Dan Groat asked Cameron M. Hayden:

I see your Book 1 has 125 ratings on Goodreads. Were giveaways instrumental in getting ratings and how many giveaways have you done for this book? Thank, Dan

Cameron M. Hayden Hi Dan, thanks for the question.

I've done at least four giveaways on Goodreads at this point. I think they can be effective so long as you don't pour too much money into them. For example, the number of books you give away does not seem to have an effect on how many people enter the giveaway. Therefore, I only ever offer one copy at a time.

Also, while giving away signed copies is fun, the first time I did it I realized it was much more effort and more shipping costs (since I had to have the books first delivered to me so I could sign them, then delivered to the winners.) However, if you've already got the copies on hand, it's probably a good idea to give signed copies.

The giveaways do occasionally get reviews (two to date) but where they seem most valuable is getting the books on people shelves. They may take weeks or months before they get to them (if they ever do), but just by adding a book everyone on their friend's list sees the book too, so there's some value there, and may have resulted in a dozen reviews or so.

Overall, I'd say the giveaway feature has been very helpful, but it can be a money-sink if you're not careful. I still recommend it though.

I think combining the giveaway feature with a social media presence is key. I usually use my Facebook page & group (http://facebook.com/cameronmhayden).

My goal is 500 ratings for my first book. Here's hoping!

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