Day 62--Low-Cost Advertising on Goodreads

The Giveaway program offered to authors on Goodreads is effective, low-cost advertising for authors. I submitted my book, The Pet Washer, on February 11, 2012 for a month long giveaway. I offered two signed copies to the winners. Goodreads uses an algorithm to select the winners based on their reading history and other factors.

It is free to sign up for a giveaway but there is a catch. Goodreads only accepts books that haven't been released or that were released within the last six months. Authors have a short window to utilize this free tool. I will be submitting my new YA book for a pre-release giveaway this summer. Funds permitting, I plan to give away 10 signed copies.

The only cost to the author is purchasing and shipping the copies to the winners. You can choose if you will ship overseas or not. I chose not to at this time. Winners are strongly encouraged by Goodreads to submit a review for the books they win. This is also helpful to the author.

Over the month of my giveaway, 360 readers requested to win a copy of The Pet Washer. 42 members added it to their "to read" shelf. This is direct exposure to readers interested in my age group and my book. Targeted advertising is worth more than a social blast on twitter or facebook, in my opinion.

My giveaway ended today. I want to congratulate the winners!!

• Mee from Sacramento, California
• Jennifer from Haughton, Louisiana  

Your autographed books will be in the mail on Monday, March 12th!

Not only is the Goodreads Giveaway an effective way to advertise, it's also fun! I'm excited for these two gals. They won a free book, who wouldn't be happy about that! Hopefully, The Pet Washer will hold special meaning for them because they beat out 358 other people and waited up to a month to find out they won. 

It's exciting for me too! Next week, two gals who I never met, will meet my characters! Maybe they will fall in love with the royal pet washer, Cianna! She who not only washes the royal pets, but treats their fleas, bad breath and skin allergies too! Cianna who is blind but never late. And Princess Polly, who relies only on her eyes and can't see the truth. And Caden who dreams of training race horses, while painting Tiara's hooves to match Polly's outfits. And Adeline, the poor commoner who became a queen, only to spoil her own daughter. And Princess Katie who is funny and loyal, but rejected by the other princesses. There are so many characters I love in The Pet Washer! Mee and Jennifer, you will meet them next week!

To Do: If you fit in the window, submit your book for a Goodreads Giveaway today! It's worth the price of the copies and shipping. Introduce new readers to your characters. If you have a book coming out soon, like I do, plan a pre-release giveaway!

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
author of The Pet Washer
a novel for girls aged 9-12