This brief slideshow will provide you with information on how to get more reviews for your book on Goodreads, as well as provide you with some helpful pointers on review etiquette.
2. Your goal is to get reviews,
especially early in the life of your book.
Reviews help new readers discover your book
Each time a Goodreads member reviews a book or adds a book to their
shelves, their friends see that activity in their updates feed.
They help readers decide to read your book
When someone lands on your book page and sees no reviews, they are
less likely to add your book than if they see multiple reviews.
Goodreads reviews work harder for you
Goodreads syndicates reviews to e-commerce sites and library sites, as well as
USAToday.com. Many Goodreads members post their reviews to Facebook and Twitter.
3. Every Review Helps
The more text reviews you can get—positive or
negative—the more people are likely to add your book.
1,500
1,000
Total books added, by number
Books Added
of text reviews
500
0 0 1 5 10 50 100
Text Reviews
4. Use the Author Program to Get Reviews
Run a giveaway
The average giveaway attracts about 825 entries.
Roughly 60% of giveaway winners review the books they win.
Click here to try a giveaway.
Use widgets & badges
Encourage your fans to review your book on Goodreads by adding a
Goodreads badge or widget to your Web site, blog, or Facebook page.
To view the available widgets, please see your Author Dashboard.
Post an Excerpt
Excerpts are a great way to give Goodreads members
a chance to sample your work.
To post an excerpt of one of your books, go to your Author Dashboard.
5. Review Guidelines
Reviewing your own book
Authors are allowed to review their own books on Goodreads. Keep
in mind that a review from the author probably won’t sway many
readers, though. Instead, consider posting a brief essay about your
book’s inspiration in the review space.
Commenting on reviews of your book
Please do not comment on negative reviews of your book, even if it’s just to
correct an inaccuracy in the review. Previous experience has shown
repeatedly that the only positive reaction to a negative review is to ignore it.
Many studies have shown that a few negative reviews are actually helpful,
as they lend validity to the positive reviews on the book’s page.
For more on review etiquette, please see our Author Guidelines.