Comments on Lisa Schroeder, Author: A look at Goodreads ads (long)

very interesting , Lisa. I haven't done any pa...

2011-12-27T16:14:53.502-08:00

very interesting , Lisa. I haven't done any paid ads for my books. It looks like it's worth experimenting with. I hope you had great sales from it.

Thanks, Lisa, for sharing your thouhts, statistics...

2011-12-24T13:35:56.256-08:00

Thanks, Lisa, for sharing your thouhts, statistics, and "how to." I happen to be a Goodreads fan, and posts like yours remind me why. Happy holidays, and thanks again! -Valerie

As a reader/reviewer/librarian I am still kind of ...

2011-12-24T04:04:34.045-08:00

As a reader/reviewer/librarian I am still kind of reeling at the idea that authors dislike Goodreads.

Negative, snarky reviews are so valuable to me, because the last thing I want to see is a site where all the reviewers are like mindless, bleating sheep, "It was great, 5 stars, best book ever. etc. etc." Those kind of comments are ONLY valuable in a universe where thoughtful criticism including negative comments are "allowed" as you say. If that kind of "rah, rah, rah, this book is great, everything is great" review was the only sort of thing that was permitted, then why would anyone even bother?

Sometimes I like to seek out a book that's gotten a scathing review, just to see for myself if it's really as bad as they say.

Lisa! Thanks for answering my question. That makes...

2011-12-06T11:42:35.097-08:00

Lisa! Thanks for answering my question. That makes a lot of sense (describe the book). I'm definitely going to do this. Am clicking over to GoodReads now... (Thanks again for the post.)

Super informative post - thank you so much for sha...

2011-12-04T06:38:23.168-08:00

Super informative post - thank you so much for sharing.

Kathy, I've been curious about facebook ads! M...

2011-12-02T10:49:17.239-08:00

Kathy, I've been curious about facebook ads! Maybe I will try that next!

Once you set up your ad, you'll have a link called "Visit your campaign stats." Through this link you can edit anything you want to - the amount per click, up or down, who you are targeting, and the text of the ad. You are given very little space for text, and the first time I think I said, a new romantic YA novel from the author of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME.

Well I realized that was great if people had read I HEART YOU and liked it, but what if they hadn't? So I changed it to a brief description of the book: Amber has 24 hours before her life changes forever. The last thing she expects is to meet a guy, who makes things even more complicated.

I've read quite a few ads over there, and I think WHAT the ad says is really important, and is what will or won't catch people's attention.

Thanks!

Thanks for this Lisa! My question is: how did you ...

2011-12-02T10:42:26.620-08:00

Thanks for this Lisa! My question is: how did you change your text later in the ad (and why do you think this helped)?

Re: Facebook. I have an ad running for my book now. The prices are similar. You can target people by choosing only those who have "books" "YA books" "reading" "teen books" etc. in their profile description for activities. You can also target only females and specify an age range to narrow in further.

Wow, it's rare to find such targeted specific,...

2011-12-02T06:36:17.105-08:00

Wow, it's rare to find such targeted specific, helpful advice.
Thank you so much. My book's been out a year and a half and I'd pretty much decided my marketing efforts were done but I think I'll give this a shot, especially because it doesn't sound labor intensive.

Kimberly, visit your "Author Dashboard."...

2011-12-01T12:43:08.432-08:00

Kimberly, visit your "Author Dashboard." Scroll down past your books, past your blog, and you should see something that says "Advertise your books." This is where you set up your campaign(s).

Hope that helps!

Browsing around Goodreads . . . what do you click ...

2011-12-01T11:59:36.637-08:00

Browsing around Goodreads . . . what do you click on to find "campaign" information? Thanks!

REALLY interesting and really helpful, Lisa! Thank...

2011-12-01T11:34:12.205-08:00

REALLY interesting and really helpful, Lisa! Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for this - not only was it wonderfully h...

2011-12-01T05:57:44.825-08:00

Thank you for this - not only was it wonderfully helpful, it was a pleasure to read. Your writing style in this article makes me want to read your books as well. You have really helped your fellow writer with this! Again, many thanks.

What great info, Lisa! I saw your ad on Goodreads,...

2011-11-29T17:47:59.636-08:00

What great info, Lisa! I saw your ad on Goodreads, but I assumed the publisher paid for it for you. This post is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!

Liza, wow, thanks for letting me know the ad playe...

2011-11-29T17:20:31.390-08:00

Liza, wow, thanks for letting me know the ad played a part in you picking up the book. AND you nominated it for a Cybil - thank you so much!!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I LOVE...

2011-11-29T17:04:43.765-08:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I LOVE Goodreads and have been very curious about whether the ads are helpful.

As a reader, I love Goodreads. As an author, I tr...

2011-11-29T16:40:39.357-08:00

As a reader, I love Goodreads. As an author, I try to not look very often, and only when I'm prepared for the possibility of negativity. (Actually, sometimes it's the positive reviews that make me feel all verklempt and dangerously sensitive!)

Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I've just started buying the occasional ad here and there. I've noticed a strange phenomenon that promoting my second/new book seems to increase the downloads for my first book. Advertising/the universe works mysteriously!

Really interesting! Totally something to think abo...

2011-11-29T16:29:43.894-08:00

Really interesting! Totally something to think about as my book has just launched. Thanks for the info!

Lisa, What a fabulous post! I utilize Goodreads a ...

2011-11-29T16:21:11.382-08:00

Lisa, What a fabulous post! I utilize Goodreads a lot and basically ignore those who write nasty reviews or give stars without an explanation (especially when they're under four stars). Before I become "friends" with someone I am careful to look at how s/he reviews books. That has made all the difference on what influences my reading habits. For the most part, the people are intelligent and thoughtful readers, bloggers, and authors.

I saw your ad on Goodreads and it was one of the reasons why I picked up THE DAY BEFORE and fell in love with it. Then I read ALL of your novels. I can't say for sure, but if the ad hadn't been there, I probably would not have read your books at that time. Granted, I would have learned about your novel through other bloggers, authors, and Twitter because people were "talking" about your book on other social media venues. But timing is everything, and it led me to nominating THE DAY BEFORE for a CYBIL award. So, with $45 spent, you never know what can happen?! :D Wishing you tremendous success. Liza Wiemer

Very useful post. Thanks so much for sharing your ...

2011-11-29T14:31:25.219-08:00

Very useful post. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I've neglected Goodreads, but it seems to be a powerful force these days, so I should look into it. Thanks for the heads-up.

Great post! Very helpful. I have ads blocked on m...

2011-11-29T13:26:14.783-08:00

Great post! Very helpful.

I have ads blocked on my Internet server so I never see them anywhere... I didn't even know Goodreads had advertising. :o

This is so helpful, Lisa! I've never looked in...

2011-11-29T11:40:03.981-08:00

This is so helpful, Lisa! I've never looked into Goodreads ads, but I absolutely will in the future. Thank you so much for sharing your findings.

Lisa, I'm a reader/blogger and I remember seei...

2011-11-29T11:00:30.115-08:00

Lisa, I'm a reader/blogger and I remember seeing your ad on goodreads. This, in turn, made me make sure I had your book marked "to-read". Then, as I browsed amazon later I saw your book and thought "I've been seeing that around lately, let me check it out". Then, I bought it. :)

That's just my own experience and I do think many readers do the same thing. If I go to a bookstore I look for the books I've noticed on goodreads or blogs. I'll remember what books had good reviews and target those. Sometimes I may not remember exactly what the book is about but I'll think "I've seen this a lot, it must be good" so those are the first books I look for. It triggers that recognition and I end up buying the book.

From my POV - goodreads is amazing! I don't know what I'd do without it. It's where I get 90% of my book information.

As you mentioned, an ad might not get your book sold that day, but it gets the image in a person's head, and that will get the book sold :)

~Jessica
(Confessions of a Bookaholic)

This is really great, Lisa. Thanks!

2011-11-29T10:26:44.722-08:00

This is really great, Lisa. Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words, all. Glad you found it ...

2011-11-29T10:06:27.284-08:00

Thanks for the kind words, all. Glad you found it helpful.

Elle, I chose goodreads because you are specifically targeting readers. How do you make sure your ad is going to readers on facebook? And not just readers, but specific YA readers? That was what I was concerned about. I love that I could really narrow down who I was targeting at goodreads. And yes, I also think facebook would be a lot more expensive.

I didn't know Goodreads did campaign ads. This...

2011-11-29T09:52:39.952-08:00

I didn't know Goodreads did campaign ads. This sounds very similar to Facebook campaign ads. Have you ever tried Facebook? I'd be curious as to how Goodreads and Facebook ads compare as far as responses go. I think Facebook costs more per click and 45.00 wouldn't last 6 mos.