Digital publishing platform Readership launches

Today sees Readership – a new digital publishing platform – open for submissions. Writers seeking publication can upload extracts of their work to the site, where readers can cast a critical eye over the opening line, the first chapter and/or the second chapter, then decide if they’re interested enough to read more.

Voting no invites the reader to leave feedback for the author. Voting yes asks for a donation of the reader’s choosing towards the cost of publication, in theory proportionate to how much they like what they read. Every book that meets its donation target in this manner will then be published by Readership. It will subsequently be made available through all major digital outlets and all funders will receive a copy.

Voting will be enabled later in the year, but for now writers are encouraged to upload their manuscript to ensure it’s ready for public consumption and among the first that readers will encounter. Authors can also upload audio and visual content to complement their work. Readership will then use online campaigns and community activities to promote their work.

Sam Rennie, founder of the company, says: “Readership was created out of a desire to see more publishers embedding themselves in online culture. Considering what communities across the digital world have achieved, we’re incredibly excited about the possibilities available in the online world – particularly in this emerging sector of crowd-sourced, community-based publishers. With Readership we’ve created a space that lets readers decide if a book is published or not.”

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