For now, Goodreads is still the granddaddy (grandmommy?) of book readers’ websites. And so, it makes sense to try to reach avid readers there with Little Voices.
I’m currently running a giveaway for three paperback copies of the novel on Goodreads. There’s no special requirement to enter – just enter! Here’s THE LINK. It’s completely random and a fun way to get the word out about the book. It’s open only to Canadian readers. Everything that’s happening at the border changes in the blink of an eye and I didn’t want to risk it.
The deadline to enter is September 14, 2026.
Is There An Echo in Here?
The neat thing about this contest, which is a paid awareness campaign, is that every time someone enters to win, a notification goes out to the people they’re linked to on the site. I’ve always wondered whether I should be paying for some advertising so I thought I’d find out. It’s a gamble but as of this writing, there are nearly 500 entries for the contest. That many people have seen the cover, even if they haven’t investigated further. Indie books get buried quickly so I’m pretty happy about that, so far.
Reviews are still the biggest factor in a new author’s journey. They help with visibility and let other readers know that a book is worth their time. (Hopefully!) Even just a “star” review is enough if you don’t want to write anything. I recently read a novel by best-selling author Scott William Carter called Throwaway Jane. (I had some issues with the story but I couldn’t put it down!) At the book’s end, he dedicated a page to an appeal for reviews. I just checked this book and it has more than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads alone.
Even Scott William Carter had to start somewhere and reviews and word of mouth built his fiction-writing career.
Let it Go (Not the Theme from Frozen!)
Once it’s written and produced, whether it’s writing, music, art – the medium doesn’t really matter – the rest is up to the universe or fate or whatever you want to call it. When I receive an email from a reader, which I’m thrilled that I do regularly, I do remind them to please leave a review. Some will and some won’t and that’s the way of the world.
It reminds me of radio ratings. In beforetimes, people would randomly receive a questionnaire in the mail and maybe a toonie for their troubles. Sometimes they were too busy to track their own listening habits so they’d toss the form to their teenager and let them do it. Or they’d keep the toonie and put the other material in the trash. Radio stations, hosts, and shows literally lived and died by those ratings but we weren’t allowed to talk about them on air or explain their importance to people. In fact, I once had to declare that I’d been contacted by someone who had a diary, as they were called, and results may have been tainted. Even though I told the person I was forbidden to comment, contact from them was enough to cross the line.
It was a stupid system but back then it was all we had.
Reviews aren’t stupid, though. They help purchasers decide on everything from shampoo to mechanics to, you know, what to read. And they put the power in the people’s hands. I try to review everything I buy and everywhere I go, because it’s the kind of thing I’d want to know. If you’ve entered the contest, thank you. If you haven’t and it’s easy for you to do, I hope you will. If you’re already on Goodreads it should be easy to find under Giveaways or by searching Little Voices Lisa Brandt. And if you’d follow me there (as an author) I’d be tickled as pink as cotton candy.