Carl Rosendorf

Social media is one of the tools book publishers need to have in their Web 2.0 arsenal. Web sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Gather not only draw millions of visitors, they also provide those visitors with a platform to converse and connect around shared interests and passions. On Gather (www.Gather.com), which President and COO Carl Rosendorf describes as “MySpace for grown-ups,” “Books” is one of 11 “essential” channels that visitors can navigate to find content and conversation of interest. Gather’s “Books” group boasts more than 45,000 members, who read, contribute and/or comment on original content such as book reviews, articles and

Gather.com, a popular user-driven social networking community on the Web, is celebrating its first anniversary next month with a literary-themed cruise setting sail to Bermuda. The Web site, in conjunction with several major publishers, will present bestselling authors and literary guests who vacationers will have the opportunity to mingle with for the five-night event on Royal Caribbean’s new Jewel of the Seas cruise ship. Gather.com President and COO Carl Rosendorf, a former executive with Barnes & Nobel.com, chats with Book Business EXTRA! about the Book It to Bermuda cruise. Book Business EXTRA! -- What has Gather’s connection been with authors and publishers since the Web