Do You Use Goodreads to Keep Track of Your Reading?

Goodreads has been on my radar since 2011.

I used the site off and on to keep track of my reading. In the last few years, I’ve not been as diligent with Goodreads as I used to be, BUT, now I’m an author and Goodreads is a whole different arena.

Still a place where I go to get a few book recommendations, but Goodreads is now so much more.  It’s a place where my books get reviewed, and those reviews hog the limelight in a lot of places: library sites, Amazon, other book marketplaces.

My latest book, THE BLUE BAR showed up in a variety of Goodreads lists this year, and each time, it led to a boost in sales.

Here are the lists on which THE BLUE BAR showed up:

10 New and Rising Stars of the Mystery Genre

2023’s Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers

New and Upcoming Books to Discover This AAPI Heritage Month

Listen In as Cold Cases Grow Hot in These New Mystery & Thriller Audiobooks

These listings were possibly because the book THE BLUE BAR has about 3,000 ratings, and figures on a lot of Listopia lists.

If you’ve read the book, could I ask you to:

—Vote on any of the Goodreads lists THE BLUE BAR is part of.

—Drop a line or two as a Goodreads review if the spirit moves you. Doesn’t have to be long or complex, just your basic, honest feelings.

—Alternatively, you could Like a review or two that you agree with. That’s less time and effort, but still helps the author.

If you haven’t read THE BLUE BAR, you could add it as a Want-to Read.

And if you’d like to either pre-order or support the sequel THE BLUE MONSOON, please add that as a Want-to-Read as well. Want-to-reads create buzz, and starts a positive cycle.

Why do I ask you to vote on the lists and add THE BLUE MONSOON to them?

Because each time you do, your followers will be exposed to the book. It will also benefit from the algorithm, and turn up on Goodreads curated lists–all free publicity for the book.

If you’re an author, I’d strongly suggest rating books in your genre on the site, and shelving them in custom shelves. This leads to the algorithm showing your books to a new audience that might one day turn into fans.

Here are a few ways Goodreads can help your book promotion:

• It shows your book to readers of your genre.
• It shows your book to others who have liked books exactly like yours.
• If readers add you on Listopia lists, you’re likely to show up on Goodreads curated articles, which is free buzz for your book.

Goodreads maybe a little clunky, but is it remains the most impactful site for authors on it, so I’m glad I made an attempt at a deep dive. I now have 867 followers, and definitely wouldn’t mind more. If you’re on there, please say hello.

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Do you keep track of the books you read or want to read on Goodreads? If you’re an author, how do you deal with Goodreads: do you check your reviews or ignore them? Have you added THE BLUE MONSOON as a want-to-read on Goodreads?

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My literary crime novel, The Blue Bar is on Kindle Unlimited now. Add it to Goodreads or snag a copy to make my day. The sequel, The Blue Monsoon is up for pre-orders! And if you’d like to read a book outside the series, you can check out You Beneath Your Skin.  Find all info about my books on my Amazon page or Linktree.

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