This is our best-performing format because it puts you in front of readers who are a perfect match for your book (when done correctly).

What do I cover below?

• A video walkthrough of this format and how it helps authors.
• What is the goal for authors?
• How does this sell my book?
• What does the data say?
• How long do you promote my list?
• How do I take part?
• When does this format not work?
• Can you show me some real world examples?
• Why is this type of marketing so hard?
• Are you Oprah? What traffic can I expect?

How do you meet the most likely readers with this format?

By recommending 5 books you love around a topic, theme, or mood that is close to your book.

First, a quick video walk through of this format.

And here is a breakdown by text 😄.

What is the goal for authors?

The goal is to get you and your book in front of the most likely readers by sharing five similar books that share a similar vibe.

Then, alongside each book you explain why you love that book with a short 50 to 130 word recommendation. This drives interest in you and your book by exposing your personality, passion, and expertise.

Here are two great examples, one list by a nonfiction author and one list by a fiction author.

How does this sell my book?

It puts you in front of the most likely readers for your book (when done correctly). We promote you and your book at the top of the page, and then your book again at the end of the list.

The trick is that we get readers interested in you and your book by exposing your personality, passion, and/or expertise through your personal book recommendations. We want to create "this person sounds interesting and I should try their book" moments.

For example, author S. B. Divya did a fantastic job explaining why she loved We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker.

What does the data say?

The average conversion rate for users who view a book list and click the author's featured book is 7.5% (full breakdown). But averages hide even better numbers.

If your book list is targeted to the right readers, that number can be much higher. We have many lists that hit 10% to 20% conversion rates and some as high as 40%.

How long do you promote my list?

Forever!!! This isn't a magazine or blog. Your list is part of our discovery platform, and we are constantly working to connect it with the most likely readers and invent new ways to achieve that goal.

Here is a full breakdown of how we promote your list internally and externally on our FAQ.

How do I take part?

To take part, email forauthors@shepherd.com and ask for the Word doc template. To make it easy for authors, you just fill out the doc and return to us via email. We handle the rest 😄. We will email you once it is ready for you to preview, and you can make any tweaks then.

How long does it take to complete?

My hope is that it takes ~45 minutes to fill out (some authors take longer of course).

What do we ask for?

• 50 to 130 words on why you love each of the five books.
• ~110 words on why you are passionate about the topic, theme, or mood of your list.
• And a few questions about your book and links for your author profile.

I want to be really respectful of your time. My goal here is to take this and give you a lifetime of promotion

When does this format not work?

Imagine an author named Sam who wrote a historical fiction book about a group of soldiers’ experiencing the aftermath of the D-Day landings. If Sam writes a book list on "the best historical fiction books about WW2", he knows that the readers who visit that list will be interested in his book.

Sam could also go broader and write about “the best historical fiction books about soldiers' lives in war.” That is not as close a match, but it would get him in front of the most likely readers for his book.

If Sam wrote a list of "the best fantasy books about elves," that is useless as the chance someone interested in looking for fantasy books about elves instead wants a WW2 historical fiction book is zero.

As you can imagine, this format won't work if you don't read in similar areas to your book. That said, you can get quite creative and please email us if you need help brainstorming.

Can you show me real-world examples?

If you want an excellent real-world example, author S.B. Divya did a perfect job sharing her favorite books for realistic, near-future science fiction. This list puts her in front of the most likely readers for her science fiction book, Machinhood. She drives interest in herself and her book by exposing her personality and passion with each book recommendation.

Here are some other examples:

• Michael J. Benton on the best books about dinosaurs from a Paleontologist (for adults and kids).
• Stacey Filak shares her favorite fantasy books led by brutal female characters.
• Paul Kirchner on the best graphic novels depicting the psychedelic experience.
• Denise Kiernan on the best books on the Manhattan Project and the making of the atomic bomb.

Or browse Shepherd.com and see what you find😉!

Why is this type of marketing so hard?

The hardest type of book marketing is reaching readers who don’t know you and convincing them to take a chance on a book and author they just met. This type of marketing is crucial in growing an author’s fan base (which is critical for selling back catalog and new books).

I am constantly thinking about:

• How can we increase reader trust that your book is a match?
• How can we better pitch readers your book?

As Shepherd grows and learns we will be trying many new techniques.

Are you Oprah? What traffic can I expect?

I get this question a lot.

I am not Oprah 😀. Even though we had over 3.2 million visitors last year, that is spread out over a lot of genres, topics, etc.

We are slow & steady exposure to the most likely readers for your book.

We do not provide a massive burst of exposure. Shepherd is designed for slow and steady exposure month after month and year after year. But that exposure is to the most likely readers for your book (if you do this right). 

I like to tell authors that Shepherd is one of the 100 things they should do to market their book. I hope to be four of the 100 things they do within a few years.

As we grow, I will help authors get more and more exposure if their book has that “magic spark” with readers. Our Best Books of the Year feature was a step in this direction, and we have a lot more planned.

How much traffic will your book recommendation list receive? Here is a detailed breakdown (eventually, I hope to build an author dashboard). As Shepherd grows, so does this traffic, and our ability to help authors.