A Good Marketing Tool: Goodreads Book Giveaway

Free Books as a Marketing Tool?

Sometime ago, a question was posed in one of the author groups I belong to at LinkedIn:

"Are Author Book Giveaways a Good Marketing Tool?" 

Deciding whether a book giveaway is a good marketing tool, or not, is personal and depends on a lot of things.

Last year, I entered a Goodreads Book Giveaway through the entire month of June.

I signed up to give away ten free books and besides the USA, I included all of the countries that Amazon sells books to in the giveaway. My thinking was, I want exposure, lots of exposure -- worldwide exposure!

As the author of five books, I've learned that word-of-mouth is one of my best marketing tools for selling books. A close second would be advertising, marketing, and promotion. 

If readers (remember, readers are buyers) like what I've written, they tell their friends, who also buy and read the book. Then they tell their friends and, as this all goes forward, it gathers even more momentum like the spreading rings in a pond when a pebble is dropped into it. 

I decided the same should hold true for other countries -- if the giveaway did result in winners in other countries, as mine eventually did.

I noticed quickly that the book giveaway also attracted immediate buyers, as well as the potential winners of those ten books. 

By the 11th day of the giveaway, there were already 423 people who had entered the giveaway for my book, and that was worldwide. 

Another 94 added the book to their "to-read" book list, and still others who went ahead and bought the book, read it, and reviewed it ... that in itself was good advertising and marketing. A 5-star review holds a lot of weight and works the same as 'word-of-mouth' -- and there were still 19 days left in June for people to enter the giveaway.

Something else to think about: when your book giveaway is over, those who didn't win a book just might buy one and then review it. This triggers the 'word-of-mouth' advertising all over again. 

As for me, I can safely say that book giveaways are a very good marketing tool for authors.

In a way, it's like planting a garden. You won't grow anything without first planting the seed -- you have to get the book 'out there' in front of people (a book giveaway). Then you have to fertilize it (advertise the giveaway). Then, of course, you also have to give it lots of sunshine for it to flourish ... write thank-you's and smile!

Anatomy of a Poet, by CJ Heck

My Goodreads Book Giveaway was June 1-30, 2013.

Preview: Anatomy of a Poet

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“A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write.” ~CJ Heck

His Hands: by CJ Heck

His Hands

I was thinking, you can tell so much about a man by looking at his hands. 

Hands are so expressive. They can be kind, generous and loving, or they can be tough and aggressive and very unkind.

Are they working hands, calloused and rough, yet gentle?

 Are they hands that live at a desk, always clean and smooth and forever busy?

 Are they well-manicured and neat, or nervous, their nails chewed to the nub?

Are they wild and expressive, flying this way and that in a conversation?

Or, are they shy and pocketed, subdued like their owner?

However hands look, they seem to have their own personality.

And, maybe, just maybe, they're magically connected to a man's heart ...

His Hands

His hands should have

their own identity,

a name, perhaps,

befitting each vocation

they enjoy:

Skillful Hands --

Finely tuned,

they hold every tool

with equal panache.

Each callous earned,

a trophy,

but self-aware

and gentle

as they browse

my every curve.

Comical Hands --

The right one

scraping whiskers,

razoring down

a field of white

revealing trails of

pink-skinned angles.

I laugh at the silly poses

skewed by the left

so the right

won't miss a spot.

My just reward,

a foamy kiss.

Angry Hands --

His driving hands,

hands that slap

the wheel

as assholes

go too slow

or cut in front,

turn signals

up their butts

with their heads.

I'm glad the

angry hands

are only known

to live in cars.

Those hands --

I love his hands.

[From the book, "Anatomy of a Poet", by CJ Heck]

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"A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write." ~CJ Heck

Poem: "I Remember Mama"

Joanne Parrish - My Mama

I woke up this morning with Mama on my mind. She passed away years ago, but I still miss her.  It doesn't matter how old we get, our mothers remain in our hearts forever.

I Remember Mama

by CJ Heck

I remember Mama
blowing chewing gum bubbles
while she ironed.
I was too young for school,
Sesame Street wasn’t invented yet,
the rain was pouring outside
and I was awed.

I remember Mama
sewing at her machine into the night
when she had to get up early for work,
patching my favorite pair of cutoffs
'just one more time'
or putting pockets on pants
because my little brother adored them,
and I still hear her words,
"There’s all kinds of ways to say
I love you."

I remember Mama
teaching us that beauty on the inside
was more important than on the outside,
and "A kind word to someone
might be the only kind word
that person heard all day"
... and how good it felt
finding out she was right.

I remember Mama
telling us to hold onto our dreams,
make them happen, and never say "I can’t"
and how funny I thought it
when she said
the world was our watermelon
and all we had to do was
grab it and take a bite.

I remember Mama
who taught us best by example
with her unconditional love.
"Love isn’t love until it’s given away
and it’s in the giving that we know
it truly does come back ten-fold."

I remember, Mama ...


[from the book, Anatomy of a Poet]

"A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write." ~CJ Heck