Steven J Kolbe

Sometime in high school, I developed the idea that what I needed more than anything was a book collection. My first personal library, not composed of picture books given to me by my parents but ones carefully cultivated myself, began on a small shelf in my closet. The shelf, most likely designed for shoes, was the perfect size for the various pocket-sized novels, plays, and poetry collections I’d either been assigned to read at school or purchased from the local Books-a-Million. Little by little, my collection of Shakespeare and Frost and George Orwell grew.

By the end of high school, I’d amassed a respectable library, but more important, I had realized that the key was READING widely and not just owning a lot of books. My reading record began on a word document that I updated regularly so that I wouldn’t forget about all those books I’d checked out from the library or borrowed from teachers or friends.

At some point, to my dismay, I lost that document! Computers don’t last forever and in those days if you wanted to transfer information, you needed a flash drive. (We didn’t have the luxury of Google Docs back then.)

Thankfully, I soon discovered GoodReads. GR is a website/app that helps readers keep track or what they read and find what to read next. It also enables them to leave reviews and ratings for others.

I cannot stress enough how helpful this is, not just for readers but for authors.

Word of mouth: Every time someone posts a rating or a review or even a “want-to-read” status, their GR friends and followers receive a notification, giving that author free advertising, and the best kind. I don’t know about you, but most of the books I have read and loved have been recommended to me by a friend, a family member, or a teacher, not a celebrity book club or a “must-read” list.

Promotions: Authors are constantly running promotions, such as Robin Reads and BookBub. In order to qualify for many of these, books have to have awards, come from a “big five” publisher, or be well reviewed. GoodReads is one of the places these companies look.

Accounts are free and easy to set up. You can even use your Facebook, Amazon, or Apple account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/sign_up

If you do set up an account or have one already, look for my author page here!

Have a book or author I absolutely need to check out? Drop a GoodReads link in the comments!