Minnesota, USA April 26, 2011- Everyone loves to hear the inspiring stories of people discovering fame after receiving several viewer hits on YouTube; this is great for those who have a talent in music, animation, or some other audio and visual method. However, it does not do much for those who are talented in writing - unless somehow portions of stories are re-enacted in visually appealing ways. Words are what make the story, so people should have access to other writers, editors, and others who could help them meet their dreams; Book Country, started by the makers of Penguin - a book publisher -, started its site with this intent: get works out there so that there are more possibilities for people to meet their writing dreams.

 

 

Book Country is providing as many tools to writers as possible; it allows writers to publish a small portion of their works - approximately a chapter - so that other members can review it and give writers feedback. It also lets users contact other users that are specifically interested in the genre of the writing. On top of that, Book Country hopes that it will be able to attract publishers that are searching for talent.

 

For those who are not contacted by publishers, Book Country allows users to self-publish for a small fee. Years ago, this would not be possible for a small price. Although the ultimate dream would be to be recruited, Book Country gives further tools in case writers need to take this bumpy road alone. In addition to the interaction among members, there is guides on how to self-promote/market, find an agent, review rights, and how to use social media as a tool.

After review of the website, it is obvious that Book Country is organized with the intent to make users succeed. It may sound unusual that I could not help but smile as I browsed the site; I understand how it could be so helpful. It was impressive to see the 'genre map' where there was a web that shows how everything connects. After clicking one portion of a genre, I discovered that there are examples of works that leaned towards another genre.

 

 

Maybe you are an aspiring writer who is hesitant to put your work up for the fear of getting your ideas stolen; Book Country can give you some comfort because it disabled the 'copy & paste' feature as well as 'printing'.

I might even take part in what Country Book has to offer. The writings that I have read so far may actually further my creativity; another advantage to interacting with other writers and getting feedback on your own work.

If Book Country is wise, it may caught on to the 'digital' writings and opt to publish digitally rather than printing. However, it is yet to be seen if they will make that switch.