Publishers’ Sites Are Going Beyond Books
In a move that is reminiscent of Simon & Schuster’s Glommable site, EverAfter Romance, a division of Diversion Publishing Corp, has launched a new content hub for avid romance readers. The new site promises to be a “publisher-neutral space for all things romance,” and will feature book reviews, author interviews, “and other things romance fans love.” Those “other things” include TV recaps, film and music reviews, and travel and food spotlights.
“This romance community is a natural progression for us, from the [ebook store] app to the author services program to the romance family at large,” said Mary Cummings, director of content acquisition and business development at EverAfter in a press release. “Basically, we eventually want to be the comprehensive resource for all things romance.”
That idea of becoming a comprehensive resource — a place where consumers can find everything they want about a certain topic, not just books — is growing in popularity among publishers. The previously mentioned Glommable is one example of this. It’s a site dedicated to covering pop culture and “glomming” over visitors’ favorite authors and creators. And in March Penguin Random House launched Brightly, a site that provides advice to parents hoping to nurture lifelong readers. These initiatives are part of a growing trend to offer readers more than books but also communities, solutions, and quick, digestible entertainment. These strategies are discussed at length in the latest issue of Book Business, which you can find here.
The full press release from EverAfter Romance is below.
September 2, 2015, New York — Today EverAfter Romance, a division of Diversion Publishing Corp, announced the launch of a new online community site for fans of romance books, TV, film, and pop culture. The site is the latest extension of EverAfter’s rapidly expanding romance brand, which first launched in November 2014 as a romance-only eBookstore app. In July, EverAfter added an innovative new print publishing and distribution program for indie and hybrid romance authors, launching with 100 titles by twelve bestselling romance writers, including Marie Force, Melissa Foster, and CD Reiss, among others.
The new community site, which is publisher-neutral, will be offering exclusive content such as book reviews, guest posts, author interviews, excerpts, cover reveals, and author-created playlists. “But because we know that romance readers are also fans of all things connected to romance, we’ll also be featuring things like TV recaps, film and music reviews, video game and comic book reviews, and engaging posts about travel, food, and pop culture. We’re really just getting started,” says Trent Hart, EverAfter’s Marketing Manager.
“This romance community is a natural progression for us, from the app to the author services program to the romance family at large. Basically, we eventually want to be the comprehensive resource for all things romance,” added Mary Cummings, Director of Content Acquisition and Business Development at EverAfter and VP of Diversion Books.
EverAfter has plans for further expansions to the community site, including user forums, an online romance bookstore, and an online event calendar for romance authors and conventions.
About EverAfter
EverAfter Romance, a division of Diversion Publishing Corp., is the romance community resource that delights readers and authors with innovative products and services, like the first romance-only eBookstore app launched in November 2014. Over the next six months, EverAfter plans to release a variety of new initiatives, including a publisher-agnostic romance community site rich with editorial features; an online bookstore with more than 100,000 romance titles; dedicated romance-focused marketing services with unique opportunities for its authors; and more.
- Companies:
- Simon and Schuster Inc.
Ellen Harvey is a freelance writer and editor who covers the latest technologies and strategies reshaping the publishing landscape. She previously served as the Senior Editor at Publishing Executive and Book Business.