Goodreads for Authors

by Michelle Campbell-Scott

A book for authors and those who are about to publish their books.

Learn how to use Goodreads not just as a member and reader, but as an author. Find out how to make use of the free tools Goodreads provides, including importing a blog, adding videos, starting groups, scheduling a Giveaway, and more.

Goodreads is an ethical, polite place which is populated by people who love books. It isn't just another site to dip in and out of in order to promote your own books. No-one will tolerate authors who jump onboard screaming, "Buy my book".

Goodreads members are, however, welcoming to authors who stick to the rules, join in the fun, and contribute to the site's sense of community and discovery.

That's why this book was written, to give authors a heads-up on how to both blend in and stand out!

It doesn't contain anything you couldn't find by trawling the site's help pages, watching tons of YouTube videos, combing blogs and articles around the Internet. That's what the author and her researcher did - for two months.

Or you could read her condensed version of the information she found to get your Goodreads profile up and running, start joining in on the site, and get back to writing.

As Otis Chandler - one of the site's founders - said, "The author's job is to write a great book and to keep his readers engaged and interested while he writes the next one." Goodreads is a great place to do that.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, How To, Reference, Self Help, Social Media

178 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2013

About the author

Back from Mexico after an amazing 2-year roadtrip in an RV with my daughter.

Reviews

[Ruan Oosthuizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a self-published author myself and having to promote as well as market my own books – it’s part of your underlying success or (hopefully not) failure of any book as a self-published author.

Soon after I published my first book on Amazon Kindle, one of the first things that happened was I got invited to Goodreads. Being a complete stranger to self-publishing at the time, I did not have the smallest of clues as to what or why I’d be spending my time on Goodreads.

I was honored to have received a review copy of Goodreads for Authors and the first thing that caught my interest about the author’s book was in fact the title. Some will call it fate; I choose to call it destined… It turns out at the time of this book’s publication I had just published the latest and third installment of my first series of books on Amazon Kindle. I needed to come up with new marketing ideas for my books, and fast as well…

The first chapter encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and take the time to update my Goodreads profile so I can start tapping into the many advantages of being an active member on the platform. The author outlined the first steps of getting your Goodreads profile set up and she also lists the many different ways to take care of various tasks as a self-published author on Goodreads.

The rest of the book is written and structured with the same goal in mind: to engage the reader with detailed, step-by-step explanations and instructions to follow in order to get each aspect within Goodreads mastered and optimized according to its full potential.

If you are tied up to adhere to a tight schedule as I am, you are going to find the “in a hurry” section at the end of each chapter to be a true gem. It goes without saying as the name suggests – you are given a quick overview of the key take-away elements of each chapter which comes in handy when you are in a hurry, perfect for quick reference and a check-list during and after implementation.

I can honestly write a whole book on the magnificent value this detailed book will provide you on getting started as an active self-published author marketing your books on Goodreads for the first time. I am not sure at what price this publication will be available but I can assure you that its true value will never be reflected in its selling price – far too under-priced. Excellent value, detailed encouragement throughout with even the occasional glimpse of humor – quite the exciting combination for an instructional guide.

[Vicente Ambou · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books written about this great readers/writers community –if not the best and more complete. Michelle Campbell-Scott is a real books guide and a strategist. She is a Pole Star for both of us authors and readers. What else could we expect of a clever writer –and a Liverpudlian woman!

[Lisa Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I really wanted to do was to write a book - a simple book - a good book. I had no desire - WHATSOEVER - to become a computer guru/social media maven, yet now I find that's what I must be if I want to sell my words. I struggled through and semi-conquered Facebook, Twitter and Pintrest, but Goodreads overwhelmed me and left me just about ready to throw in the towel.

Enter author Michelle Campbell-Scott - an angel if there's ever been one (and, I know a thing or two about angels since I write about them). In "Goodreads for Authors," Ms. Campbell-Scott tears down this intimidating website and builds it back again nail by nail - point by point.

It might be easier to state what the author DOES NOT do:

1. She doesn't talk over the reader's head by using technological/computer terms without explanation. If I'd known what a widget was, I wouldn't have needed the book to begin with.

2. She doesn't use her book to hawk her other books. If an author wants to sell multiple books to the same reader, he/she should make dang sure the first book does what it is suppose to do, i.e. teach, entertain, inspire. Ms. Campbell-Scott only mentions her other books when it makes sense for her to do so.

3. She doesn't write with the assumption the reader has already sold thousands of books. There are far more authors out there with single digit sales than books on the bestseller list. A little respect for the underdog is not only appreciated but advisable. The bestselling authors probably don't need a how-to book!

Michelle Campbell-Scott has provided a blueprint for Goodreads - a valuable resource for both authors and readers. I was up and running on the site an hour after downloading the book. I have no doubt that I will be buying more of the author's books as the need arises.Goodreads for Authors

[Graeme Rodaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately useful book for people (like myself) who know nothing about goodreads.

This book will help newbie authors to shortcut their way through goodreads.

However - that is probably the sum total of the audience - and frankly, it is so easy to simply ask the moderators of groups and other GR users for advice, and look up GR "help".

[Ronda Boccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads for Authors: How To Use Goodreads To Promote Your Books by Michelle Campbell-Scott provides a fabulous primer for getting the most out of Goodreads.

Goodreads is one of the most powerful tools for authors and readers to connect. Avid readers are much more likely to be interactive and involved with a book than the occasional reader who only gets a book to "look cool" or show it off on their bookshelves.

Although I have familiarized myself with much of what Goodreads has to offer, I highlyghted plenty of things to do. I read most of the book while implementing what I saw immediately into Goodreads online.

Excellent guidance, and my favorite parts were the tidbits relate to the experiences of authors. Would love to see even more of those success tips in a future edition. (My author mentor hat just popped onto my head.) Think how powerful it would be to have questions for Goodreads authors and see their tips and hacks!

I recommend this book for any author who wants to truly connect with readers. Goodreads is an excellent book marketing tool.

Follow your bliss!
Ronda Del Boccio, the Story Lady
bestselling author, author mentor and book marketing coach

[Paula Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a handy books which I'm going to refer to a lot. Its aim is to open all the mysteries of Goodreads to authors who want to promote our books but aren't all that tech-savvy. I was like the author's description of a person who blundered her own way around as if I was in a dark cave. This book was like the torch which made me bolder to venture further in.
I was sitting with my kindle on one knee, reading this book, and my Ipad on my other knee, following her suggestions. I did appreciate the parts about protocol too. I realised that part of this is like an etiquette book for the cyber-age. She was clear in telling us what we may get away with and what would be regarded as too 'spammy'.
I'm looking forward to trying out tips in the promoting section. I don't want to be one of those authors who is desperately trying to chip away at little veins of gold elsewhere, while overlooking the rich mine already available for all of us.
I'm very thankful to Michelle Campbell-Scott for writing this book.

[M]

Redundant title? But hoo boy an impressive book!

[Deborah Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short, very straight forward book on how authors can best present themselves and their books on Goodreads. All of the information could be learned with trail and error on ones own - however with the sparseness of almost Outline form, Michelle Campbell-Scott puts it all together in on easy to follow and refer to book.

For authors who are about to publish on Amazon and Amazon Kindle and/or for authors who are being published by small to medium size publishers who often do not know and do not go out of their way to properly promote books as they did years ago this book can walk you through all the steps from getting a book listed, to getting the cover on Goodreads (you cannot link to Amazon or Barnes and Noble because of new laws) to getting reviews, to setting up interactions with readers and fans, and more - this book covers it.

In mentoring other friend/authors to set up their work on Goodreads and get the most of it we find that having the Kindle app on the computer and reading/working from there is helpful as this Kindle edition book has the various URLs to the sections and groups on Goodreads that you will need to connect to right there. All you have to do is read this book on your computer, think about how you want to accomplish the task and then go to the Goodreads section to do so.

I highly recommend this book to all authors and to those who are in the process of writing their books so that you can get your Goodreads account ready. For the current 3.99 on Amazon it is a good investment that will pay off on a quality experience for you and your readers on Goodreads.

[Denniger Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly the book I needed to light a fire under my writing feet and get it going on Goodreads. My goal has been to work with the Amazon Kindle program where an author can give away his or her book for free for 5 days out of 90 days. I wanted to make sure my position and image on Goodreads was up to snuff before I started that giveaway endeavor, so I bought this book.

Well let me tell you, it is fully up to date (published in Feb 2013) and has everything I needed to know about gathering reviews which is one key ingredient to book selling success, and how to sign up as an author, and work with the various groups on the site, and co-ordinate with Face Book and Twitter, start a blog right on Goodreads and something I never thought of which is to schedule a Giveaway for my paper books which really helps stir things up.

So, pretty soon now I'll be offering free Kindle books. I've read several Kindle books on the whys and wherefores of doing this and I'll review those books shortly, but basically those books lead to this one, and I can already see it working.

Denniger

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (for me personally)

Okay so here's the deal. If you are already an avid Goodreads user, you probably don't need this book. If you are a casual Goodreads user and want to take this to the next level, this book might be worth it for you. If you know absolutely diddly about Goodreads, then you need to read this book. I found it not extremely helpful because I am a relatively avid Goodreads user already, so there was not a lot of new information. The entire first half was all but review for me. Don't get me wrong, I did learn some things and got some direction and encouragement on what to do. There was also a handy little section about what NOT to do on Goodreads, which was also nice.

So, ultimately, it was a good read and probably something that is nice to have the knowledge of. I guess I appreciate being able to turn to it if I need to look up something specific. Do you NEED it if you already know Goodreads? Not particularly.

[Martin Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a dishonorable tradition in Manhattan, my home some years ago, that said when you found the perfect little restaurant you told no one. It was small, intimate, the food delicious and the price reasonable. Tell people and the crowds find it, the prices rise...

I will follow that tradition here. I dare say this book would be less helpful to someone already thoroughly versed in navigating the Goodreads site (I was using a couple groups as forums and didn't have a book on my shelves). My Austen shelf is now fully populated. My Dickens shelf and my Agatha Christie shelves are growing.

This is the second on my book marketing shelf. The first (Grahl) was not really suitable for first-novel marketing. Unlike this book, which is... (Bite your tongue, Martin. Tell no one.)

[Sabrina Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good guidebook on how to get going on Goodreads, with detailed instructions in each chapter, as well as brief summaries for those who don't have much time.

[Pippa Mattinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Goodreads before reading about this book on a facebook group. It is clearly written and easy to follow. I used it to set up my own Goodreads author page.

[Kirsten Jany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful, will save you lots of work and frustration when navigating around Goodreads. It gives you a much better understanding of the site, and it's a helpful guide for authors trying to promote their books. I'm glad I found this.

[Kaine Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I snagged this one because Amazon recommended it, based on a previous purchase of Writing for Dummies. (Does that qualify me as a dummy? I don't know... and I'm not sure I want to.) It seemed potentially useful in my current situation, that being "Okay, I wrote a bunch of books... now what?"

The book proved to literally be a hand-holding experience, starting with finding your way to the site and working through to the more advanced topics of how the advertising engine works, what Listopia does and how you can make it work for you, and perhaps the most important item to be found: What not to do, if one wants to remain well-regarded (and with an active account.) All the information was presented clearly, with plenty of links to the requisite pages for the folks who don't already know where they're hiding - and let's face it, everyone on Goodreads knows some of those spots can be tricky to find, at times. It also goes fairly in-depth into how the ranking system works, precisely what you're paying for in CPC advertising, and the near-viral functionality that begins just by clicking "Want to read" or voting on a poll or two.

The book, overall, hassome great info inside, and I do recommend it to any fellow authors hoping to join the community on Goodreads and be considered as fine upstanding citizens instead of one step above spambots. For those folks who have a little less technical savvy or who are just starting to get a handle on social media and how it influences your advertising, I'd say it's a straight up must. For those who are already members and have been experimenting, the author's suggestions and tips - including pointing you to parts of the site you might not have even been aware of - are still incredibly helpful.

The best part? The author talks like a real person. She talks to the reader as though they're a real person. She's not afraid to make something a little humorous, and doesn't ever have a "tone" of talking down to the reader, regardless of the subject. That puts it head and shoulders above most of the similar books/sites I've seen, which all too often seem to have a "Well, if you have to ask...*sniff*" sort of motif. Having the right tone, and delivering information that is as useful to veterans as it is to someone visiting the site for the first time, is a gift.

[Anna Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book enormously helpful. Very easy-to-read, friendly tone, and a solid lesson on Goodreads. The author says the book is good for people unfamiliar with Goodreads (readers and authors), but also for authors already on Goodreads who aren't using it to its fullest potential. (No spam encouraged, by the way.)

I can't speak for people already familiar with the site, but as someone who'd never been on Goodreads before, I found it invaluable. The book functions as a How To user guide for the whole site. It's not very expensive as a Kindle buy, and I think worth it. Especially, I'd recommend this book to anyone new or fairly new to the site (readers and authors), or any authors who feel like they could be getting more out of the site. Also, people who are unfamiliar/somewhat unfamiliar with social media and anyone intimidated by the Goodreads website.

For someone who isn't even on FaceBook (yes, there are still a few of us out there, living in dark caves in the hills, our view of the world blocked by trees, unable to see even a bird's eye view of the towns below), if I would have tried to navigate my way around the Goodreads website without the help of this book, it would have taken me much, much longer, and I likely wouldn't have even ventured to explore all of its features.

For authors:
Michelle Campbell-Scott in no way encourages spam. She advises authors to get involved as readers on Goodreads and she also offers a multitude of ways to get your book noticed on the site, both for free and through paid advertising (but mostly for free!).

I'm completely happy with this book, no complaints. But my perspective is that of someone unfamiliar with the site. I do think I still would have found it helpful, though, if I was moderately familiar with the site.

*Note: Michelle Campbell-Scott also offers people who read her book a heavy discount on a visual course on Goodreads, which includes some extras. I don't think I need that, but if you're an author, you might want to consider it. If you're a visual learner, you may even consider the course in place of this book.

[Annette Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have been a member of Goodreads for a long time but as a full-time writer/author, I seem to get less time to read these days. This is something which I plan to correct but exploring a new site can take up a great deal of time. As such, it can really help when someone writes an easy to comprehend book such as this. This helps you to get to know the ropes and to avoid making any newbie errors.

Michelle Campbell-Scott has written a great book. She is quick to point out that this site is for readers, not for authors just trying to tout their books. She also makes the whole set-up process a lot easier while explaining the best way to maximise time spent here and in an efficient way - ideal for book enthusiasts with little to no time.

Each chapter is easy to read and laid out effectively. She also lists all the info at the end of each chapter as a summary so it's a great way to recap.

If you are an author new to Goodreads or, like me, simply haven't made enough effort, this is a great starting point.

[Celia Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend just after I had joined Goodreads and wanted to learn more about how it works.

I found it very clear and helpful. Everything is broken down into easily digestible chunks, there are many useful hints and tips and there is a summary at the end of each chapter which acts as a great aide memoire. So, if you're like me and time is limited, then you'll find you won't have to spare a lot of time getting yourself up and running on Goodreads.

If you find it easier to learn and implement through visual means then as one of the 'book bonuses' you can join an online course at a reduced rate and Michelle also offers updates to the book through an online service which is great because as we all know anything of a social media type nature changes very frequently.

So, just to recap, if you're starting out on Goodreads as an author and need a hand, this book is well-worth purchasing.

[Ian MacGregger · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first discovered Goodreads, I found it fairly difficult to figure out how to engage with the site. I knew there was something very valuable going on and lots of people involved who shared my love of books, reading and writing. A search led me to Michelle's book and I bought it in the hope that it would give me a couple of ideas. I was more than pleased when I found out that she had written a step-by-step, easily understood and well-organized instruction manual for getting involved at Goodreads.

The book is well-organized and very systematic in its approach to introducing the reader to Goodreads. I bought it as an e-book and kept it up on the screen as I work through the Goodreads site. After only a few hours, I began to get very comfortable and to discover many of the wonderful things that make Goodreads such an attractive and useful place to both readers and authors. Even if you've been using the site for some time, I recommend the book.

[Will Once · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book which does exactly what it says on the cover. It takes you from being a Goodreads virgin to being a ... whatever is the opposite of a virgin.

Very clearly written, level-headed and honest. And in these days of scam sub-50 page "books", it's refreshing to see that we get a full 170+ pages of knowledge and insight.

But most of all there is a thread of decency which runs through this book. It is almost as if Michelle has written the ten commandments of being an author on Goodreads:

1. Thou shalt not spam
2. No, I really mean it, thou shalt not spam.
3. And, yes, this does mean you.
4. If in doubt refer to commandment number one.

Ought to be required reading for every author on Goodreads.

[John McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how there are now books for authors, perhaps a soon major demographic group. I liked the book. It gave me some warnings, such as not to shout "Buy My Book" and not to pay people to write a review, which I considered. As an author, and now an uncomfortable entrepreneur, "My goal is to complete a task, not fame or fortune." To complete the task, I look for advise and Michelle helped. There are web sites mentions, such as Fiverr.com, where for five dollars you can buy a service, although some look a little suspicious. I saw some grammar errors, but overall well written.

[Rachel Eliason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great advice for authors on how to best utilize Goodreads for promotions without being spammy or obnoxious.
For tech savvy authors who already understand the rules of social media, a lot of the book is pretty common sense. Even though I have been on Goodreads for a couple of years and have done pretty well on the site, I did learn some new tricks. For authors who aren't as tech savvy, this book would be a life saver.

[Elizabeth Ducie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best investment I made in the marketing of my book. Michelle takes a subject that appears complex on first sight and converts it into a straightforward process. I read the whole book in a couple of hours, then went back and used the bits I needed to set up and operate my Goodreads account. Highly recommended for any Goodreads beginners, and also as a refresher for the more experienced user.

[Katherine Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to using this site!

[Elizabeth Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful in learning about all Goodreads has to offer. I've tried a couple of her suggestions and haven't been blown away by the results, but I will continue to utilize Goodreads more than I have in the past and keep experimenting. Overall, a worthwhile read that offers something different from a lot of marketing books.

[Carroll Grabham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential guide for newcomers to Goodreads that marks out what an amazing resource this is for both readers and writers. Michelle gathers both perspectives and shows just what is possible without offering some dodgy hack. Will be keeping this in my back pocket as a roadmap in launching and flaunting my dystopian wares. Top skills, Campbell-Scott.

[Alan H. Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overview
I bought the Kindle edition, and I rated this book five stars because for four reasons.

1. It is filled with practical advice and links that helps the author who is interested in promoting their book.

2. It has a useful index, something that rarely exists in non-fiction Kindle books.

3. When I read the appendices at the end of the book, I discovered a technique that the author does not describe, but that I immediately made highlighted and noted this, "What an idea! Integrate Udemy with my non-fiction work." Since then, I've thought of how I might actually integrate Udemy with my fiction work.

4. "Bonus Two - Book Updates for Life" has the best, most non-threatening phrasing to invite a reader to sign up for a mailing list that I've ever seen, and when I went to the page, it was well designed and appears to use MailChimp, an autoresponder that I think is top notch.

If you belong to Kindle Unlimited, I recommend that you make this one of your ten free books, and then if you like what you see, buy a permanent copy.

A Sampling of things that I liked/learned/realized

It's worth while creating a POD edition of an e-book to get advance reviews. - Getting advance reviews is something that I have struggled with, and I know from experience that I can create a short B/W book for $2.15 + shipping.
Goodreads syndicates reviews to e-commerce sites and to traditional media - This alone makes me want the exposure of Goodreads. It's darn hard to get a review of an indie book in traditional media.
Many readers set up their Goodreads accounts to update their Facebook profiles.
An example of how Tim Ferris uses Goodreads to promote his Four-Hour series of books.
Discussions about pay-per click advertising.>
A mention of Quantcast.com that reminded me that I wanted to check out that site.<.li>
A discussion of how Goodreads provides increased social proof.
A discussion of Listopia
Interesting, insightful ways to use Goodreads polls.
I liked the way she plugged her children's book in this non-fiction book, a technique that I'm starting to do with my writing.
The discussions on being a "librarian."
The discussion on using Slideshare.net
The statistics on how people discover books on Goodreads.
The people who she acknowledged. - I consider them credible.


You may also want to know...

...that I've read a lot of books on marketing lately, and that this book is interesting to read. It's conversational in tone.

Finally, I did't find any bad advice in it. There are many books that offer advice that can undermine you if you follow it. Goodreads for Authors is filled with practical advice, that is based on experience and not hype.

[Brandon Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource for Goodreads!

I have been in sales for the past 30 years, trained 1,000's of sales people and written several best selling books (the back room variety!) Knowing my platform was solid and confident in my content, 3 years ago I decided to launch a more formal and expansive author/speaker platform.

I did this right as the publishing world was see-sawing between print/digital (yes, still ongoing!) and self-publishing/traditional.

In spite of my highly successful sales background, the marketing of a book (even a great one!) was not easy. One day, I had a conversation with my sister and she asked me if I new about Goodreads...of course, the answer was "no". Since she is a seasoned review and reader of over 600 books on the Goodreads platform, it is incredulous that it had never come up.

I followed up on her prompting and was overwhelmed by the vastness of the Goodreads environment. I have my audience and an industry that I am well known and have been very successful...but here...I was the proverbial "fish out of water".

As I had just downloaded a free book learning how to work with Amazon KDP publishing this book by Michelle Campbell-Scott came up as a suggested purchase. My reticular glands were salivating so I quickly read the sample, and then purchased the book.

In less than an hour, I had created an author profile, identified and tied my books to that profile, connected my blog and uploaded videos.

While there are parts of the book that could be improved (very minor!), Michelle Campbell-Scott does a good job of being linear, progressive in the use of Goodreads, and provides valuable screenshots to help you get up and running. I am fairly technology adept, so I could move quick, but if that is not you, she holds your hand sufficiently.

If you are an author and not on Goodreads...buy this book. If you are on Goodreads and not maximizing it...spend the $2.99 to get this book and follow through!!!

[Lydia St Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this book eighteen months ago. Having signed up with Goodreads, after reading enthusiastic comments online, I was flummoxed by the baroque interface and the feeling of first day at school. I gave up but am now re-enrolled and finding my way with the help of Michelle Campbell-Scott.

The writer takes you by the hand, approaching the subject logically, dealing with signing up as a reader before the additional complications of being a Goodreads author. Not only does she cover the practicalities (how to import an existing blog, for example) but gives advice on etiquette and good practice. In addition to being well-written, the book is dependable when it comes to precise guidance on handling each screen, the choices you will face and the right button to click.

The very first pages are essential reading (Get to know Goodreads quickly) but a useful element in her handbook is the inclusion of brief notes beginning “if you’re in a hurry”. Putting “in a hurry” in the search box will give you links to these sections. Visitng them will give you a good feel for how the book can help you, before you get down to work. Even if you’re fairly confident in using Goodreads, you may learn new tricks, and not only about this site. On re-reading it, I found Michelle had answered a question I was puzzling over - how to make use of a cover-image embedded in WordPress. Bonus!

There is only one defect to point out and it won’t affect you if you’re using an upmarket
e-reader. On the entry-level Kindle the screen-shots are of little help - too small and with insufficient definition. Best to use the Kindle software on your computer to examine those.
But that shortcoming is not enough for me to downgrade my rating from five stars.

[Lisa Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book on Audible. Though I've visited Goodreads for years both as a reader and author, I learned quite a bit. The author explores and explains numerous features. Some of them I'd used myself but didn't completely understand, others were new to me. While the early chapters are fairly basic, I encourage reading them rather than skimming, as often there was some aspect of the site that I knew about but hadn't been aware could make a difference for me. I appreciated the examples of the author's results when trying different options, and I think the advice on what not to do will be particularly helpful for new users. Some advice is common sense, but even there, I found it helpful because it prompted me to do tasks I ought to have done from the beginning, such as create bookshelves that match genres in which I like to write and read.

I generally prefer to listen to business books on audio because it helps me make good use of time I spend cleaning, exercising, etc. With this one, though, I wish I'd bought it in paperback so I could mark up and flag the pages. There are ways to flag audio and e-books, but there's something about paper I find easier to follow. Two caveats: (1) I got this as part of my Audible subscription, so I didn't directly pay out of pocket for it. It's about half as long as other business books I've listened to and perhaps a listener who paid full price might feel there should be more content. To me, though, it was the length it needs to be. (2) My sense is the narrator was trying to enunciate carefully to be sure her narrations of links to webpages or of code sections were clear. But it resulted in some of the narration sounding choppy. I got used to it, though, and did not have any trouble following the book.