One great thrill in life is having your first book published! My first non-fiction was Three Hots and a Cot, Stories of Courage from People Struggling with Homelessness, Addiction, and AIDS. As a new author, I also was thrilled to be contacted by representatives of Booktasters, asking if I would like to participate in its program. Depending on which plan one chooses, a specific number of reviewers post critiques of one or more books on Goodreads and/or Amazon.) The more reviews you have on those two platforms, the more you can reach readers through organic searches. Booktasters reviews of both fiction and non-fiction works help authors reach their target readers and target sales numbers.
“Goodreads has become the most important book networking site on the internet.” ~ Forbes
What is Goodreads, and How Does Booktasters Relate to It?
Amazon now owns Goodreads, which first emerged in 2007 as the world’s largest site for linking readers and book recommendations. Goodreads targets readers by book genre, location, gender, or age. Goodreads says, “Our recommendation engine analyzes 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to your literary tastes….”
Booktasters is totally independent of Goodreads and Amazon, so there’s no hanky panky going on!
Does Booktasters Review all Kinds of Books that may Appear on Goodreads?
“…Yes, except sexual, pornography and all books categorized under the erotica genre. Also, we don’t review non-fiction religion books. We do have reviewers for romantic books and novels with religious backgrounds….”
Why Be A Member of Goodreads?
Lots of avid readers use Goodreads to research books which may be of interest to them. They will see Booktasters reviews of your books.
As an author or a book-lover on Goodreads, you can:
- invite people to be “friends” and see what they’re reading
- create “bookshelves” to keep track of the books you’re reading, have read, and want to read
- receive personalized book recommendations.
Otis Chandler is the CEO and Co-Founder of Goodreads. He describes it this way.
“… on this journey with your friends, you can explore new territory, gather information, and expand your mind…..Knowledge is power, and power is best shared among readers.”
Goodreads Authors Program
Click on this link for details about the Author’s Program. It allows you to:
- Create and manage your author profile page
- Promote your books
- Answer questions and interact with readers
More Details about Goodreads and User Options with Booktasters
Learn more details about the business from this Wikipedia link, which states, in part:
Goodreads is a social cataloging website that allows individuals to freely search its database of books, annotations, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and reading lists. They can also create their own groups of book suggestions, surveys, polls, blogs, and discussions. The website’s offices are located in San Francisco.[2] The company is owned by the online retailer Amazon.
Obviously, if you have reviews from Booktasters on your Goodreads page, it is much easier to share and market your books and materials with the groups, discussions, surveys, etc. found there.
Reasons for Becoming a Booktasters Reviewer
- Get Free Books in exchange for your review
- Provide honest feedback that helps authors improve their books
- Help readers find books they will buy and enjoy
- Participate in competitions and, perhaps, win prizes
- Become more widely read, which is great for personal growth and enhancement of your understanding of people and situations outside your personal experience.
What Criteria Do Booktasters Reviewers Use?
Booktasters sets the following criteria for reviewers (copied with permission from Booktasters).
1. PICK THE BOOKS YOU LIKE
We don’t push any reviewer to pick a particular book to make you enjoy. In the other hand, you have a responsibility to benefit the author.
2. READ THE WHOLE BOOK
Your review should include details which prove that you have read the whole book. You shouldn’t write short general comments in your review.
3. POST ON THE RIGHT PLATFORM
You should be committed to post on the platform and within the time-frame we agreed on, whether it’s Amazon, Goodreads, etc.
How Does Booktaster’s Service Work for Authors?
- Go to the website and purchase the package you want.
- Check your email for the confirmation.
- Follow our twitter accounts @Booktastersand @TasteNonfiction. That is where you will receive notifications of readers who want to critique your book.
- Deliver an E-copy to most interested reviewers. Some might require a paperback version.
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Booktasters will track the process, guarantee the reviews, and report the results weekly.
In Their Own Words…
Booktasters’ aim is to spread awareness and make reading an enjoyable priority in everyone’s life. We also help spreading the idea that the reviews benefit the authors, so people who usually don’t leave reviews start writing them with us. We also introduced the reading game to encourage people to read more and help everyone reach their reading goals, which is basically the more you read the more points you win which could make you one of the top 5 reviewers at the end of each month and receive a gift. Also, we help authors to edit or design the covers of their new books and improve them. We’re a team who do our best to make a difference.”
You can find Booktasters on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Booktasters. Non-fiction authors may visit https://twitter.com/TasteNonfiction
I hope this has been a helpful hint for you authors to use Booktasters and for you readers to find the reviews they supply on Goodreads and Amazon.
Do It The Write Way! Let My Fingers Do Your Talking!