In response to what he calls “seismic changes” in the book publishing industry, Ken Arnold, publisher of KenArnoldBooks is looking for ways to bridge the gap between the old publishing model, which he says “depends on the inefficient distribution of books through stores, and the new model, which we are still creating. Those of us trying new models are ahead of the curve.”
As Mr. Arnold explains in the March 1 issue of The Living Church magazine, one of the ways the company is doing this is through its newly launched website, Buzzaroonie.com. “It is a new social network site where booklovers, authors, and publishers can engage with one another directly. Publishers can advertise. Authors can promote their books. Book lovers can review books they love and buy what they need. I call it a ‘lit lounge for the people and by the people.’
“Buzzaroonie was conceived originally as a book review site when we began to see the demise of newspaper review sections like the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post Book Review,” Mr. Arnold said. “We envisioned a site where readers could review books instead of ‘experts,’ where books can be discussed online, not simply judged.
“It evolved into a broader site about books, in which we want readers, authors, and publishers to engage each other, promote themselves and their books, and even sell books,” he said. “It is the most open social network for books on the web, and a unique place to interact with authors. Like the neighborhood bookstore, Buzzaroonie is the book lover’s place to be.”
Mr. Arnold said he and his wife, Connie Kirk, the company’s marketing director, began working on the site late last year and it made its debut in early February. Their goal is “to attract tens of thousands of members and stimulate thoughtful commentary about books. We also hope that communities will form around particular interests—poetry, theology, history, satire…whatever people want to read and discuss. Our goal is to make Buzzaroonie profitable as well, so that, as a publication of KenArnoldBooks, it helps support the publishing we do.”
A loftier goal of the online venture is to “help rescue the book culture,” which Mr. Arnold said is “imperiled by the current economic crisis.
“We want to provide a positive way forward for people who love the book,” he said. “That includes the church, which is so dependent on the book. The church has always led the way when communications systems changed. That is not the case now, but I hope the church will see in social network sites like Buzzaroonie and new publication technologies ways to reach people more effectively. The next generation of the faithful is there; we have to catch up with them.”
Read more about KenArnoldBooks in the March 1, 2009, issue of The Living Church. To get instant access to the article, subscribe now to The Living Church online edition. Click here for details.
