They say that everyone has a book in them. But after you’ve written it, what then?

Does it stay on your computer, unread? Do you send it off to a publisher with the likelihood that you will never hear from them? Don’t forget that 12 publishers rejected JK Rowling’s Harry Potter before she was signed up! Or do you get someone to read it in order to generate some feedback and book reviews. That’s just the service that writers’ web provides for emerging writers.

Everyone knows that a farmers’ market connects the producer direct to the buyer. writers’ web is just like that but for writers – it connects would-be authors direct with readers online.

Founders Janet Kieseker and Emma Mactaggart came up with the idea over a glass of wine at their bookclub. Emma, a writer, was lamenting about how demoralising it is to get stuck in a publisher’s slush pile and not hear anything from them. It’s this bottleneck that prevents writers getting their work out into the public domain, so Janet Kieseker piped up “Why not change the paradigm?” And so they did.

So, how does it work? Writers complete an online registration form, then submit information to build their writer profile so their book can go into the online shop.

Reviewers are invited to read the work and review it, with reviews posted on http://www.writersweb.com.au. Authors choose to use these reviews in their own promotional material or incorporate feedback from the reviewers into their revised work.

Author of recently reviewed Fake ProfileKhyiah Angel says, “It’s a fabulous opportunity for Australians wanting to get their work out to an Australian audience. And they can do this in addition to the global opportunities, as writers’ web is non-exclusive.”

Emerging writers might be self-published, unpublished, with an edited manuscript or traditionally published through a publisher with a new work not taken up by that publisher. Or they might be already published authors looking for a new way to promote their book.

And there are lots of benefits for emerging writers including:

• No rejection – every book or manuscript we receive (as long as the content is not inappropriate) goes out to our reviewers for their feedback
• Using the feedback from the reviewers to refine their work
• A means of promoting emerging Australian writers for no up-front cost
• Helps writer “discoverability” to targeted Australian reading audiences and as a possible springboard to publishers
• Speeds up the process of getting a work into reader/purchaser hands
• Provides an exclusive or additional promotional channel for authors and their books
• Builds an author’s reading and purchasing networks
• A channel to sell their books.

Both fiction and non-fiction genres are currently covered by the 120 reviewers waiting to read fresh new writers. Genres include:

Non-fiction

• Biography/memoir
• Cooking/food/wine
• How to
• Articles

Fiction

• Chick lit
• Children’s
• Comedy
• Crime/mystery
• Fantasy
• General fiction
• Literary fiction
• Historical fiction
• Romance
• Short story
• Young adult

Writers’ web complements traditional publishing by providing a chance to demonstrate commercial viability as an author to “traditional” publishers. In today’s competitive market, proven authors have a higher degree of success in securing deals.

Back to JK Rowling. If she had given you her manuscript, you would have passed the word to ten of your friends and them to ten of their friends, going viral. In today’s connected world, this is entirely possible and the idea that underpins writers web.

They would love to discover the next big Australian writer. Is it you?

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