Book Business EXTRA! Q&A -- Gather.com President and COO Carl Rosendorf talks about the site’s upcoming Book It to Bermuda literary cruise.
Book Business EXTRA! -- What has Gather’s connection been with authors and publishers since the Web site was first launched last year?
Carl Rosendorf -- Gather established close ties with the publishing community almost from our initial launch. Last December, Houghton Mifflin began publishing a Weekly Word History on Gather each week from “The American Heritage Dictionary.” Houghton Mifflin also sponsored our first short fiction writing contest last winter. Beginning in April, Gather launched our Ask The Author program. Each month a best-selling author is invited for a Live Chat with Gather members. Participating authors have included Jonathan Safran Foer, Daniel Coyle and Terri Jentz. Authors who prefer not to participate in live chats on Gather have the option of being interviewed by the Gather editorial team. This month, we interviewed best-selling crime novelist James Ellroy about the release of the film “The Black Dahlia,” which is based on his 1987 bestseller.