L. Armentrout (4.06/5)
- ‘Black Cake’ by Charmaine Wilkerson (4.18/5)
- ‘The Daughter of the Moon Goddess’ by Sue Lynne Tan (4.19/5)
- ‘Sea of Tranquility’ by Emily St. John Mandel (4.21/5)
- ‘Either/Or’ by Elif Batuman (4.26/5)
- ‘Young Mungo’ by Douglas Stuart (4.43/5)
Goodreads Right Click
Right-click the selected text to search Goodreads for books.
Right-click to search for books on Goodreads!
Goodreads Now and Goodreads Later searches are now available! Right-clicking on Goodreads now provides you the choice to search Goodreads “Now” (directly to your Goodreads search) or “Later” (stay on your screen while your Goodreads search opens in the next tab). This allows you to search many books from a single page without having to return to the page from your Goodreads search!
Select the text to be searched (book title, author, ISBN), right-click, and select “Search Goodreads.”
Your findings will be displayed in a new tab, where you may add the book to one of your lists, write a new review, or learn more about it.
How do I Find a Book on Goodreads?
If you want to search Goodreads for a specific book or author, you must do it from the main Goodreads site (and not on Goodreads Help).
Once there, simply type your search term into the top-of-the-page search field.
Alternatively, you are welcome to go directly to the search page.
Is Goodreads Free?
Goodreads is a completely free service.
Scan book covers to read reviews instantly and save them to your Want to Read shelf.
Receive customised recommendations based on your preferences.
Explore featured books and genres to find more novels you’ll enjoy.
How to download e-books from Goodreads
1. Open your web browser and log in to www.goodreads.com.
2. In the top menu, click the little triangle next to the Explore option, and then select Ebooks from the menu that displays.
3. Once in the “Ebooks” area, use the drop-down menu to arrange the available e-books in various ways.
These include how frequently they are downloaded or how popular they are in general, which ones may be downloaded for free and which must be purchased, the pricing of purchasable e-books, or e-books that have just been added to Goodreads.
You can also type the name or author of an e-book into the search field on the right-hand side (if it’s empty, it will indicate “Search by Title or Author”).
Then click the Find eBooks button.
When you’ve found a book you’d want to download, click Download eBook.
4. The download request will show automatically if there is just one version of this e-book available. Otherwise, the left side of the table will inform you the file’s format and language. The only file available in this scenario is a Portable Document Format (P.D.F.) file in English (“eng”).
Click Download on the right side of the table, next to the file version you wish to download.
5. The next screen will display the version of the file you selected, as well as suggested methods for reading this specific type of file (click one of the alternatives below to discover and download/install the required program).
Otherwise, when prompted to save, click the button next to “Save File” and then OK.
6. At this point, you can rename your file (if desired), and then use the explorer box that displays to select a location on your computer to save it.
Then click the Save button.
7. Now, simply locate the file on your computer and double-click it to open it.
8. Presto! There you have it, your book, all ready for you to read!
How to find places to download books with Goodreads
You can use Goodreads to identify a site where you can download a book if it isn’t accessible on Goodreads, in addition to downloading books straight from Goodreads.
Simply clicking on a book will take you to its information page.
Once there, select Stores to see a list of stores that may be able to sell you that book, and then click on a business name to be sent to a website where you may purchase that book from that store. Depending on the store, you may be able to get an electronic (i.e. “e-book”) version of the book to download instead of a hard copy mailed to you.
Goodreads Recommendation
Recommended Books
- The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) Suzanne Collins.
- The Book Thief (Hardcover)
- Red Russia (Kindle Edition)
- The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
- The Night Circus (Hardcover)
- All the Light We Cannot See (Hardcover)
- Assuming Names: A Con Artist’s Masquerade (ebook)
- Gone Girl (Paperback)
FAQs
Is there a Goodreads app for Android?
The All-New, Faster Goodreads Android App Now Available—Includes Rereads, Deals, and More. All Android phone and tablet owners, take note! Our totally rebuilt Android app is now in the works and will be accessible to everyone in a matter of weeks. Every experience in the all-new app is faster and more user-friendly.
What is wrong with Goodreads?
Millions of people use the social networking site to rate and review books, discover recommendations for new ones, and keep track of their reading. However, over time, Goodreads has become a haven for scammers and trolls aiming to defraud smaller writers, remove books with spammed ratings, cyberstalk individuals, or worse.
How do you find lists on Goodreads?
Navigate to Browse/lists at the top of any page on the desktop site. Lists cannot be followed, but they can be liked. Then you can go through the list of lists you’ve liked.
What is the most read book on Goodreads?
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is the most popular book of all time on Goodreads, with about 8 million ratings, and has sold over 120 million copies.
