Book Rabbit!

I recently discovered what I think may be the most exciting book website since Amazon - BookRabbit.com.

As I've been investigating the world of online book marketing, I realised that unlike movies or other media, there is no common meeting place for book enthusiasts. There are countless blogs, low-population forums and websites dedicated to reading and writing, but to try to leverage them for marketing is a daunting task. They are simply spread too thin. The new Book Roast blog is a valiant effort, but still there is no IMDB.com for books.

Until now, that is. At least potentially. BookRabbit.com is a website at once a social networking site and online store for book lovers. They offer a selection of titles that rivals Amazon in both choice and price, but the shopping experience is wrapped up in a library of 'bookshelves' uploaded by the site's users.

Here's how it works: You upload a picture of your bookshelf (here's mine, though it's really a pile on the floor) and then tag your books. The system then finds other users who have the same books, so you can browse what else they have, say hello, comment on the books, or even go and buy them. It's a very well put together website, with bags of potential. It's only a couple of months old, but already I see big things ahead for it - IF it takes off.

The most interesting thing, though, is the potential for author marketing. When you register, you can designate yourself as an author. Using RSS, you can hook it up to your blog, so you can maintain your journal in one place. You can talk about your books in the same place readers are browsing and buying them. And community blogs like Book Roast can feed right into it. It's the step forward in author-reader interaction I believe the Internet has been crying out for up to now. Really, I think it's brilliant, and it deserves to succeed. And the only way it'll do that is by people like us getting involved.*

*One small issue - it's a UK site, so not much use for Americans wanting to buy, but you can still interact.

Book Trailer!

I've updated The Ghosts of Belfast website with one of those new fangled book trailers. Check it out at http://www.theghostsofbelfast.com/trailer/.

Things have been busy of late, leaving me unable to blog as frequently as I'd like, but I'll hopefully be managing a bit more in the weeks to come.

Book Roast!

Some friends of mine have embarked on a new project. Book Roast is a new venue for the promotion of authors and their work, run by people who are passionate about reading and writing. And culinary puns.

My Take on American Tabloid

Further to yesterday's post, I've been bumped up the queue in Moonrat's Celebrate Reading series, and my article on American Tabloid by James Ellroy can be found there now. As part of the piece, my agent Nat Sobel kindly agreed to answer a few questions about working on the book with Ellroy, and he also shared a couple of tidbits on the third in the trilogy, Blood's a Rover, and the author's future plans.

Thanks to Nat for taking the time to answer my question, and to Moonrat for letting me post the article.

Celebrate Reading Month with Moonrat

Everyone's favourite blogging mystery editor Moonrat is hosting a series of guest posts throught June. The topic for each post is a book that impacted, influenced or otherwise made an indelible impression on the guest blogger. So far there have been some fascinating insights into the books that have shaped the blogging friends we know so well.

You never know, there might even be room for me to squeeze a little something in.