The One Book Marketing Strategy I'd Use Again
By Kris Maze
If you've published more than one book, you've probably heard every piece of launch strategy imaginable. Build your newsletter. Master social media. Run ads. Create a street team. Make videos. Find influencers. It can feel like launching a book requires becoming a full-time marketer before you're allowed to be a writer.
After several launches, I've learned that I don't need to do everything. I need to do the right things, things that improve my author brand exposure, that increase my reviews and ratings, and amplify my bottom-line.
For the launch of Parallel Lives – The Paths Not Taken, released on October 21, 2025, I decided to focus on one strategy that fit both my budget and my launch goals for book exposure: a Goodreads Giveaway.
Goodreads Pros Versus Cons
Love it or hate it, Goodreads has earned a mixed reputation among authors. Some dislike its review culture, limited author control, or question its marketing value, but for many indie authors it remains one of the few places to introduce a new book directly to dedicated readers. It put my book in front of thousands of readers who were already looking for their next great read. More importantly, it created momentum before release day without requiring me to be everywhere online at once.
If you're a seasoned indie author who's feeling overwhelmed by the endless marketing advice, I hope my experience reminds you that sometimes one well-executed strategy is enough.
Why Goodreads?
I wanted my launch to reach readers beyond my newsletter subscribers and social media followers. Those readers already knew about my book. What I needed was visibility with people who had never heard my name and a Goodreads Giveaway offered exactly that.
Another perk for using a Goodreads Giveaway is the price. It is relatively inexpensive compared to many packages and promo services I have tried in the past. For me the standard package gave me the visibility and quantifiable evidence of book exposure that I wanted.
Goodreads Giveaway Packages
Goodreads currently offers two giveaway packages for indie authors. The Standard Giveaway costs $119 and includes placement in the Goodreads Giveaways section and on your book page, automatic Want to Read adds for entrants, notifications to your followers, and reminder emails encouraging winners to leave a review. For most self-published authors, this is the most practical and cost-effective option.
The Premium Giveaway costs $599 and includes everything in the Standard package, plus premium placement in the Giveaways section and the ability to send a personalized follow-up email to everyone who entered but didn't win. While Premium offers greater visibility and an additional marketing touchpoint, many indie authors find the Standard package provides the best return on investment for building awareness before a book launch.
Every person who entered was someone actively interested in books like mine. Many entrants also added my novel to their Want to Read shelves, creating a ripple effect of visibility across the Goodreads platform.
Instead of trying to interrupt people on social media, Goodreads placed my book directly in front of readers already searching for something new.
My Giveaway
For my launch, I used the giveaway as part of a presale strategy. It helped drive traffic to my Amazon page, which boosted my rankings with a modest amount of sales. After a month of promotion for the giveaway, it was time to send out my paperback copies.
I offered 10 paperbacks through Goodreads during the weeks leading up to publication. Readers only needed to click Enter Giveaway, making participation incredibly easy.
Book Fulfillment for Winners
One caveat to consider is the fulfillment to winners. In order to give away an ebook, being Kindle Unlimited is required. My book is not in the Kindle Unlimited program, so I used the option to send physical copies which is an additional cost.
Mailing books has become expensive, so my work around was to use Amazon Prime to mail copies. This means I purchased a few of my own books at retail prices but saved on the shipping. Shipping that only took a couple days.
Depending on your shipping options and book cost it could be more cost effective to mail author copies to your winners. Either way the books are in readers hands. And who isn’t excited about getting a new gift book in the mail?
My Goodreads Results
How one considers themselves a success varies by what each author values. My main goals where to obtain more buzz and exposure for this new book. Ratings and reviews add intrigue and value as other readers get a raw review. Here are my Goodreads numbers that made me pay attention:
- Average rating 4.0
- Ratings 11
- Reviews 7
- Want to read 4,299
- Added to shelves 4,341
Watching those numbers grow each day was surprisingly encouraging. Every new "Want to Read" addition represented another potential reader discovering my book. Those small actions add up over time.
Why I Think It Worked (And Why I’ll Do It Again)
I've experimented with plenty of marketing approaches over the years, and one lesson keeps repeating itself. Readers trust other readers and Goodreads is built around that idea.
When readers see a book accumulating interest before publication, it creates social proof that's difficult to manufacture elsewhere. A giveaway doesn't guarantee bestseller status, but it signals that readers are paying attention.While I can't say every sale came directly from Goodreads, I can say the giveaway became one of the strongest awareness-building tools in my launch plan.
Just as importantly, it gave me confidence.
As indie authors, we spend so much time wondering whether anyone will notice our books. Watching readers discover Parallel Lives – The Paths Not Taken before it was even released reminded me that people really are looking for stories like ours.
Sometimes they simply need help finding them.
A Word to Authors Who Feel Worn Out
Marketing fatigue is real.
Many of us became writers because we love telling stories—not because we wanted to become experts in algorithms, advertising dashboards, and content calendars. That's why this experience mattered so much to me.
Instead of trying to master every new marketing trend, I committed to one strategy that aligned with my goals and let it do its job. One thoughtful campaign executed well is often more effective than ten rushed marketing ideas that leave you exhausted.
If your last launch didn't meet your expectations, don't assume you have to work twice as hard next time.You may simply need to work more intentionally.For me, Goodreads became one of those intentional choices.
It introduced my book to new readers, built anticipation before launch day, and reminded me that book discovery still happens—sometimes quietly, steadily, and one reader at a time.
I'd Love to Hear From You
Have you run a book giveaway? Did your results surprise you?
Share your experience in the comments. We're all learning from one another, and I'd love to hear what worked for you. If you're preparing for your next release, I hope this encourages you to give Goodreads a closer look. One focused strategy may be exactly what your launch needs.
About Kris
Kris Maze, an education enthusiast with a knack for the written word, has dedicated several years to the world of academia. She writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and award-winning blog Writers in the Storm.
She published a YA dystopian novel, IMPACT, with a small press in the summer of 2020. Kris has placing in writing competitions, such as NYC Midnight’s Short Story and Micro fiction contests.
You can find her YA fiction, new releases, and keep up with her author events at KrisMaze.com. Find her darker, scarier, but cozy gothic fiction under her pen name Krissy Knoxx.
A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, learning languages, and spending time outdoors where she ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.
A Thank You Just for You
Thanks for reading! As a small thank-you, I'd love to offer you an exclusive WITS discount on my website.
Use code WITSROCKS50 at checkout to save 50% on your total order from my shop.
Just visit KrisMaze.com enter the code at checkout and enjoy!
Thank you for supporting my writing. I hope you enjoy a new story and I'd love it if you'd leave a review wherever you buy books, and perhaps also on Goodreads. 🙂
Happy reading!
Kris Maze
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23 comments on “The One Book Marketing Strategy I'd Use Again”
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I, too, recommend doing 1-2 GoodReads giveaways if your lead-up ramp is long enougg. For a March release, I did one in November and another in early February. Someone I knew had done an experiment and found that offering 25 books and offering 5 books (paperbacks) resulted in the same number of entries so you don't have to spend a lot. To me, the biggest plus is that on the day of publicatiion, GoodReads sends an email to everyone with your book on their "want to read" shelf - so in your case, almost 5,000 people got a separate email on your pub date reminding them once again of your book. That's gold in my opinion for $119
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for sharing that research. In October, I gave away 10 books and I got about the same amount of readers as when I did three paperbacks. As long as you give the readers a chance to get a free book, they’re excited to take apart in your giveaway.
I’m glad your Goodreads giveaway went well. 🙂
Kris
What a great idea, Kris!
Thank you for sharing. I'll give it a try.
Hi Ellen,
It has given me more exposure to readers for sure. It seems to work well for for adult fiction or non fiction and YA fiction that translates into adult audiences as well. I wonder if anyone has had traction with a children’s or chapter book?
Shipping via our Amazon Prime accounts is a powerful tool. Yeah, we pay more for the books, but they get there faster and we do eventually get a little of that back. Great post!
Thank you, Lisa!
The Amazon ‘trick’ saves a bit of the logistical problems. I’ve gotten a couple reviews from this process, too.
It costs a little more, but bumps my sales a tiny bit and is reliably fast. With all that in mind, it’s sometimes worth it!
I ran a Goodreads giveaway.
My first novel, Pride's Children: PURGATORY was CLEARLY described as mainstream fiction with a love story at the core, and the first of a trilogy with the same three characters.
The giveaway provided me with almost ALL my negative reviews (okay, so they're proof I'm a real author, so they had SOME use) because people who entered the giveaway grabbed a free book, thought they had gotten a ROMANCE NOVEL, and gave me my 1* and 2* reviews because, hey, a mainstream story with a love story embedded FAILS all the Romance tropes.
Duh.
Of course it does.
I may still consider it when the third and final volume is ready to be launched, but am going to try to figure out if there is a way to say 'this is NOT A ROMANCE novel' without saying exactly that.
And, of course, the final volume makes a lot more sense if the reader has read the first two!
MANY mainstream novels are also love stories, but they are NOT what most readers would understand as a ROMANCE. I'm not disparaging ROMANCE - it is a happy and thriving ecosystem of readers and writers. It's just not the one I write in.
Hello Alicia,
While it sounds like a frustrating categories issue, you are not alone in this Romance Struggle!
My current novel reads like women’s fiction, although it is science fiction. I have been reworking my own categories to include ‘sweet romance’ and ‘second chance’ elements in the story. Based on comments from readers, this is how they interpreted my book.
That signals to readers that you are not presenting a bare-chest erotica or other romance heavy story arc. That can help keep your comments focused on other parts of your series!
Best of luck with your next giveaway!
Kris
I did two Goodreads giveaways recently for two different books. One ran for nearly 30 days and drew 1,985 readers. The second ran for 13 days and had 1477 readers participating. Nearly as many put the book on their WANT TO READ shelves.
Even giveaways I did in 2019 had more interest than any other kind of paid advertising I've done.
I highly recommend the $119 Goodreads giveaway.
Cool! It is a great tool, right?
Interesting, your giveaways were for a full month and one for about half that time, and you had similar results during each.
At the end of the process, I got a spreadsheet of the daily results during my giveaway and I noticed the most adds occurred on the first and last couple of days. That may be a consideration for authors looking for specific days to draw more attention to their book.
There was also an uptick in days that I sent out emails to my readers list.
This illustrates other ways to make the most of this marketing strategy.
Thanks for the insights, Diana!
I'm with you on the Goodreads giveaway. It's always worked well for me. I have had some friends for whom it did not. But I think it is well worth trying. Lots of benefits. Not just for that book, but for any future books you launch.
In fact, because of you, I may run a giveaway for a new illustrated edition of one of my books.
So, BIG Thanks for sharing your experience!
-Kathleen
Aw, thanks, Kat! It’s nice to hear from you and I’m glad to share a bit of inspiration.
I can see how some of the reviews on Goodreads can be brutal, but they give authenticity to their feedback. Most keen readers can identify a sloppy review or one that has a concern that may not apply to others reading that comment.
Like if someone dislikes that a book lacks hard science in the plot, readers who prefer story-driven science fiction may become more interested. It takes all sorts of feedback to connect to readers.
Another thing authors can look at is to compare how many books someone who leaves a comment has read to their review rate. How many have they commented on? How many reviews have they given 3 or 4 or 5 stars to? Are they actively reading books different from your genre? That can say a lot about the quality of their feedback.
Have a great giveaway!
Kris
I'd love to do a Goodreads promotion, but I'm traditionally published with a small press that will not reduce anyone's pricing for sales or giveaways. I have two books published in a romantasy series. What would you recommend for authors like me? The third book will publish in 2027. Thanks!
Hi Barb
I don’t think you need to reduce the price to participate. I would check the Goodreads details first.
It might be a good strategy to have a reduced price to hook readers, especially for first books in a series, but that is something to work out with the publisher. They may have other strategies in play that could be impacted.
Honestly, I would probably hold it myself and pay for it out of pocket. Perhaps, show the publisher your exposure and they may include it in your future promotion that they support.
This could be a way to show your author-sided promotion if they ask to see that kind of thing. And it could help them see value in using Goodreads as a way to engage more readers.
Hope this helps! Have fun and best of luck with your romantasy!
Kris
Thanks so much, Kris! I'll give this another look.
This sounds like a brilliant idea, one I shall remember to do when my new book is ready to launch!
Hi, I've hesitated doing a Goodreads Giveaway since my marketing budget it almost non-existent. One thing I'm not finding in your post is actual sales numbers. Want to Read and Added to Shelves doesn't offer that information and I wonder what you and the other people who have posted in the comments earned in comparison to what your costs were. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this post, especially the idea of focusing on one well-executed strategy instead of trying to manage every marketing channel at once. The practical Goodreads examples and results make the approach easy to understand and useful for authors planning their next launch. <a href="[Link deleted]Name is also a useful resource for exploring creative typography and presentation ideas.
Should note that Goodreads Giveaways are only available for authors in USA & Canada
Hi Kris --Nice write-up! Note, however, that you do NOT have to be on Kindle Unlimited to offer an eBook in a Goodreads Giveaway. As long as your book is on Amazon, you can giveaway up to 100 copies at no charge. I've done this as recently as last month.
I smiled over "recovering grammarian" and LOL when you pondered the wisdom of Bob Ross, the TV sensation. But I'm puzzled about the word "adds" under Goodreads Giveaway Packages (line 3). Isn't ads (short for advertising) the word you're looking for?
Can't resist... let he who has never made a typo cast the first stone....
Great post here, Kris. Thank you! Do you know, can you make a "book giveaway," as you've described here on Goodreads, after the book has launched? My book was published in May of 2025. I am NOT tech savvy. I know very little about marketing. I'm wondering if I am too late to use this expert advice in your blog post.