Goodreads, Amazon’s reading and book recommendations site, has launched Goodreads Deals, a daily promotional program offering its members discounted e-books personalized to the books listed in their shelves.
Goodreads is negotiating with publishers and self-published authors to compile an ongoing listing of titles that will be offered at a “significant” discount, according to Goodreads founder Otis Chandler. Goodreads members who have the discounted titles marked in their bookshelves will receive an email offer notifying them that a discount is available. Publishers and authors can nominate titles for Goodreads Deals and pay a fee to have their titles included in the deals program.
Members can buy the discounted titles from five different retailers--Amazon, Nook, Apple, Kobo, and Google Play. Publishers and authors can designate their preferred retailers for the discount. (Members can also designate which retailers are listed in their email offers).
“This is the first time we’re tapping into our member’s reading interests to offer deals, and it gives them another reason to keep their lists updated,” Chandler told PW. “Now, when books they’ve already added to Want to Read go on sale, we’ll let them know so they don’t miss out.”
Chandler said there are three ways for members to get a deal: when the member has marked a discounted book on their Want to Read shelf, if a discount is offered on a title by authors that the member follows on Goodreads; or if the member subscribes to the Goodreads Deals genre program.
Goodreads Deals will include a daily email promotion featuring discounted e-books organized by genre. The program will launch with four genres: bestsellers, mystery & thrillers, fantasy & science fiction, and romance. For this program, Goodreads members must opt-in to receive a daily discount offer which will be based on the genres they choose. Books included in the daily genre deals will change and the program will also add new genres over time, Chandler said.
The launch of Goodreads Deals follows the recent debut of Goodreads Giveaways, a separate promotional tool that allows publishers and authors to give away up to 100 Kindle e-books. Chandler said Goodreads Deals is another “extension of the marketing and author tools we offer publishers and authors.”
Titles will include books from major publishers, independent houses and self-publishers. “Anyone can submit a book to be considered for the program,” Chandler said. Prices on discounted titles will range from 99 cents to $2.99. Among the initial deals available today are Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell ($1.99), Misery by Stephen King ($1.99) and The Pact by Karina Halle (99 cents).
Goodreads has more than 50 million members who post about 15 million books a month to their various online shelves. “Now with Goodreads Deals, once you’ve found a book you’re interested in, we make it even easier to buy and instantly start reading that book,” Chandler said.
Corrections: An earlier version of this story did not include the fact that publishers and authors must pay a fee to be included in Goodreads Deals, and it incorrectly stated that titles listed as already Read would be eligible for discounts.
