6 Ways to Master the Goodreads Giveaways in 2024

Top Goodreads Giveaways Feed (updates hourly)

Goodreads giveaways are hard to find those days, unless if you search in curated lists.

This live global giveaways list shows the most popular Goodreads giveaways. Feel free to check this page every hour to see the newest top-rated giveaways for you to enter in March 2024.

international giveaway list
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What is Goodreads?

goodreads logo

Goodreads is a world-famous book recommendation site for book lovers. It was founded in America in 2006 and launched in early 2007 by Otis Chandler and Elizabeth Khuri Chandler.

Essentially the site serves as a book catalog and social tool that allows its users to search its database of books, quotes, and reviews.

Goodreads users can also sign up and register books to generate reading lists, enter book giveaways, or even run their own giveaways.

We will cover all you need to know about Goodreads in this article, including how to master the process of entering and winning their giveaways.

As you’ll soon find out, we have written this article for both readers and authors alike. 

What are Goodreads giveaways?

According to Goodreads, its sole mission is to help people find books they love and easily be able to share them. The giveaways help Goodreads to do just that.

goodreads givewaways logo

Goodreads giveaways are free giveaways intended to connect book lovers with the opportunity to win free books, while also allowing authors to connect their books to an audience.

Authors have the chance to give away copies of their books on Goodreads, and the readers are given the opportunity to win a free book. It’s as simple as that.

Authors and readers alike can both sign up for a giveaway on the Goodreads website.

We’ll now cover how to win a book for all of you book lovers out there.

How do you win a book on Goodreads?

It’s simple to win a book on Goodreads, but as we cover in our guide, there are some key ways to boost your chances of winning.

goodreads giveways book example

That aside, it’s not complicated to win. You just need to enter the giveaways. Make sure you follow the guidelines that are stated by Goodreads and follow what we cover in this article.

The book giveaway winners are selected randomly, so everyone gets a chance to win.

Also, note that the giveaways are international, but you need to check the specific guidelines of each giveaway.

Are Goodreads giveaways worth it?

There are two participant groups in Goodreads Giveaways: One are the authors, and the other are the entrants. The short answer is that, yes, for both authors and entrants, the giveaways are definitely worth it.

Goodreads giveaways for authors

For all of the budding authors out there, a book giveaway helps your book to get in front of the right audience. 

goodreads giveways author example

It’s well known that Goodreads giveaways are a powerful platform for authors and publishers to promote their newly written books.

Contrary to popular opinion, book giveaways aren’t about increasing sales.

Book giveaways are fantastic opportunities to increase awareness of you as an author and your book. In turn, this helps you get in front of your audience.

Goodreads giveaways for entrants

For all of you book lovers, certainly, the giveaways are worth it.

If you love reading and want free books, the Goodreads giveaways are a match made in heaven for you. 

Many Goodreads users share their winning experiences online. They boast of having won not only one or two books but multiple books. So how did they win that many?

Here are the fine details you need to know about entering a giveaway.

How do you enter Goodreads giveaways?

It’s easy to enter a Goodreads giveaway, and here’s a short step-by-step process.

First, browse the giveaways page on the Goodreads Giveaways official website, find a giveaway you want to enter and click the enter giveaway button in the listing’s block. Easy, that’s step number one.

Next, enter and confirm your shipping information, accept the giveaway terms and conditions, and hit enter giveaway.

That’s it. You’ve now entered a Goodreads giveaway! Good news there are usually more than one hundred giveaways running every month on Goodreads, as you can see from the screenshot below.

number of active goodreads giveways

Now, let’s increase your chances of winning with our 5 key markers for success.

Here are 6 ways for mastering winning a giveaway

Just entering the book giveaways is not enough to win a giveaway. There are a handful of key ways to maximize your chances of winning a free book. We’ve summarised that for you here.

1. Be active on the site

The Goodreads small print for giveaways mentions ‘site activity.’

If you have not been on the website for a few months or so, your chances of winning a giveaway are reduced.

The Goodreads algorithm picks a user who has been recently active on their site, so we recommend keeping your account active.

You can stay active by liking or commenting, voting in a poll, or adding a book to your shelf. All of this activity adds up and changes your algorithm.

2. Write a few reviews of books you have read

Writing a book review doesn’t have to be complicated.

Understandably, your first one may take time, and you may not know where to start. We recommend you start somewhere.

All you need to do is cover why you enjoyed the book or didn’t and if you would recommend it.

You don’t have to write a long review either, and just a simple one will do. Your chances of winning are not changed if you write long reviews.

3. Have lots of books on your shelves

Growing your book list is one of the best and easiest ways to increase your chances of winning. We know how easily book lists keep on growing.

You can also shelve books in genre format, and all of those genres you enjoy. Plus, these books will be the ones you will likely want to win the most.

Goodreads will also inform you if there’s a book giveaway that may interest you on the ‘Want to Read’ shelf.

That’s another reason to keep updating your shelf with books you like the sound of.

4. Join a few groups

There are many groups on Goodreads, so consider joining a few groups. 

Once you’re part of a few groups, don’t forget to participate. You can add comments in these groups and join discussions that may interest you.

You can participate in groups that talk about the genres and types of books you enjoy reading. You can also learn something new by joining a book group you know nothing about.

5. Rate the books you want to win

Don’t forget to rate the books on your ‘Read’ shelf. You should do this for every genre or category in which you want to win books.

You can also find your perfect giveaway by browsing past giveaways by the most popular authors, the recently listed ones, and those which are coming to a close.

You can also search for giveaways by genre and your favorite kinds, so don’t miss out on entering a giveaway you’ll love.

That’s it. Those are the keys to mastering the giveaways. 

Our summary is: be active and stock your bookshelves, learn about rating and reviewing books, and be social in the book groups.

If you do all of this in our guide, you’ll be well on your way to mastering your chance of winning a Goodreads giveaway.

6. Leverage GiveawayListing’s live lists

Giveawaylisting.com features a 24/7 live feed of the most popular, active Goodreads giveaways. This can be seen at the top of this guide, so make sure to check it frequently.

The lists get automatically updated every hour with the best-rated Goodreads giveaway deals. Additionally, on our homepage you can find many more live giveaway feeds, all available for free.

How much are Goodreads giveaways for entrants?

For the readers out there – it’s completely free to enter a giveaway. You can find out more about entering the giveaways in our FAQ below. 

For the authors, there’s a bit more to understand about how much the giveaways will cost you.

As stated by Goodreads, authors and publishers can choose between two options: the Standard and Premium packages.

These two packages are intended to help promote books to readers, build your audience, and generate early reviews for your new book.

We’ll cover that now. 

How much does it cost to run a Goodreads giveaway?

Details of the two options to run a Goodreads giveaway are as follows:

1. The Standard Giveaway costs $119 per giveaway.

Everyone who enters this giveaway automatically adds the book to their Want-to-Read list, which will promote your book via their updates.

Also, the author’s followers and anyone who has added the book to their Want-to-Read list get a notification. This will let them know a giveaway is starting and help generate even more entries. 

2. The Premium Giveaway (Print or Kindle) will cost you $599 per giveaway.

The Premium Giveaways are designed to give you more opportunities to connect with readers.

In addition to all the benefits of the Standard package, the Premium package also includes personalized touches and premium placements on Goodreads’ Giveaways page. Winners also receive an email from Goodreads reminding them to rate and review their book.

Below, we’ll briefly cover the process of running your own Goodreads giveaway in March 2024 before this step mentioned above.

Here are 5 ways to master running a giveaway

goodreads giveways promo banner for authors

1. Set up your Author Profile on Goodreads

If you’re not on Goodreads yet, your first step is to set up your Author profile after creating a Goodreads account and add the books you’ve written to your profile.

2. Choose what book format you’ll give away

From the Goodreads Author dashboard, you can choose what format to give away your books. You have 2 options. You can either choose from print books or a Kindle version of your book.

Consider what you’d like your reader to experience. Many readers prefer traditional “old-fashioned” books, whereas some readers prefer the modern ebook option..

3. Choose a standard or premium package

A Goodreads membership is free, but as mentioned above, there is a fee for running a book giveaway. Standard package ($119) and Premium Package ($599).

Don’t be fooled by the price. The standard package is just as good as the premium one. Even the standard one will begin your exposure as a writer.

4. Consider how many books you will give away

You can choose as many print copies as you like, but the Kindle option allows a maximum of 100 copies. Ten print copies is a good starting point.

The more books you offer, the more chances you’ll gain good exposure. The printing and shipping costs will be covered by the publicity you’ll receive.

5. Decide what’s your giveaway timeframe

Next, you must choose the start and end dates for your giveaway.

You may not start the giveaway less than 3 days after submitting the giveaway form, and you may not set your giveaway up to 6 months in advance.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

How long should I run a giveaway on Goodreads?

As per the Goodreads rules, your giveaway can last anywhere between 1 week and 30 days.

Goodreads suggests that somewhere between 1 to 3 weeks is a good starting point to make your giveaway memorable.

If you want people to look forward to winning, you don’t want them to forget they entered in the first place with a drawn-out giveaway.

Find what works for you. Running your giveaway for a month gives the readers more time to discover you and to enter.

Now, we will briefly cover popular need-to-know FAQs about the Goodreads giveaways.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Goodreads Giveaways 

How many giveaways can you enter on Goodreads?

There is a limit of only one entry per person and household using only one Goodreads account. 

You can enter multiple giveaways, but you must enter each giveaway separately. The full rules can be found on Goodreads’ terms and conditions.

Can you enter giveaways on the Goodreads app?

Yes, you can enter the giveaways on the app. You can find the official Google Play Goodreads app here.

goodreads playstore app page

All you have to do is visit the Giveaways page on the app and enter the giveaway of your choice.

What happens if you win Goodreads giveaways?

If you win a giveaway, you’ll get an email. This message will also contain information regarding when your book will arrive, usually within eight weeks.

You can also view your giveaway history in the app or on your account. This will tell you if winners have been chosen and if you’ve won.

How can I stay updated about future Goodreads/giveaways?

Check back with us to stay updated about the latest information regarding their book giveaways.

You can find the list of current Goodreads website giveaways through the app or their site and see all of the updated rules and information there. 

For future prizes, don’t forget to stay active on Goodreads, and enter to win the books that excite you the most.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our overview and tips about the Goodreads book giveaways. When you do enter, good luck from us at Giveaway Listing!

Before you go, don’t forget to enter our
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