Quick Book Geekery Update
Posted by
Kevin
I mentioned in last week’s random book blogging that TOR was giving away free books. Blogassm tracked down some more information about why TOR wanted people to give them them their email addresses:
Tor Books, a major science fiction and fantasy publisher, announced recently that it would offer free weekly ebooks of its print titles if you sign up for its email newsletter. But this is just part of a larger online expansion that will include social networking and the publication of original short fiction and nonfiction, sources familiar with the project told me.
Two sources who spoke to me on condition of anonymity said that it’s intended to be a “go-to site, a central community” for science fiction and fantasy fans. A few authors have already been approached to submit original short fiction to be published online. Tor is paying upwards of 25 cents per word for these stories and right now is only dealing with solicited authors.
According to one of the sources, this website will act in part as a form of branding and promotion for Tor book titles, “with an eye towards leveraging traffic into advertising revenues, down the road.” The project is being largely organized by Patrick Nielson Hayden, a senior editor at Tor.
So far the details of this site have remained a secret, hence why the sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
In an email on Friday, Nielsen Hayden confirmed many of these facts.
Cool, I signed up.
Comment 2/20/2008