There are varying opinions about giveaways. Some authors cringe at giving their work away due to the incredible effort, time and money they've put into it. They also don't want to devalue their work by handing it out for free. This makes sense; however, part of the reason writers do what they do is to entertain. It's hard to entertain your audience when they don't even know you're there. And thus the reason many authors host free days on Amazon, do Goodreads giveaways and the like. By giving away a few books or other gift, the writer gains exposure to a wider audience. They might not buy the book right away, but at least they know it's there.
When we did our book tour with
Beck Valley Books, we had a $50 gift card giveaway tied to the tour. We had over 24,000 entries! Of course many of those just wanted the money, but it got the book in front of many sets of eyes. Getting it in front of readers increases the chances they will go further and read about the book. At that point, it's the book that has to draw them in. The cover has to catch their eye, the synopsis has to pique their interest and the writing needs to leave them wanting more.
Soon after publishing the first four books of the Guiamo Chronicles, we were introduced to
Goodreads by Grace Best-Page, author of
The Death and Life of Sherlock Holmes. If you love to read and haven't discovered Goodreads, you should check it out. If you look up Goodreads in
Wikipedia, this is what you'll read:
"As of July 2012, the site reported 10 million members, 20 million monthly visits, and 30 employees. On July 23, 2013, it was announced on their website that the user base had grown to 20 million members, doubling in close to 11 months."
So Why Goodreads?
No matter how long you've been around, it would be hard to duplicate that kind of traffic. We have done giveaways on Goodreads for Guiamo and Cumoro already. The first having over 1,000 entries and the second around 700. In contrast, when we gave away a complete set of the first four books at the end of the Blogger Book Fair with the help of rafflecopter, we had around 50 entries. When people enter the giveaways on Goodreads, many will add the book to their "to read" shelf. This means it won't get lost in the shuffle. Months after the giveaway, there will still be a reminder about that new book they wanted to check out. Many will not win, but will end up purchasing the book down the road.
And so, we are hosting another giveaway on Goodreads, this time for book 3, Morlanos. For those who have already read books one and two, this is a great chance to get a print copy of book 3. For those who haven't, book one, Guiamo, is only $2.99, a pretty good deal for a book that has received 16 five star reviews! If this is your first visit to our blog, you can read about all four books here.
It's been a pleasure meeting so many people in the writing and reading community. Thanks to all who have shared their knowledge to help us. If you're a new author getting started, our Twitter stream @ancumer has many tweets of articles that have been very helpful to us. If you're a reader, we'd love to have you join us on Twitter or our Facebook page, The Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo. And of course, you can find Marshall on Goodreads as well.
So, take a minute to enter. It's painless we promise!
Having destroyed the Fomori in Britain , Guiamo Durmius Stolo decides in 51 B.C. to bring the Cruthin people, once slaves to the Fomori, to Ireland , but encounters the Fomori who reside there as well. Guiamo discovers that the gods venerated by the Druids are unworthy. The gods are displeased with him and begin to work against him.
Combining legitimate legends with actual historical events, Marshall Best weaves an epic story that portrays the ancient world as it might have been, a world which the ancient historians recorded as fact; a time when gods ruled the earth and strange creatures dominated the land. It is the era of civilized conquerors exploring distant and primitive new lands. Scant recordings left to us today only touch on the fringe of the fantastic and brutal reality that existed in those distant lands of the west. Into this age, young Guiamo enters the world stage as the great game-changer, and by his hand the gods and beasts become destined to disappear into myth and legend.
