How to Become a Goodreads Author
You can even do it under a pen name.
If you're self-publishing a book, Goodreads can feel like both a cozy book club and a terrifying maze you’re trying to navigate blindfolded. It’s where readers discover books, share reviews, track what they’ve read, and—let’s be honest—where some authors anxiously refresh their review count.
One of the questions I had recently as a debut indie author was:
How do I get my book listed on Goodreads?
Also:
How do I actually get listed as an author on Goodreads?
And what if I’m writing under a pen name (like me)?
Here’s what I learned—and how you can claim your Goodreads Author profile, whether you’re writing as yourself or as someone else.
Step 1: Make Sure Your Book Is Listed
You can’t claim your author profile on Goodreads until your book is in their database.
Because I published through KDP, my book showed up on Goodreads automatically after a few days, which was a pleasant surprise by the time I got around to looking for it. (I learned this is especially true if you’ve enabled Amazon distribution.)
But if it doesn’t automatically appear, you can manually add it at www.goodreads.com/book/new.
Before adding a book yourself, I would suggest trying to search for your book in a few different ways—Goodreads might already have it under a slightly different variation of the title or spelling. For example, I found my own book Love at First Flight: The Story of Sophie Daniel on the third page of search results.
Step 2: Create a Goodreads Account
Next, go to www.goodreads.com and create a personal account.
I already had an existing account (of course), but if you’re writing under a pen name (like me), you need to create a new account under that pen name. Goodreads will use the name tied to your user account when verifying you as the author, so it should match the author name on your book.
You can have both a personal account and an author account, which is what I now have.
Step 3: Claim Your Author Profile
Once your book is listed and you have an account with your author name, go to your book’s page. Scroll down until you see your author name listed in blue.
Click it.
You’ll be taken to an author landing page with a little message that says something like:
“Is this you? Let us know.”
Click that link and follow the prompts to apply for the Goodreads Author Program. You’ll be asked to confirm that you’re the author, and Goodreads will review your request. So I’ve just done this today and apparently it usually takes a few days for a response.
Once approved, you’ll be upgraded to an official Goodreads Author, and your user account will now have access to additional tools—like editing your author bio, linking your blog or Substack, uploading author photos, and interacting with readers through Q&As or reviews.
Writing Under a Pen Name? Here’s What to Know
The good news is that Goodreads is totally fine with pen names.
When you apply to join the Author Program, they just need to verify that you are the person behind the book. If your name doesn’t match your legal name, they may ask for a little more context—like a link to your official website, your Amazon Author Central profile, or a public email under that name.
Here’s what helped me:
I used my author email (tracywrightbooks@gmail.com) to sign up
I made sure my pen name was consistent across Amazon, Goodreads, and social media
I had already linked my book to my Amazon Author page using that name
Keep in mind: you only get one author profile per Goodreads account, so if you write under multiple pen names, you’ll need separate accounts for each.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a Goodreads Author isn’t complicated—but it can feel a little confusing at first, especially if you’re writing under a name that isn’t your own.
The key is consistency: use the same pen name across all platforms, claim your books, and make sure readers can recognize you wherever they find you.
Once you're set up, you can customize your author page, track reviews, add upcoming releases, and start showing up alongside the books and genres you love.
And most importantly? You get to officially say you’re a Goodreads Author.
— Tracy
