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Finding new authors to read and books by new authors can take more time than reading the books themselves. It can be fun to find books to read based on what I like, but it’s time consuming and I am sure, if you are anything like me, you would rather be reading than surfing the web, hoping to find something good. So, I’ll try to show you how to find the right book in this article.
There are plenty of new books to read but how do you know if they are the best books to read.
More and more websites are promoting new authors, many of which get paid by the authors. So, finding the best books to read is not easy, and many excellent new authors go unnoticed because they don’t have the money to market their books effectively.
One new book is published every five minutes on Amazon, and it is estimated that there are over 3.5 million in the store. So, where should you start?
Here is how to find the right book for you
Knowing how to find the right book by New Authors in Goodreads Listopia is useful. With 22 main New Author Book Lists, it’s easy to scroll the titled lists which show the books listed, ratings and reviews. The search experience is intuitive, and you can drill down to get as much detail as you need before choosing.
Goodreads and Amazon
Goodreads was founded in 2007. It is the number one resource for booklovers and for finding books by new authors. Amazon bought Goodreads, the popular reader review site, in 2013 because it had a massive influence on book sales in the industry. Together they are the powerhouse of the online book industry.
Goodreads Listopia Landing Pages
On the Left
When you first land on Goodreads Listopia you will see on the left the New Authors Book Lists summary, which says Listopia > New Authors Book Lists
Under the thumbnails there are 22 groups like Must Reads By New Authors and Budding New Series. If Budding New Series interests you, click on the thumbnails or the title and a more detailed list will drop down, showing all the books in that list and the ratings for each book.
If you click on the thumbnail of any book on the list, you will be taken to the books page where you can read the books description, see the ratings, scroll down to read the reviews and all about the author.
On the Right
If you are adventurous and want to search for other books, on the right of the thumbnails you will see a list of 30 genre categories. Each one has the number of books in the category. E.g. historical fiction (1350). There are thousands to choose from.
Choose a category you are interested in and click it. The main list on the left will disappear and a new list for your category will appear in its place. Then follow the same process as you did for the books on the left.
At the bottom
At the bottom of each page on the left you will see <previous 1234567… which will take you through to sub-menus. It goes on and on. There are thousands, but it is structured, and if you know what you like, you shouldn’t get lost. If you do, send me an email and I’ll come and rescue you.
The New Authors Book Lists is shorter, so you will not see <previous 1234567… at the bottom of that page.
More from the Book page
If you have clicked the thumbnail of a book on a list, which you are interested in, you will be on the books page. Once you have read the books description, looked at the ratings, scrolled down to read the reviews and would like to get the book, go up to GET A COPY and choose your preferred option.
Here you will notice 2 or 3 buttons.
- Amazon – will take you to the Amazon page for the book
- Online Stores – will take you to whichever store you choose from the dropdown.
From one of those you will be able to make your purchase.
Sometimes you will see another button.
- Download eBook – which will let you download an excerpt from the book for free.
Goodreads Authors
Assume you like a book, but you want to know more about the author. You will see, on the book page right sidebar, ABOUT THE AUTHOR (NAME) and a gravatar of the author. Click on either and you will go to the author’s page. There you can browse and find out as much as the author has disclosed, including a list of books and links to them.
You can even join Goodreads and follow your favourite authors.
Pros and Cons of Goodreads
I learned a lot when I first watched Elliot Brooks talk about some things to watch out for in this video. You may find it useful as well.
Other Options
Now we have looked at an obvious first choice, let’s consider a few options or additions, like niche sites and other ways to root out those elusive books by new authors. I could give you an arm long list, but you could just as easily Google your life away and waste valuable reading time, while I try to remember how I felt when I wrote this article as I was trying to live life one day at a time.
But I am just going to make a few filtered suggestions to give you some raspberry jam and clotted cream to spread on your Goodreads home-baked scones.
Fantastic Fiction
Fantastic Fiction has more than 50,000 titles to choose from and includes a section on New Authors. It’s well worth a snoop around the store, which is intuitive enough and the Genres are displayed for each book. There is not as much information as you get on Goodreads, but the book descriptions are lengthy, and if good, should entice you over to Amazon to check out more and read the reviews.
Literary Hub
Lit Hub is a site readers can rely on for smart, engaged, entertaining writing about all things books.
It is a must resource for literary buffs who want in depth information on new books. The site is clean, professional, and beautifully laid out. Features, like New Books, Fiction and Non-Fiction are all easily accessible from the top menu bar.
Drill down to as much detail as you want before making a decision on a book. I had as much fun exploring Literary Hub as I do reading a gripping novel.
BookBub
Founded in 2012 – In its own words;
BookBub is a free service that helps you discover books you’ll love through unbeatable deals, handpicked recommendations, and updates from your favourite authors. And it doesn’t actually sell books.
Being a premier site, BookBub is picky about the authors it recommends. In addition to offering a professional service you will find great articles on recommended reads, such as – 40 of the Best Biographies of All Time – 34 Short Stories You Can Read for Free Right Now.
James King Books
Before you say, but this is self-promotion, let me say, apart from being my author website which showcases my books, James King Books offers free books by New Authors.
Once a week I participate in one or more Group Promotions run by authors on Bookfunnel, Prolific Works and Story Origin. And I share my links to these promotions with people who visit my website. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to read the books, so I can’t make recommendations. But my visitors don’t mind. The books are free, so if they get any they don’t like they lose nothing.
So, this is self-promotion with a quid pro quo and you are welcome to visit my website and fill your library at no cost.
And if you are looking for something like a psychological thriller series, you might enjoy this article I wrote after publishing my first series.
I was a new author too.