First Issue

With the launch of a new website called Authonomy, HarperCollins UK is calling on the power of the crowd.

At Authonomy, authors can submit excerpts from their fiction or non-fiction manuscript. These excerpts are then reviewed and ranked by…well, by anyone who wants to take the time to read them. The idea is to get the public searching for and identifying the next great thing.

Once a month, the 5 books with the highest rankings are forwarded to an editorial review board at HarperColllins.

The concept works for everyone:

• HarperCollins gets free help going through its slush pile — a short list without the work
• Authors get a chance to submit their work without an agent and have a fair shot at being considered
• Armchair reviewers get a chance to offer their opinion and potential bragging rights if they help uncover the next bestseller

Authors, if you’re looking for a publishing deal, the site is worth a look.

If want to talk up your book on the radio, here’s your big chance. There’s no budget required and no fussing with press releases or media contacts. Plus, you get all the time you want to say whatever you want.

No, it’s not a dream, it’s BlogTalkRadio (BTR).

BTR gives you the tools and the platform to have your very own Internet radio show – for free. The site’s FAQ sums it up nicely:

The web-based service allows you to host a live Internet radio show and take callers from the phone. [You] can copy and paste a Flash player on [your] site or blog so listeners can click to listen. The shows are also made available as a podcast via RSS and iTunes. Your audience can listen online or on any mp3-friendly device.

All you need for broadcasting is a phone and Internet-connected computer.

BTR is a great opportunity for authors to promote their books through discussion, interviews, debate, and listener participation.

A couple of the large publishing houses are already taking advantage of the publicity opps and have set up their own “stations” within the site. HarperCollins, for example, runs Authors on Air.