The Complete Guide to Goodreads for New Indie Authors: Build Your Fame, Boost Your Fortune

You didn’t write your book to be ignored.
You wrote it to be seen. To be recognized. To build your reputation—and yes, to make money.
Build Your Fame, Boost Your Fortune isn’t just a subtitle. It’s the promise of what this guide helps you do—using the most overlooked author platform in publishing: Goodreads.
This is the place where readers discover books, recommend them to friends, and leave the kind of reviews that sell copies long after your launch. But only if you know how to use it.
Most authors waste this opportunity. You won’t.
In this clear, no-fluff guide, indie author and publishing strategist Jim Van Wyck gives you the step-by-step playbook to make Goodreads work for you—not against you.Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Turn your Goodreads Author profile into a magnet for visibility and trust
• Optimize your book page so it sells—without selling
• Attract real reviews and avoid the rookie mistakes that backfire
• Build reader engagement without spamming groups
• Use quotes, shelves, and giveaways to grow your audience organically
• Promote under a pen name (and keep it cleanly separate from your main brand)
• Run a Goodreads Giveaway that actually moves the needle

Whether you’re launching your first book or tired of seeing your titles sit quietly in the void, this book gives you the tools to take control—on the one platform where reader-driven buzz still matters most.
Goodreads isn’t magic. But it’s the closest thing to free publicity that lasts.
If you’re ready to stop shouting into the void and start building a career readers care about—