Share your 3 favorite reads of the year
How does it work?
You share your 3 favorite reads of the year. This is about what you read, not when it was published. Optionally, you can write 50-130 words on why you personally loved each book.
We feature your book under your 3 picks for the year as a gentle way to nudge readers toward it. And, for any of your fans who share their 3 favorite reads, we feature your book under their picks to help you meet new readers.
Your favorite reads of the year go into our best reads of the year page which gets a lot of media exposure. And readers can now put in a book they love, and get paired with readers like them (which helps you and your book bump into even more readers).
The whole thing takes about 15 minutes to complete. Login here (or create a new account) as it is done online.
Why is this format effective?
- It gives you something fun to share with your fans and start a conversation, all while gently nudging them toward one of your books.
- It exposes your personality in a way that gets readers interested in you and your book.
- We promote your list forever and are constantly working to show it to the right readers in new and fun ways. Last year, we had over 2.2 million visitors, but please remember I am not Oprah 😀. Even though we had over 2.2 million visitors last year, that number is spread across many genres and topics. I am constantly working to grow our reach further and help more authors.
What do I cover below?
- What is the goal for authors?
- How does this sell my book?
- What does the data say?
- How long do you promote my list?
- What is the timeline for this format?
- How long does it take to complete?
- Can you show me some real world examples?
How do you reach the most likely readers with this format?
By sharing your 3 favorite reads of the year with your fans and wider Book DNA community.
What is the goal for authors?
The goal is to smartly put you and your book in front of your fan base during the holiday buying season through your favorite reads of the year. Plus, your recommendations plug into Book DNA's entire ecosystem to help you bump into readers.
This is a great way to engage your fans! You can invite them to share their 3 favorite reads of the year and if you use our referral link, your book is promoted at the end of all of their lists as well.
Here are two great examples with Mark Lawrence's favorite reads of 2024 and Louise Blackwick's favorite reads of 2024.
How does this sell my book?
It puts your book in front of your fan base and smartly reminds them about it during the holiday book-buying season. Readers love it, and you can encourage them to share their favorites (which will often include yours, which helps you on the big "best reads of the year" pages).
For the last 13 years, I’ve been picking my favorite three reads of the year (and sharing why I love them). I know from feedback from my friends, family, and book buddies that this format is powerful and meaningful. This is about your favorite reads of the year; it doesn’t matter when those books were published.
What does the data say?
The average conversion rate for users who view a "favorite read of the year" list and click the author's promoted book is ~5%. But, averages hide much better numbers, many of our authors see conversion rates of 10% to 50% (it helps if you read within the same genres you write).
In 2025, we added a new feature that lets readers put in a book or author they loved, and get matched with their Book Twins. This is another way we are helping the right readers find you.
How long do you promote my list?
Forever!
Although these lists get a lot more traffic in the year, they are published. But like all our lists, this goes into our discovery platform, and we are constantly working to connect it with the most likely readers and invent new ways to achieve that goal.
How do I take part?
Everything is online and go here to take part (email support@bookdna.com if you need any help). I recommend you write personalized book recommendations for your 3 favorite books of the year. If you don't, we can't promote your list as well on the wider platform.
What is the timeline for this format?
October 1st
We open for submissions for the current year!
Why so early?
Because we want to get authors in front of the huge number of readers searching for "best books of x year" (that trend starts in October).
November 1st
We start heavily marketing the “Best Books of The Year” on November 1st in order to help authors ride the book-buying season from November through the end of January.
I am working to make this a big media event that celebrates books, authors, and reading! We add book lists every day, and as soon as your list is published, you are included in our overall promotion system.
December 31st / January 1st
We start heavily marketing the event to readers who can also take part. We've found that readers only want to share when the calendar year ends.
August 31st
We take submissions through August 31st for people who want to take part in the previous year.
How long does it take to complete?
My hope is that it takes ~15 minutes to complete (some authors take longer, of course).
Can you show me real-world examples?
Yep, you bet: