Goodreads for Authors: Set Up Your Author Page (2026)

Goodreads is where many readers track what they’ve read and what they want to read next, so your books may already be listed there, whether you’ve claimed them or not. Claiming your author profile lets you control how you and your books appear, talk to readers and run giveaways. This guide walks through each step as Goodreads describes it in October 2026, plus the rules authors need to know. If you’d rather have your profiles prepared for you, see our author profiles setup.

What Goodreads does for authors

Goodreads, owned by Amazon, is a site and app where readers shelve books, rate and review them, and follow authors. For you, it offers:

• An author profile with your photo, bio, books and links, which readers can follow.
• Shelves and ratings, which other readers see when deciding what to read. Since February 2026, a book’s average Goodreads star rating also appears on its page on Kindle devices, and since October 2026 readers can give half and quarter stars.
• Ways to reach readers: Ask the Author, a blog, status updates that show in followers’ feeds, giveaways and ads.

It works alongside your other profiles and channels as part of your author platform.

How to claim your Goodreads author profile

Any author, anywhere in the world, can join the Goodreads Author Program for free, as long as the book is published or in the process of being published. Illustrators of picture books, graphic novels and manga, and anthology editors, can join too; cover artists and organizations can’t.

Before you start: if none of your books is on Goodreads yet, ask the Goodreads Librarians Group, a team of volunteers who maintain book data, to add it. Once you’re approved, you can add later books yourself.

1. Sign up or sign in to Goodreads with your official author email address, and make sure your author website shows that email, for example on a Contact page.
2. Find your book on Goodreads (on a computer), and click your author name on the book page.
3. Scroll to the bottom of your author page and click “Is this you? Let us know.”
4. Fill in the application. Give your KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) email address if you self-publish on KDP, or your publisher’s or agent’s email. Self-published authors not using KDP can select “Self-published Author.” List any books to add to, or remove from, your profile, with ISBNs or ASINs (Amazon’s 10-character book IDs), and for an upcoming book, link to its announcement.
5. Wait for confirmation. Goodreads’ help center says you’ll get a confirmation email within a few days (its program page says 2 business days).

If you write under more than one name, create a separate Goodreads account for each author name; you can’t claim two author pages under one account.

Set up your author page

Once you’re approved, you get an Author Dashboard, the page with your author tools. Complete your profile from there:

• Photo: a clear, recent photo, the same one you use on other profiles.
• Bio: a short bio about you and what you write (many authors write it in the third person); our free author bio generator can give you a first draft.
• Website and links: your website or signup page, so readers can find you outside Goodreads.
• Videos: a book trailer or interview, hosted on YouTube or Vimeo.
• Blog: write on Goodreads, or connect a blog you already have through its RSS feed (the feed address your blog platform provides), so posts appear on your profile.

Add and fix your books

• Add a missing book: from your Author Dashboard, select “Add a book”, then “Create book”.
• Combine editions: link your paperback, ebook, audiobook and translations as editions of one book, using “Combine editions” on your author profile. You can only combine editions with the same primary author; for duplicate copies of the same edition, contact Goodreads.
• Fix other problems: for a wrong book on your profile or editions that need separating, ask the volunteer Goodreads Librarians, who can update book data.

Published books can’t be removed from Goodreads, even if they’re out of print, so keep editions accurate rather than trying to delete them.

Goodreads setup checklist

Ask the Author, updates and your blog

• Ask the Author lets readers send you questions from your profile; turn it on from your Author Dashboard. Questions stay private until you choose to answer them, so you can skip any you don’t want to answer publicly.
• Status updates and blog posts show in your followers’ feeds. Share news readers care about: a cover reveal, a release date, an event.
• Keep it light. You don’t need to post often. An answered question or a short update around each release keeps your profile active. For regular news, your newsletter reaches readers more directly.

Goodreads Giveaways

A giveaway lets readers enter to win copies of your book. Entering adds the book to entrants’ Want to Read shelves, and each entry shows in the entrant’s friends’ feeds.

The rules for both, as of October 2026:

• Timing: the start date must be 3 days to 6 months away, and a giveaway runs for 7 to 30 days.
• Approval and payment: Goodreads approves each giveaway, and you pay through Amazon Pay. The fee depends on the package you choose and is shown when you create the giveaway. Goodreads has run discounted Giveaways Months; check the Giveaways page for dates.
• Packages: Goodreads offers a standard and a premium package; check what each includes when you list, since the premium package has added extras such as better placement on the Giveaways page.
• Winners and reviews: winners are chosen at random. Reviews aren’t required; Goodreads has said it reminds winners to rate and review some weeks after the giveaway ends.

For a print giveaway of advance copies, Goodreads suggests ending it about six weeks before publication, so entrants shelve the book before it’s out. A Kindle giveaway has to end after the ebook is released, so it suits launch week or later; plan one with your launch checklist.

Goodreads ads

Goodreads still sells advertising, but through an advertiser contact form rather than a self-serve platform you can set up in minutes. For smaller budgets, self-serve ads on Amazon or BookBub may be easier to test.

Reviews: the rules for authors

Goodreads sets clear rules for how authors behave around reviews:

• Don’t reply to reviews, and never argue with a negative one. Reviews are where readers talk to each other, and an author’s reply, even a polite one, can feel like pressure or start a public argument. Goodreads’ author guidelines ask authors not to engage with negative reviewers, and harassing a reviewer can put your account at risk. If a review breaks the rules, report it instead.
• You can rate one edition of your own book. Your rating shows with a note that it’s from the author.
• Don’t try to influence reviews, and don’t offer anything in exchange for them. Reviewers who get a free copy in exchange for a review must disclose it.
• Don’t spam readers: no messaging people who shelved your book, mass friend requests or joining groups only to promote.

Since a December 2025 update, readers must confirm they’ve read a book before rating it ahead of its release, and those with advance copies are asked how they got them. For the rules on Amazon and how to get honest reviews, see how to get book reviews.

What Goodreads can and can’t do for you

Goodreads gives your books a home where readers already keep their lists, and a giveaway can put your book on many Want to Read shelves. It’s not a direct sales channel: readers buy elsewhere, and a shelf addition doesn’t guarantee a purchase. Treat it as one of your author profiles, alongside your Amazon author page and a BookBub author profile, and keep it accurate rather than spending hours there.

When to get help

If you’d rather not set up your profiles yourself, our Amazon page and author profiles service prepares them with you. Standard ($399) includes your Amazon book description, keywords and categories, profile kits for Amazon Author Central, Goodreads and BookBub with your bio, photo and links ready to paste, and a 30-minute guided setup call. Plus ($649) adds A+ Content, linked formats, a series page, an Editorial Reviews section and social profile kits for 2 platforms. Accounts are created and owned by you, so we never hold your passwords.

Goodreads for authors questions

Is the Goodreads Author Program free?

Yes. Any author, anywhere in the world, can join for free, as long as the book is published or in the process of being published. Giveaways and ads cost money; the profile, Ask the Author and blog don’t.

How long does it take to become a Goodreads author?

Goodreads says you’ll get a confirmation email within a few days of applying. To be verified, your account needs to use your official author email, your website should show it, and your application should include your KDP email or your publisher’s or agent’s email.

Can you have a Goodreads author page under a pen name?

Yes. Create a separate Goodreads account for each author name, because one account can’t claim two author pages. Use an email address linked to that pen name, such as the one on its website.

Should authors respond to Goodreads reviews?

No. Goodreads asks authors not to respond to reviews, especially negative ones. If a review breaks the rules, report it. You can thank readers in general through a blog post or status update instead.

Are Goodreads giveaways worth it?

They can be, especially a print giveaway of advance copies before release, which Goodreads suggests ending about six weeks before publication. Kindle giveaways must end after the ebook is out. Weigh the fee against your budget, remember that Kindle giveaways are open only to US residents, and don’t count on reviews, which winners aren’t required to leave.

Related reading

• How to launch a book: an 8-week book launch checklist
• What is BookBub, and is it worth it for authors?
• How to get book reviews: 9 ways that follow the rules