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Goodreads Summit 2017

The Suspense Is Thrilling Me

 

L to R: Melanie Parker, Me, Goodreads CEO Otis Chandler, Emily May, Emma Giordano

I know I’ve been promising this post for well over a week now, and it’s finally here! *YAY* As most of you know I, along with 15-20 other Goodreads users, was invited to headquarters in San Francisco to participate in a summit where we were able to give feedback about various THINGS. I cannot mention any of said things, because they are very sneaky and secretive and muahahahaahahahahaahahaha…. Ok, but honestly we talked about some really great stuff. Without mentioning specifics, we were split up into groups based on what we do; there were authors, group moderators, and two types of reviewers, power and influential. We mainly were in our individual groups but did have a bit of time to mingle as well. The first day was mainly a get to know you, check into your hotel, eat dinner and go to bed at 8pm because you were in a far away land explore kinda day. Day two was where most of the action happened. See below:

So our group was the Influential Reviewers, and it was literally just the four of us! I’m sure if you are remotely active on Goodreads that you recognize all three of my fellow reviewers, but it was so exciting to meet Emily, Emma, and Jeffrey in person. (Super sad Mel was in the other reviewer group though but so glad I was able to meet her as well!) The four of us pretty much visited multiple panels with various Goodreads team members and gave feedback on anything they asked us. While we may never see some of the things discussed on the site, there will definitely be some exciting things coming your way to get excited for. There’s something to be said about gathering together with a group of like-minded individuals who’s heart is where yours is, and I can’t get over all the love and support that was exchanged in such a brief time.

One of the coolest parts of the summit was how, near the end of the second day, the Goodreads team let us pick out a bunch of books to take back with us! We also each received a special book that had been signed by the Goodreads team with little messages; my copy was The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and I’ll cherish it forever. ❤ I think what set this experience apart from others like it were two things: 1) The fact that Goodreads cares enough about it’s members to go to great lengths supporting them and listening to their concerns in an attempt to make things better and 2) The sheer personalization of the trip itself. These people took the time to learn all about us, what we liked and disliked, and provided an all inclusive experience just to show us how appreciated we are. I’m consistently asked why, with a blog and all the other forms of social media that I’m a part of, do I continue to use Goodreads as my main source for reviewing and book related chatter in general, and this is why. There’s honestly nothing quite like it out there, and I’m incredibly proud to be an active member of the site and for the relationships that I’ve built with all my “friends” as well.

WE ❤ YOU GOODREADS!

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Published by The Suspense Is Thrilling Me

Chelsea is a happily married mother of two who's love of mysteries can be traced back to her first Nancy Drew experience. When not reading and writing book reviews, she likes to drink wine in her jammies and pretend that she exercises.

52 thoughts on “Goodreads Summit 2017”

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  2. Chelsea, thanks for sharing your experience! So glad that you were able to be a part of something so fun! When you talked about free books; I think I began to salivate!! Haha From one book lover to another…..you understand! I love your blogs!

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  13. Wish I could’ve joined you girl. So jealous!! Joined goodreads in 2015 after leaving abusive relationship and lord knows needing to channel my energy. I never thought I’d meet so many beautiful people including yourself. I always enjoy reading your reviews and chatting with you. Ironically my first reading challenge goal in 2015 was 20 and increased to 40 in ’16.. Now it’s over 240 and still going strong. I began reading for one purpose to help others heal from dv and npd abuse and to provide research materials for my page The Lost Self Life After Narcissism on FB.
    Goodreads has always been my go too place for the newest thrillers&chillers, to see what other readers are reading, check out various book clubs, last but not least to chat with other reviewers, bloggers, publishers, book clubs about the books we’ve recently read or giveaways entered. Reading other reviews from well respected bloggers helps when you’re on the fence with a book.
    When people ask about Amazon I tell them sorry I only use Goodreads! Love em’
    So happy for you and the group that went.
    What a great memory for you to treasure…..

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  17. I echo your sentiments about what an amazing experience the Summit was. Everyone at GR were so welcoming and so interested in what we do. The highlight for me was meeting the Influencer and Power reviewers. Getting to spend a day and a half with such a trio of lovely, intelligent women who care about books as much as I do was not only a blast, but also so inspiring. Two thumbs up for the entire experience!!

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