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Keep the moment going by sparking discussion about your book through Ask the Author.

Consider advertising the book on Goodreads to keep reminding people about the book (and mention existing ratings/reviews to reinforce how readers are loving it).

Write a really, really good book!

For authors, winning a Goodreads Choice Award —the only major book awards chosen by readers—represents a tremendous achievement. But the impact can be far greater than most people realize.Winning a Goodreads Choice Award can boost a book—even a bestselling book—into higher levels of awareness and drive more sales. Case in point:by Kristin Hannah, which won Best Historical Fiction in this year’s Goodreads Choice Awards.Before its win, about 475 people were addingto their shelves each day. Compared to most other books, this is impressive (especially for a book published nine months earlier) and enough to make the book a bestseller. Additionally, the book has really resonated with readers, boasting an almost-unheard-of 4.53 average rating based on more than 83,000 ratings. (The more people rate a book, the harder it is to maintain a very high average rating as no book is the perfect fit for every single reader.)But the Goodreads Choice Awards was about to take it even further. On the day it was announced as the winner for Best Historical Fiction, about 9,300 people added it. That’s more than an 1800% increase!Perhaps more importantly for, it’s experiencing a step-level jump in people adding the book on Goodreads post-awards, with about 1,500 people now adding it every day. If this is the new normal for, it could mean that book is poised to break out into the mainstream in a very big way. In fact, just this last week after the Goodreads Choice Award winners were announced (and after 43 weeks on sale), it shot to #1 on the Bestseller List (combined print and e-books) for the first time.“The end of the year is a crucial time for book promotion,” says Lisa Senz, a member of the marketing department of St. Martin’s Press, the publisher of. “We know that a lot of people are looking for great books as gifts, so we’ll dedicate marketing budgets and promotions to get our books on people’s shopping lists. But it’s also a time when commentary about best books of the year can propel a book into the mainstream, which then translates into sales the following year. This is significant as once a book reaches that kind of awareness, you can reach the more casual book buyer who wants to buy the book everyone is talking about. For, winning the Goodreads Choice Award is a key catalyst for helping get to that kind of level.”Based on its trajectory – and the kind of audience it appeals to – some of the Goodreads team are predicting thatwill beof 2016.was another work of historical fiction (and Goodreads Choice winner) which was the sleeper hit of 2009 and went on to dominate the bestseller lists in 2010.For a book like, winning the Goodreads Choice Award is especially important. As Kristin Hannah herself said in a recent post on Facebook, “Most year's best lists are compiled by critics who don't even consider commercial fiction (especially novels by, for, and/or about women), so it is so important—and meaningful—to hear what real readers love.”wasn’t the only book to see such an enormous boost in popularity thanks to the Goodreads Choice Awards. Even the biggest bestseller of the year,, saw increased interest following its win. Who knew that there were still people out there who hadn’t yet discovered this book?Being a nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards can help break out a book too. Take a look at what happened withby debut author, Sara Novic. Before being nominated for the Best Fiction award, around 20 people were adding the book to their shelves daily. As each round of voting was announced, it drove a huge spike in people discovering the book and adding it to their Want to Read shelf.Being nominated for a Goodreads Choice Awards is the result of several factors:If you are nominated or are a winner, leverage the Goodreads Choice Awards by letting people know about it. Use it in your marketing. As you can see from the graphs above, readers love to know about books that other readers say are good. It’s the ultimate word-of-mouth endorsement.You might also like: How St. Martin's Press Doubled Down on the Success of The Nightingale to Take it to Greater Heights Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.