It would be a crime if you missed this opportunity to promote your books! Mark your calendars and get ready to participate in Mystery Week on Goodreads, May 1 to 7. We’re shining the spotlight on page-turning mysteries, thrillers, and suspense stories and need all the help we can get from savvy authors. Here are seven ways you can engage with readers on the site during Mystery Week:
![Mystery Week Author]()
1. Enable Ask the Author. Don’t leave your fans in the dark—allow them to reach out to you with questions about your books, your writing habits, or your murder weapon of choice.
Find Ask the Author on your Goodreads Author Dashboard. New to the platform? Read Best Practices for Ask the Author here.
2. Answer the special Mystery Week question. Your first mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to respond to the special mystery-related question from Goodreads via Ask the Author. Be generous with your response: your answer might show up on our rotating list of authors on our Mystery Week landing page. Find your special question in the Ask the Author section of your Goodreads Author Dashboard.
3. Use #MysteryWeek in all your activity. You’ll be able to cross-promote your Goodreads activity on other social media channels, and help readers will discover your content.
4. Write a 5-sentence original mystery. Anthony Horowitz, Charlaine Harris, Dennis Lehane, and many others will be recommending books and sharing original content to kick off the week, but readers will always want more! Post to Twitter, ATA, on your Goodreads blog, or in your writing section.
5. Leave clues about your new book. Share a veiled version of your cover, reveal the murder weapon (but not the victim), or disclose the location of your new book setting by posting information to your blog. Fun thought: Use the whole week to leave breadcrumbs for your fans!
6. Join a mystery group. There’s a group for every reader, and if you love solving mysteries as much as writing them, considering getting involved in one of our groups on Goodreads.
7. Browse our list of top 100 mysteries and thrillers. Readers love seeing what their favorite authors are reading, so we'll be sharing our list of the top mysteries and thrillers on Goodreads for you to browse and to shelve to your personal shelf!
Not a mystery writer? That’s ok! We’ll be sharing writing prompts and tips throughout the week to help get the ideas flowing. Take the opportunity to expand your writing skills, connect with other writers, or simply get inspired! We’ll be at the edge of our seats to find out what you come up with…
Find more inspiration on how to prepare for Mystery Week from mystery writer Fred Van Lente here.
Keep an eye on the Goodreads Blog check out our Featured Authors taking questions, browse the mystery giveaways, and join the conversation on Twitter using #MysteryWeek starting May 1.
![Mystery Week Author]()
Next: Marketing Advice from Best-Selling Author Fred Van Lente
You might also like: Romance Authors Make the Best Marketers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on April, 17
1. Enable Ask the Author. Don’t leave your fans in the dark—allow them to reach out to you with questions about your books, your writing habits, or your murder weapon of choice.
Find Ask the Author on your Goodreads Author Dashboard. New to the platform? Read Best Practices for Ask the Author here.
2. Answer the special Mystery Week question. Your first mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to respond to the special mystery-related question from Goodreads via Ask the Author. Be generous with your response: your answer might show up on our rotating list of authors on our Mystery Week landing page. Find your special question in the Ask the Author section of your Goodreads Author Dashboard.
3. Use #MysteryWeek in all your activity. You’ll be able to cross-promote your Goodreads activity on other social media channels, and help readers will discover your content.
4. Write a 5-sentence original mystery. Anthony Horowitz, Charlaine Harris, Dennis Lehane, and many others will be recommending books and sharing original content to kick off the week, but readers will always want more! Post to Twitter, ATA, on your Goodreads blog, or in your writing section.
5. Leave clues about your new book. Share a veiled version of your cover, reveal the murder weapon (but not the victim), or disclose the location of your new book setting by posting information to your blog. Fun thought: Use the whole week to leave breadcrumbs for your fans!
6. Join a mystery group. There’s a group for every reader, and if you love solving mysteries as much as writing them, considering getting involved in one of our groups on Goodreads.
7. Browse our list of top 100 mysteries and thrillers. Readers love seeing what their favorite authors are reading, so we'll be sharing our list of the top mysteries and thrillers on Goodreads for you to browse and to shelve to your personal shelf!
Not a mystery writer? That’s ok! We’ll be sharing writing prompts and tips throughout the week to help get the ideas flowing. Take the opportunity to expand your writing skills, connect with other writers, or simply get inspired! We’ll be at the edge of our seats to find out what you come up with…
Find more inspiration on how to prepare for Mystery Week from mystery writer Fred Van Lente here.
Keep an eye on the Goodreads Blog check out our Featured Authors taking questions, browse the mystery giveaways, and join the conversation on Twitter using #MysteryWeek starting May 1.
Next: Marketing Advice from Best-Selling Author Fred Van Lente
You might also like: Romance Authors Make the Best Marketers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on April, 17