Urban Fantasy discussion

Do you friend authors on GoodReads? If so, why? Do they send you updates about things like that? Or is it just to show your support? Or ???

I haven't friended any authors - but I love the new 'Fan Of' feature. I'm not against friending authors it's just that I've decided to keep my friends list as a list of people I have regular interactions with as well as simliar tastes. I'm not one of those people that want to have the highest Friend count - quality vs. quantity I guess.

However, there are some authors that I would love to have as a friend here. Unfortunately, they aren't members here. I should send them a message somehow & ask them to join up! :) I'd love to see their reviews on other books.

Before I knew about the fan feature I did friend Carrie Vaughn. I did it because I like to read what the authors I like read. To make a long story longer, I like Charlaine Harris and she does this book and blog thing after taking a few of her suggestions I have learned about new authors. Anyway when I saw that Carrie Vaughn was an author on here I thought it would be the same.

But I think I rather keep up with the writers I like on the list serve or their group page.

I just don't feel comfortable friending authors for some reason (unless there's a connection somehow -- not just me saying "I like to read your books") but fans?! I didn't know about that feature! Gonna go look now.

Bonnie I totally understand - I just find that the authors I like typically read books that I like and they are normally varied which is nice because I read a lot and my interest are varied or I get bored quick. I will say that I am on the yahoo groups and sometime we will have some random discussion and then that author will pop in with some comments and that is interesting to see the perspective.

Dawn -- I think that's a great idea (about finding books based on the books your authors are reading). You can still see what they're reading and compare books if you're not friends -- I did it with the ones I just added to my "I'm a fan" list.

Yeah, if they're active on GR, I do. Then they can share some recs. :)

new_user -- why Friend vs. Fan?

I friend authors. See no problem with it, I have even chatted with some of them over email.

I just found out about the fan option. Still not sure what it means.

I'm not sure what the fan thing really means either. I think supposedly they're supposed to blog and let you know about upcoming releases and stuff, but the authors I've "become a fan" of aren't really on goodreads, so in the end I don't think it means anything.

I haven't friended any authors. I think usually it's the other way around; I think a lot of the authors on goodreads try to friend other people in order to plug their books and get their name out, so you have to pick and choose who you accept.

Nichole wrote: " ...I think a lot of the authors on goodreads try to friend other people in order to plug their books and get their name out, so you have to pick and choose who you accept.
..."

I've gotten a friend request from the same author 3 times & I haven't even read her book. It's not on my bookshelf either. I think she's just sending friend invites to friends of friends.

I believe that by using the Fan Of feature you will be notified of any blog posts the author puts up. I also read in the GR feedback group that they might add the abiltiy to see when a new book is added to that authors list. ((on your home page under Authors))

Ah, well, I've already "become a fan" of my favorite authors. If nothing else, it takes up less space on my profile than manually listing all my favorite authors and that way other users can follow the links and browse the author's pages, see the latest book that I've read from the writer, etc. (It's pretty cool. Give it a try- look at someone's prof. and follow the author links.) My authors are not on GR, unfortunately.

I know other authors are on GR to plug their books and if I see they're inactive or we don't share tastes then I don't friend them, but otherwise I chat with them like any member on GR. Some of them are fans of GR too and are regulars in the groups. :)

I befriended Neil Gaiman and Chris Genoa before the fan option came into play. I was pleasantly surprised that so many authors are truly active on GR.

Like everyone else, I've gotten friend requests from authors plugging their books. I think from now on, I'm going to turn around and ask them: why me? What have I read, and rated highly, that you think compares to your writing? Yeah! That's what I'm a'gonna' do!

yes I friend authors I like to show support but what annoys me it the people with no books listed, after all books are the ties that bind on a site like this.I have a couple of authors that I talk to here so I don't mind them plugging their work.

I had an author, Julie James, send me a friend request this week. I was so thrilled! I love her books... Thought that was very cool. :)

I've sent friend requests to authors that participate in the same groups I do - sometimes without realizing they are authors! If they are writing in the genres I like, chances are they are also reading in them, so they might have some good book recommendations. For my very favorite authors, I've become a fan on Goodreads. I LOVE the fan email updates from Goodreads - I would never get around to reading author blog entries without it.

Nichole wrote: "I think a lot of the authors on goodreads try to friend other people in order to plug their books and get their name out, so you have to pick and choose who you accept. .."

Nichole, I couldn't agree more. I friended a couple of authors that I hadn't really heard of because they belonged to the same groups as me. I get a little tired of the shameless plugging of their own books...when you see a 5 star review by a name you know is a pseudonym of the author it really turns me off.

Regarding: "when you see a 5 star review by a name you know is a pseudonym of the author it really turns me off." Wouldn't it be even weirder if the author DIDN'T think s/he deserved 5 stars? I agree that the pseudonym is silly, though. My pet peave on Goodreads is the "event" spamming. Usually the events are either an on-line chat with someone I don't read or a book signing 1,000 miles from my home. Really not helpful.

Anita wrote: "Regarding: "when you see a 5 star review by a name you know is a pseudonym of the author it really turns me off." Wouldn't it be even weirder if the author DIDN'T think s/he deserved 5 stars? I ag..."

I agree with what you are saying that they should believe that they deserve a 5 star review, but isn't reviewing their own books a bit egotistical? I mean, the ratings are supposed to be a reflection on the opinion of the readers. I think rating your own story kind of skews that scale.

I read a review on a book by the author on Goodreads that was amusing enough to have me laughing out loud. I wish I could remember who it was now... ?

It doesn't bother me if the author's write a review of their own book. I usually read a variety of reviews before buying a book to get a range of different people's thoughts on the book.

I don't mind an author reviewing themselves as long as they are honest about who they are.

I agree with what you are saying that they should believe that they deserve a 5 star review, but isn't reviewing their own books a bit egotistical? I mean, the ratings are supposed to be a reflection on the opinion of the readers. I think rating your own story kind of skews that scale.
..."

Thanks, this was my point. Sometimes I'll choose a book based on the ratings; if an author has multiple pseudonyms and has all their good friends go in and give themselves 5 star ratings regardless of the quality it can really throw things off.

I agree with you Diana, I don't think authors should rate their own books. They can use the review feature, because that doesn't skew things. But the ratings need to stay sacred, or else they become useless. What author wouldn't rate their own book five stars???

As for using pseudonyms, that's just duplicitous.

I don't send friend requests to authors, but several authors have sent friend requests to me because of my reviews of their books or because of comments I made on groups. If they want to friend me, I'll accept.

The situation with authors reviewing their own books under pseudonyms or having their friends write reviews happens routinely on Amazon. I'm not surprised to find it happening here too. But I don't pay attention to the ratings. I go by the content of the review. If something catches my interest in a review, I'll take a more serious look at the book. If not, it doesn't matter how many five star ratings it has.

Shomeret

I guess I have a slightly different view of this because I am an author, and I have some sympathy with other authors who are new and trying to get people to at least have a look at their work and see if they think they might like it.

I have to agree with the majority, though, and say that I do not like receiving friend requests from authors simply to promote their book. It's irritating and counter-productive (in my opinion) as it is more likely to turn a potential reader away than bring them to take a look at your work.

What most authors want, and what I think works best, is personal recommendation. If someone likes your book and tells their friends (i.e. people with whom they already have an established relationship), then it carries far more weight.

Having said that, if someone reviewed my book favourably then I might send them a friend request, simply to say thanks and also to invite them to keep up with news of other work, events, etc.

I wouldn't wait for them to send me a friend request because if it's on honest review then it's likely to be at least partly critical and, in my experience, reviewers are very wary of how authors will take criticism. It makes them reluctant to follow up with an author. By saying thanks, you can indicate that the review is appreciated and encourage the reviewer to post further reviews, both of your work and other people's. If they decide not to accept that request then I think that's perfectly okay. It's up to them, of course.

As to rating or reviewing your own book? I don't think the author is in a position to be objective. They're not going to say they don't like it, are they? Much better to encourage other people to review it and get a much more balanced and honest picture. I think readers appreciate that and will choose a book that is reviewed honestly even if it isn't a five-star review.

Ultimately, an author has to trust the readers. Aggressive self-promotion will only take you so far and risks alienating the majority. That's my five cents.

I don't send friend requests to authors. I think a few have sent request to me and I accept them. I see no harm in that.

I agree with a lot of what Mike's said. I'm a new author and its overwhelming to figure out how to reach out to readers when you're new at it. You have no clue what kind of contact will interest any one particular person enough to check out your book.
However, I completely agree that authors should not be rating their own books. Or reviewing them for that matter. Post your blurb, allow access to your excerpts and that should speak for itself.
But aside from being an author I'm a reader too, and its exciting to make contact with people reading the kind of stuff you like to write. I wouldn't be a writer if I hadn't been a reader first.

Mike wrote: "Ultimately, an author has to trust the readers. Aggressive self-promotion will only take you so far and risks alienating the majority. That's my five cents."

I have found that authors who push too hard end up hurting themselves more then helping.

I can't tell you how many times I have gotten spam (constant messages and/or invites) that made me never want to pick up the authors book because of the methods they used.

I can imagine it must be hard for authors to *get the word out* so if they send me a message or invite I always take a look (at the first one). But constantly sending them is a bit much - which many do and somehow think this is helping.

I don't personaly request authors as friends because I just assume if they are an author they are pretty damn busy with their writing and such to bother being the friend that I would like them to be. It's not because I dont want to be friends with them, but it's just me being *real* I guess hehe

Thanks for this topic and all your opinions! Now, as a new author, I know what NOT to do!

Heh, I think I'm only friends with other Authors. Personally, I would feel weird just randomly asking users to be my "friend." I friend-requested about two dozen authors who write in genres similar to my own. Why? To see what they're doing in the industry, to get advice and offer my own opinions on things. Of course, I've found the Horror/UF community is a pretty tight bunch. I'm actually relatively close with with a handful of authors and it was way before I ever signed up here.

The only thing of my "own" that I rated was a magazine that I appeared in - and I immediately state that my included short story sucked. I gave it a bunch of stars because everyone else involved did so well. I gave little reviews of all my books, but they were more like insights to what was going on in my head when I was writing each one. Well... I guess I did give an opinion for my first release; I said it was horrible and not to bother with it.

Brian wrote: "Well... I guess I did give an opinion for my first release; I said it was horrible and not to bother with it..."

LOL. Seriously. This cracked me up... At least you are honest! :)~

I have gotten friend requests from authors who saw that I wrote a review for a book they felt was similar to their own. When I accepted, a couple sent a message asking if I would like a copy of their book to read & perhaps write a review. I have gotten great books from authors I hadn't heard of. There are also two authors that had facebook links on their blogs that I friended. I love hearing about their writing process & seeing the artwork for the new books. It would be nice if the giveaways here also included unsecured pdf's for those of us that read mostly on our Kindle or other ereader.

i havent been on goodreads for very long but at first i became a fan of several authors and was thrilled because i could just come here and see their blogs, etc w/o having to go to each individual site. Then i decided, what the heck and befriended the ones that are on goodreads. It makes it easier to see when they have updated....if that helps.

I have befriended a few authors on facebook. Kim Harrison is amazing and tries to answer everyone's posts. She also tries to answer your questions. I have had one author email me on facebook and have since become some what friends on goodreads as well. I like the fan button on goodreads because it helps keep up with my favorite authors postings I may not see elsewhere. It is hard to keep up with all of my favorite authors.

I use the fan button to follow my favorite authors. I would be more inclined to friend an author if the request would be accompanied with a message.

When an author asks to be my friend, I go to the author page and see if even one of the books has any interest for me. If not, I realize that this author and I have no common ground and ignore the request. If even one of them interests me, I accept the request and put the book or books that interest me on my TBR.

I got a friend request from a British author I'd never heard of-he isn't a friend of a friend or on any of my groups,his profile sounds like we have zero in common and in his friend request he didn't say a word about himself or why he wants to be my friend. It was just blank.(I agree Elena,I would have preferred a message of some kind)I was pretty wary about this and felt maybe he was just sending friend requests to new members to add to the many he already had. Maybe it's a self promotion thing.Will probably just ignore the request.

I do enjoy the fan button feature and I'm following quite a few authors which has been great.

Yes, I friend authors. It's interesting to see their reviews of other books and to what they're reading right now.

I've had authors add me as friends because of an interest I've shown in a book. This has probably happened about 5 times. It doesn't bother me if they don't bombard me with messages. If they did though, I'd probably unfriend them too.

I'm new to Goodreads and I am also an author. I agree with allot of things allot of people have written on this thread.
I don't agree with people/authors being pushy too. I have not sent out any friend requests just the same way I did with my FB account. I let people know it was there by talking and posting in forums and by the odd few people that may stumble on my website.
I'd like a visitor to make the choice themselves, if they like the sound of myself or my work they add me.
The Fan option seems like a really good way to keep up with what the authors are doing.
Hope this makes sense.

I've actually friended (is that a word?) two authors. They had the option on their website, I didn't feel coerced into it. So far neither of them have messaged me. I like it because when they post a blog on their website I get informed.

Michael wrote: "I agree with you Diana, I don't think authors should rate their own books. They can use the review feature, because that doesn't skew things. But the ratings need to stay sacred, or else they becom..."

That's why I don't rate/review my own books =P!

I have several books by one author on my TBR shelf and he sent me a friend request, which I accepted. I don't mind that, since there's a common interest there (and he's not bombarding messages at me). I can see what he's reviewed, and possible get ideas for more books. Obviously, he's watching his own books and reaching out to people interested in his stuff. I don't accept requests from random people. I've had a couple authors do that, and that's just another kind of spam.

Otherwise, I just use the fan option for any authors I'm interested in on Goodreads.

I've "friended" inspiring authors like myself. I have a few authors that I follow on twitter and myspace that I keep in touch with. I think if you meet an author that you hit it off with they can give you pointers and maybe even read some of your work and let you know what they think. The ones I've come across try to be as helpful as possible to writers like me because they've been there too (unpublished, that is).

I tend to friend more up and coming authors than established ones--I'm interested in what they have to say and where they're coming from. I'm fans of a few big names, but they're not really active on goodread unfortunately. Mostly I just friend anybody who seems to share the same interests as me... always a good rule of thumb!

I have quite a few author friends here on Good Reads and more on Facebook. It is nice to hear tidbits about what they are working on and the process they are undertaking to make a new work come together.

here on goodreads i only friend people (including authors) that r serious about talking wit me, sharing input on book series i dont friends people just to be adding another person to my friends list, i dont just friend them b/c they r a author, on facebook and twitter i friends my favorite authors to get updated on their news of their book series.

What a fun thread! I'm a new author learning all these tricky ropes. I wrote a review for my book, mostly because I'm trying to justify to my smarty pants friends why I'm abandoning the literary boat and writing popular fiction. Yeah, well, I'm mostly a reader, since I read way more books than I write. I like to read popular fiction, so there you go. I like happy endings. It would be hypocritical for me to write stuff I wouldn't ever read unless I were doing it to look clever at parties. Like "Evil in Modern Thought," which I just call, "that evil book," because I'm still trying to read it so I look all educated. Sigh. I should get it over with. Think how good it will look on my Goodreads list. People will go, "Oh look, she likes demons, and she did real research for it!" If only it were about demons. Sigh. That book makes me sigh a lot. Sigh. :)

Anyway, I was so excited to be friends with Kelly Craugh because her book, Nevermore was based on Poe, which was literary, you know, particularly if you're french and all lachonne, and how clever is it to wrap up the smarty with the demonic? I am so jealous, wish I'd thought of her premise first. So, I am her friend so that I can see the new cover of her next book, which is ok. The cover, I mean. Also, so that I can think about clever things that I could write to her so she would like me, and some day we could do lunch in the speed museum cafe, and random people would ask for signings, it would be all magical and stuff.

I think she's the only other author I'm friends with that I don't actually know. Or am distantly vaguely related to. I should have more author friends. We could be a posse!

I have contacted different authors over the years that I am a fan of. I let them know I am a fan, praise their work and offer any help I can ever provide as a resource in the subjects I am expert in. As my talents lie in computer networks and securty, (which meant a lot more a few years ago than they do now), and firearms and combat. I have had a few takers who have asked for my advice.

I like the feeling of helping authors I like and read with their books and on occasion I have received free books and even had the opportunity to do some light proofreading.

Most authors I have contacted will at least write you back and say, "thanks for reading."