Claim Your Goodreads Author Profile

Yes. Goodreads states that joining the Author Program and claiming an eligible author profile are free. Paid promotional options, including Goodreads Giveaways and advertising, are separate from the free Author Program.

No. Goodreads states that the Author Program is available to authors with a published or soon-to-be-published book that can be found in the Goodreads database. During the application process, Goodreads may verify the book’s publication or pre-publication status using the applicant’s KDP email address or current publisher information.

Goodreads states that applicants will receive an email when their Author Program application is approved, normally within two business days. This is Goodreads’ published processing target rather than a guaranteed deadline. If your application is rejected, apply again with additional verifiable information. For an application-specific problem, contact Goodreads Support.

Search Goodreads by ISBN or ASIN first to confirm that the correct edition is not already present. If no record exists and you have not yet joined the Author Program, request the addition through the official Goodreads Librarians Group and provide accurate title, author, edition, format, publication date, identifier, cover and source information. Verified Goodreads Authors can also use the “Add a book” option in the Author Dashboard. Avoid creating a duplicate record for an edition that already exists.

Yes. Claim the Goodreads author page that matches the author name printed on the published book. Search for the pen name, open the author page connected to the book and submit the Author Program application from that page. Goodreads states that authors publishing under more than one author or pen name must create a separate Goodreads account for each author name and submit a separate application for each one.

Goodreads advises rejected applicants to apply again with as much verifiable information as possible. Make sure your Goodreads account uses an official author email address that is displayed or verifiable through your author website. Include the relevant Goodreads author and book pages, together with applicable publisher or KDP information. For an application-specific problem, contact Goodreads Support. Approval remains Goodreads’ decision and is not guaranteed.

No. Goodreads states that your login and password stay the same after approval. Your existing Goodreads account gains access to the Author Dashboard and the other features available through the Author Program.

Yes. Goodreads permits giveaways for eligible books before publication, provided the book has a Goodreads record and the sponsor meets the current giveaway requirements. Goodreads recommends ending a pre-publication giveaway about six weeks before publication so winners have time to receive and read the book. Print and Kindle giveaways have different eligibility, territory and fulfilment rules, so confirm the live setup options before scheduling a campaign.

Keep the author name, book title, editions, identifiers, series details, cover and publication information accurate across both platforms. Goodreads and Amazon serve different reader journeys. Neither company currently documents a direct rule showing that Goodreads activity determines Amazon recommendations or ranking.

No. Goodreads’ Author Guidelines advise authors not to respond to negative ratings or reviews and not to attempt to influence a reviewer’s opinion. Reviews are spaces for readers to express their own views. If a review violates Goodreads’ rules, use the platform’s flagging or reporting route instead of responding publicly.