Write or Read, an organization for both authors and readers alike, is addressing too key issues in the ebook and self-publishing markets that have so far been fairly hard to grasp. The first is an attempt at a viable subscription reading service, something that has been attempted by many, many others, with little success; the other is a platform that provides authors with concrete data on what their readers are engaging with and for how long.
Started by Sabrina Ricci, who has worked for several major companies within publishing, the site is in open beta with the hope of earning enough through crowdsourcing via a RocketHub campaign to launch a fee-based service. Currently, the open beta means the service is open to anyone, free of charge, and Ricci is depending on authors to make their books available for free in order to draw attention to the site.
While this means you won’t find any New York Times bestsellers on the list, it does mean the readers and authors who have the urge to support a new concept and to further their works can join in. Self-published authors especially stand to gain from this beta period, as this is a chance to grow their reader base with only the limited investment of letting people read their already-written works without compensation, a far cry from the thousands of dollars many successful authors spend on publicity for their books.
The campaign can be found HERE, along with a FAQ from the founder.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.