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Friday 9 May 2008

Authonomy

I was lucky enough to be one of the first seven pre-beta testers of the new website for unpublished writers, Authonomy (the link won't let you into the site yet, as it's still beta).

You are able to load anything over 10,000 words of your book(s) - unlike most members, I've loaded all of mine, in case anyone gets carried away and wants to read the whole thing. You also load cover art, a pitch to make others want to read your book, and an image to represent you.

Each member has a virtual bookshelf he/she can load with up to five books from the site. I'm swapping mine around as I read new extracts. And you can leave a comment on other people's books.

It's all rather fun.

9 comments:

  1. Authonomy wants me to sign in or "request an invitation." Apparently, they don't want unknown interlopers bumping around on the site.

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  2. You're on my shelf, Lexi! I just loved Tor and that dragon! Go, girl, go.

    :))

    A
    xxx

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  3. Norm, do 'request an invitation' and join us. It's great.

    Anne, you are too kind - also your books (I've only read the gripping first chapter or two of Thorn in the Flesh) must be the most professional writing on the site.

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  4. Cheque's in the post, Lexi - though I do feel that Tor is pretty damn (am I allowed to say that here??) professional, so don't undersell yourself! Also Thorn seems to be dividing the reviewers in two so far - they either love it or they hate it. Poor Kate - I always knew she was an awkward and very tricky MC. Not like Tor at all!

    :))

    A
    xxx

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  5. How useful have you found it, Lexi?

    Nik

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  6. It's too early to say. You don't get the long, helpful reviews you sometimes receive on YWO (though one observant member did point out a slip in Tor's first page I'd missed, and that was useful).

    The object really of Authonomy is to bring good unpublished writers to the attention of publishers and agents. Only time will tell whether it's able to do this.

    I'm pleased Harper Collins is trying, though, because who knows, it may work.

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  7. Yes, I think it may work. In fact I think it probably will work. I'm just (idly) curious to see how. You know, which sorts of books are favoured, that kind of thing.

    Good luck with yours, and of course to Anne if she's reading.

    Nik

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  8. Thanks, Nik.

    I fear a lot of people won't look at fantasy - this didn't matter on YWO, where they were assigned it. Non-fantasy enthusiasts there were pleasantly surprised by my books, and fantasy buffs tended to duff me up; so I may fall between stools on Authonomy.

    We shall see.

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  9. Hmm, yeah, that's one of things I'd been thinking about. Still very interested to see where it goes; if a genre book does end up being published as a result then it could do a lot of good. What I think I'd worry about would be the fact that, by its nature, the popular stories will rise to the top, and as things like Fantasy and Romance, for example, aren't the most popular genres then they might not get the attention they probably deserve. Popularity id good because it equals sales, but fantasy books have good sales too.

    Very interesting all the same and I hope I'm wrong and am being overly pessemistic! I do think it's a good idea, honest!

    Nik

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