Have you joined Goodreads? This bustling community of readers seems perfect for writers, but it is very easy to make a bad impression on its members.

After a long Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit, novelist Michael J. Sullivan recently collected some advice for writers using Goodreads. His advice can spare many writers some bad experiences on the network.

Here is his most important piece of advice: “The most important thing to remember about goodreads is that members of this site REALLY hate self-promotion. Primarily because too many authors come to the site and do drive-by posts and leave. This makes their radar on such matters very sensitive. The key to goodreads is to become a member of the community first…and mention your writing only in context and when appropriate.”

Comment from Alex: I started working on the Spanish translation, the sequel and first book promotions all at once after Epublishing The Mexican Rose leaving no time for the community. I will join you after the New Year! Happy Holidaze!