Cheryl had this to say:
HAVING A PRESENCE ON GOODREADS – HOW TO BEGIN
By Cheryle Williams
Many thanks to Joan for inviting me to speak on her blog today. Joan asked me to talk on how I set up the Goodreads discussion page for Desert Breeze Publishing authors. Bottom line, several months ago I saw a void and floated the suggestion that we needed to have a corporate presence on Goodreads. Fellow authors expressed interest, so I started to play at the Goodreads site just to show it could be done. It was surprisingly easy to set up.
First off, why Goodreads? It’s the world’s largest site for readers showcasing what they read and making book recommendations. It currently has more than twenty million members. It’s a continuous party atmosphere as you list the books you read, rate them, write reviews and recommend them to others. You can friend other authors and ask them questions about their works. As you buy a new book at Amazon or an audiobook on Audible.com, Goodreads offers the option of posting news of your sale on Facebook, so all your FB friends can marvel at your good taste and intelligence. (Or you can turn down that option if you don’t want them to know.)
If reading is your thing, then this is the site to play on. For authors, it’s a chance to showcase yourself as part of a publishing community. That’s why I started the discussion group for Desert Breeze authors. I saw that other small press publishers had a Goodreads group. For new authors who don’t know which publisher to submit their works to, searching the different publishing sites listed on Goodreads is a good way to find a publisher. An active group shows that the members are committed to promoting their brand. It shows a healthy publishing company. DB authors are proud of the DB catalogue and we’re always ready to publicize our accomplishments.
To start a group, go to Goodreads.com and either create an account or sign in with Facebook. Click on ‘Groups’ on the toolbar, then click on ‘Create a Group’. It’s a breeze after that. You’ll make a decision whether you want the group to be public or private. I chose to make the Desert Breeze group open to all, because fans will join to keep up to date with our publishing company. For ‘Rules’, I listed only one: Be kind and supportive of your fellow authors.
As moderator, I went to Bookshelf on the Goodreads DB home page and began typing in the names of my fellow DB authors. As their titles popped up from Amazon.com (Amazon owns Goodreads), I added all their DB titles with cover, title, and link back to Amazon to buy. Forty-four authors have 228 titles listed so far. Then I went on the DB Yahoo group and invited authors to join, advising them their books were already uploaded. This became a continuous process as more authors joined and I uploaded more titles. Authors can add their own books to the Bookshelf, but many authors asked me to please add them, and I was happy to do it.
The purpose of this activity is to create awareness of Desert Breeze as a company and build interest and loyalty among readers, hopefully leading to increased sales. I also added six discussion threads that we have kept going.
– Book Launch News, Awards, Signed a Contract, General News. (This thread is tagged to always stay in the top position.)
– Blogging or Guest-Blogging? Post link here.
– Websites of our Authors.
– Our Reviews for Desert Breeze Titles.
– What is Your Current WIP, DB Authors?
– Post Your Promotional Appearances Here.
Individual authors can add additional topics as needed. As comments are added, an email indicating new activity in your group appears in your Yahoo inbox, if you so wish, and the activity is reflected on the Goodreads Home Page. The site also has options for posting photos, videos, adding a poll, and sending an email message to all members.
Here’s the link to the Desert Breeze Goodreads page. Hold down the Control key and click on: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/163604-desert-breeze-publishing
best,
Cheryle Williams, DB author of Strangers in the Province of Joy, YA contemporary (Sept 11, 2015) and Stairway to Heaven, YA angel paranormal (Sept. 2014)
http://www.cherylewilliams.net
https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.e.williams.5
cherylewilliams205@yahoo.com
Cheryle is a fellow Desert Breeze author. She established the Goodreads site for Desrt Breeze authors. Here is a line on her latest creation.
Here is the blurb about the book with that lovely cover!
Short blurb:
In Strangers in the Province of Joy, a YA contemporary by Cheryle Williams, two high school juniors Max and Azar, both age seventeen, find that love is hard enough without adding stress, school and family issues to the mix. The title comes from a prayer card Azar treasures with the phrase, “Let us not be strangers in the province of joy.” Can Azar and Max work through all trying obstacles and forge ahead with peace and confidence into their future? The heat level is sweet. This is a clean read.
Thank you Cheryle, for sharing your knowledge with us.
What Editors Want You to Know 