Calling The Library at Mount Char Scott Hawkins’ first book is technically not accurate–his Goodreads Author profile shows several computer reference books he wrote before then. However, the overwhelming majority of the 7,000 ratings and 1,200 reviews he’s received are on his debut novel, which is was originally published in 2015, received a Goodreads Choice Award nod, and is now out in paperback. We asked Scott a few questions about how he’s navigated Goodreads so successfully. Here’s what he said: How has Goodreads played a role in your overall promotion campaign?
As a debut novelist, the biggest challenge is getting people to notice the book in the first place. To that end, [my publisher and I] used banner ads targeted at fans of authors working in the same space—Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill and so forth. That has generated a good bit of awareness. I’ve had in-real-life friends tell me they saw the ad, which is encouraging.
I personally focus on connecting with readers. I get quite a few questions and messages, which is great. Writing the book was my main hobby for a couple of years, so I love talking about it with other people.
What’s your approach to responding to reader questions via Ask the Author?
Overall it’s pretty casual. Honestly, I’m always thrilled that there are questions, so I tend to gush. I’ve also found that I tend to clinch up if I think in terms of a zillion people reading, so I make an effort to respond if I were talking to whoever asked one-on-one. For me that makes it easier.
Sometimes the Q&A turns into conversation and spills over into comments—the other day a guy asked me something and we ended up getting into a back and forth on Joseph Campbell. A couple months back a lady in South Africa confirmed that a little Afrikaans quote from the book did, in fact, say what I hoped it said. I’ve also made a couple of goodreads buddies that way.
In practical terms, I check for questions every couple of days, usually at the end of the day. I’ll answer anything new that’s come in the next morning as I’m having coffee. I try not to let stuff sit.
What’s your favorite thing about Goodreads?
In terms of fun, I like the updates screen. I’ve buddied up with a couple dozen people. Some of them read a lot. If they liked my book, our tastes tend to overlap at least a little bit, so I’ve found a lot of good stuff just by looking at what they liked.
On the professional side, reading the reviews has also been hugely helpful. A minority seemed to love my book without reservation, which is of course fun, but a lot of the people who liked it seemed to have the same general concerns—“a little confusing in the early stages” is something I see mentioned a lot. I’m trying to be mindful of that while I work on the follow up. That sort of thing is an absolute gold mine in terms of feedback.
Last but not least, quite a few of the people who straight-up hated it wrote about why they hated it at length, using thoughtful and well-supported arguments. Often they were quite convincing. I have a tear-stained notebook where I keep the best ones.
How do you encourage reviews of your book on Goodreads?
I have the widgets installed on my blog and on my Facebook page, and I have WordPress set up so that it publishes automatically to Goodreads.
What’s one exciting, possibly hidden feature you’ve discovered on Goodreads?
The author dashboard has a feature called "Work Stats." It gives you a listing of how many readers added your book(s), by date. That can give you insight into the impact your promotional work is having.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on a new fantasy/mystery set in the modern world:
Jackie Hadder is a middle-aged murderer working as a fry cook. One day the pretzel billionaire Bob Thackeray approaches her with a job offer. Bob thinks Jackie’s experience as a fugitive might be useful in investigating an old school shooting, and he pays very well.
The shooter was never caught. Now, ten years later, his formerly unremarkable hostages seem to be up to something. Megan Hodges just set off a nuclear bomb in Antarctica. Beth Portier is running a bond trading operation out of a Chicago office staffed mostly by anacondas. Mark Lambert, who rarely leaves the basement of his Boston home, seems to be secretly in charge of the Russian Navy.
They seem like the sorts of people who might have an evil plan, but what is it, exactly? And why are they so interested in Jackie? And whose side is she on?
For any authors interested in follow up questions to this interview, Scott will respond in the comments section below on Monday, June 13, at 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST (and to anyone who comes across this post throughout the week).
Also, be sure to check out the great Ask the Author answers Scott provides for his readers here and be sure to follow him to be inspired by his ongoing great activity.
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posted by Cynthia on June, 21