Become a Library-site Guru

By M.J. Moores on October 10, 2013 • ( 0 )

Publicity Tip #2

Don’t just join one online library, join all three big ones. These sites, though very similar, are a goldmine to an author.

Before looking into publishing my novel I had only ever heard of Goodreads.com, but I didn’t belong as a member – nor had I ever visited the site. After joining a local writers group I was advised to look into Goodreads. Since becoming a member I have learned of it 2 main competitors: Shelfari.com and Librarything.com.

Here are the stats:

Goodreads – 20 Million Members; Extremely High Traffic Rating (Globally @ 267 & in the USA @ 132); recently bought by Amazon.com (free membership)

LibraryThing – 1.5 Million Members; Very High Traffic Rating (Globally @ 13,200 & in the USA @ 7,000); independently owned & operated (free membership up to 200 books, then a fee of $10/year or $25/lifetime applies)

Shelfari – Do not make stats public (why not?); High Traffic Rating (Globally @ 28, 800 & in the USA @ 14,800); bought by Amazon.com in 2006 (free membership)

First off, if you’re not familiar with the website ranking numbers, the smaller the number the higher the ranking (or the more often they are visited). A good, solid web ranking with regular traffic generally sits between 50,000 & 200,000. Needless to say, all three of these sites are doing amazingly well.

That is why, as an author, you should join all 3. Yes, Goodreads is a heavyweight compared to the other two, but LibraryThing with 1.5 Million members is nothing to sneeze at – that’s 1.5 Million possible people to reach out to.

As you build your author platform, start with Goodreads, get used to how they work and what they offer (run book giveaways, run reasonably priced ads, build a profile page, talk with fans). Then, slowly add the other two sites to your roster – they offer similar advantages to authors.

These are invaluable resources for getting the word out about your books and building a fan base. Don’t let a remarkable opportunity like this go unused. Just be sure to check in a couple times a month to ‘stay active’ on the site. If you have a forum or blog doing well, stop in once or twice a day to show your fans how much you care about them – all you need to do is leave one quick comment to keep the chatter going and then carry on with the rest of your publicity.

Let me know if you already belong to one of these communities and how it’s working out!