Goodreads ain't good enough.

Someone asked me today if I was on Goodreads and since I'm a published author with some modicum of success (not of the financial kind of course) I almost laughed. Of course I'm on Goodreads whether I like it or not. See I joined up to have SOME say over MY published works.

"So, Sue, what sort of gripes do you have against Goodreads?" Well, since you asked I'll tell you. I will state right away that if I weren't an author I probably wouldn't know enough about the publishing industry to have a gripe. But since I am, here's my biggest one. Goodreads states that their main goal is to help support authors. Without knowing any more about how the publishing industry works than most do, that sounds like a noble cause. However, the cause is too broad. You can't help all authors if you don't differentiate between large published authors and Indie and self-pubbed ones. If discussions about large published authors are allowed to happen or books by these publishers listed (and don't even mention large publishers SPONSER the damn site) then these are the only authors who will be helped. All Indie and self-pubbed authors are like dogs at a cat show.

Indie and self-pubbed authors can't get into the same venues (meaning large brick and mortar bookstores) that large publishers can and neither have access to the monies large publishing houses have access to in order to pimp their authors as voraciously. Therefore no site can claim to help promote "authors" and actually be successful at doing that.

So I suppose I'll have to set up my own book site, perhaps call it "BetterReads" and only promote Indie and self-pubbed authors. That way when a large publisher releases their latest and greatest from some obscure author who happened to be in the right place at the right time, and that book shoots immediately to the NYT #1 best-sellers list, because large bookstores did the obligatory buying of millions of copies to put it there, the Indie and self-pubbed authors on my site won't have to be subjected to the circus that follows. How deflating to have to sit on a site and watch all the chatter about a book that only got attention because thousands of them sold to large bookstores who subsequently sell just enough of said book to readers to satisfy the status quo, if they're lucky.

Sort of stinks, doesn't it!

GoodReads?

Only there because I can't keep my books from being listed. I do accept friend request but trust me, it's not worth your time to add me. Friend me on FB or follow my blog at SueDent.net which subsequently posts to Goodreads. ;)

Gotta love these groups! NOT!

So I get an email solicitation today. Here it is:

Greetings Sue Dent,

We thought you might be interested in our site for authors!

Author & Book Promotions promotes literary works by best-selling and new authors wanting greater online book publicity! A&BP have worked with authors across the globe including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Our mission is to bring as much publicity to Authors of all stages and expose their books to readers around the world! We not only want to support those whose works are in print, we also seek to guide those who aspire to become authors in the book marketing process.

For authors wanting greater exposure, a Featured Books section is available. It is a service that A&BP is providing to best-selling and new authors seeking an increase in their online book publicity.

Sincerely,
A&BP
Author & Book Promotions

I know y'all are eager to see my response. So here it is! ;D

Sorry I've seen this group on FB and several other groups like it but it is my belief that until you STOP offering publicity to "best-selling" authors your small efforts to help new and small-pubbed authors will fall on deaf ears. Clearly "best-selling" authors don't need help, DUH! And mentioning them is pointless. They're already "best-selling" and have access to all sorts of promotion already. Also mentioning these authors sort of defeats the purpose of what you propose your little FB page is for. Just my opinion of course.

Sue Dent
Give me a break!