Worthy of Publishing Offers Writers the Acid Test
Apart from offering readers a new forum in which to explore unpublished books, and publishers a tool for discovering new
writers, the new Worthy Of Publishing website offers writers a most valuable opportunity – that of actually having
people read their work before it is published, and having them provide feedback.
The easy to use website is so designed that readers have opportunities to register interest at several levels. Firstly,
the site registers the number of people who select a work to look at. Secondly, it offers readers the opportunity to
rate the book on a scale of one to five. And finally, it offers the facility to actually comment on the work. The site
calculates the “most read” books and the “highest rated” books – very useful information.
For writers, this information is extremely valuable. If their work attracts initial interest from the brief description
they have provided and reader’s progress through reading a sample of it, then offer comments, the writer will know if he
or she has succeeded in attracting interest, maintaining it and engaging the reader so that a comment is provided.
This in itself is a rare and extremely valuable opportunity for writers to receive feedback. When asked, Do you think receiving feedback from website visitors is important and why? Writers participating in the survey were overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
“Absolutely. . . Initially, I was planning to find a way to get ordinary readers to read my work, to see what their
feedback would be, and to see if they were interested. If my work could attract publishers, it would be great.
“Definitely. It is good not only getting your friends and relatives to comment on your work. It is beneficial and
important to have ordinary readers to review it as well”
“Yes, comment could be very helpful and important. In fact, people charge quite a bit for reviewing books. .. . It is
good to enjoy it for free”
“Because the site replicates the real world in offering a number of works side by side all competing for attention, it’s
a virtual bookshop where readers browse different genres and choose what piques their interest. I think writers will
welcome the opportunity to see where they stand in comparison with other would-be authors. It’s also a real
confidence-booster to see that your book has been most read or rated highest in its category.”
Writers reported that the site was extremely user-friendly to both writers uploading work, and to readers searching for
books.
“It is easy to use. Everything in the website is handy to use and it is easy to edit files and documents, to navigate
through. I am very impressed”
All writers surveyed stated that they would definitely recommend that other writers make use of a hitherto unavailable
opportunity to place their work under the scrutiny of a potentially vast audience.
“This is a truly Twenty First Century approach that goes beyond the traditional parameters of submitting work to the
public exclusively via a Publisher. This site allows writers and Publishers alike to see what people are interested in
and how they respond to a given writer.”
ENDS