The Complete Guide to Setting Up Goodreads Author Account

Setting Up Your Goodreads Author Account

The Complete Guide to Setting Up Goodreads Author Account

Setting up Goodreads should be one of your top priorities as a new self-published author!

 

Setting up Goodreads as a new author should be high on your priority list and placed right up there with your author’s social media accounts and website. After all, it’s probably one of the world’s biggest book-related social media platforms.

Sure, #booktok on TikTok or Instagram is big, but it’s just a tiny part of a much larger social media pool. In comparison, Goodreads is 100% book-related all the time.

As an author, this platform is a goldmine of valuable information, reviews, relationships, and connections that a dedicated self-published author can tap into.

In the following guide to setting up Goodreads for authors, we’ll cover:

If you’ve already set up your author account but haven’t reached its full potential, be sure to check out 5 Ways to Promote Your Book On Goodreads! Where we cover some fantastic ways to promote your book effectively.

 

What Is Goodreads?

Before we dive straight into Goodreads, take note. Authors and readers use Goodreads as a platform, but readers predominantly use it. While many people will forgive the occasional hard sell, most of the committed Goodreads users are there to interact with other readers, not authors. Tread carefully and be respectful on the platform, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Goodreads was launched in 2007 and purchased by Amazon in March 2013. It has over 150 million registered users and around 50 million monthly visitors. With over 3.5 billion books, you’ll need to work hard to ensure they get your desired attention, but it could be a valuable long-term investment.

Goodreads allows authors and readers to interact. You can message people directly, post book reviews and blogs, comment on reviews, and more. Authors can add their books to the site, which used to be a manual process, but for most Amazon KDP authors, it is now automatic, and readers can add them to their TBR (to be read) list, share them, and review and rate them.Goodreads Author Badge

There are also many book-related giveaways, where authors can give away print and digital copies of their books to readers.

 

Optimizing Your Author Profile

Like any social media account, your author profile on Goodreads needs to fit seamlessly with your author brand. Take the time to fully optimize your profile so that if a reader does come across your book and author page, they’re getting a premium experience.

Below are some simple things that you can do to ensure that your author page looks professional and stands out from the crowd:

            • Ensure you’ve added your full author’s name and not just part of it. Make sure the name you’re using matches with your other social media platforms. For example, if you self-publish under the name T. A. Smith, make sure your Goodreads name is T. A. Smith, not T Smith or Tim Andrew Smith.
            • Customize the URL so that it’s using the correct name above.
            • If you have an author website, add the Goodreads Badge to it so that any readers who find your website can then connect with you on Goodreads and leave reviews for your books.
            • Add a great author picture, fill out the author bio, and include any relevant links.

 

Setting Up Your Goodreads Author Account

Below, we have a step-by-step guide to setting up your account to make the process a little easier.  You can find excellent platform support on Goodreads if you need help. You can contact moderators (librarians) who can assist you with almost every aspect of the account setup, especially book setup and listing.

Sign Up

Like most platforms, signing up is the first step. You have several options for signing up, including email, FacebookApple, or Amazon. Signing up is fast and easy. However, if you sign up using social media accounts, you may create issues with the connections between your social media accounts and your author account, which can result in the removal of reviews.

Author Account

The next step is to sign up for an author account. If you have already published your book, just search for your author name on Goodreads. The name is listed below the title of the book. When you click on the name, it takes you to the basic author profile page. Scroll down to the bottom and hit ‘Is this you? Let us know!” button.

Create Your Profile

Take your time with your profile. If you have other author profiles, try to use the same picture to keep them similar and make it easy for your readers to recognize you. You can do a lot with your author profile. For example, link your blog, post photos and videos, answer questions, and link to other social media sites.

Use Your Blog

Linking to your blog is very important. You can link your blog feed to your Goodreads profile, similar to Amazon Author Central. In addition, your blogs will automatically link to your feed. You can write and publish directly through Goodreads if you don’t have a blog.

Connect with Readers

Once you set up your profile, it’s time to start exploring. But first, try some tips for building your profile that we wrote in 5 Ways to Promote Your Book On Goodreads!

 

Complete Guide to Setting Up A Goodreads Author Account | Conclusion

Goodreads is a book-related social media site dedicated to readers and authors. It’s one social media site you can’t afford to skip if you’re a self-published author. If you haven’t already, head over to Goodreads and sign up now. It’s also beneficial to build connections with authors and readers on Goodreads, as it can be helpful when looking for readers to review your next book.

If you have any questions about self-publishing, including how to set up your author Goodreads account, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

At Author Services Australia, we support Australian and New Zealand self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, manuscript uploading assistance, and social media and marketing.

Amazon KDP typically adds your books directly to Goodreads as soon as you self-publish. Always check that they’re linked correctly and that details such as the author name and cover are accurate. If you’re new to Amazon KDP, check out Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for Australian Authors: The Complete Guide to Amazon KDP! We cover everything there is to know about Amazon KDP for Australian authors.

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