Spinebreakers
I was surfing the web today — and I mention that only because it’s something I rarely do — I get in, get what I want, and get out — and discovered Spinebreakers. What a great name for a site by, for and about teens and the books they love.
The site was actually created by Penguin UK as a promotional tool and a way to reach their teen audience, but they’ve done a lot of work to make it as grassroots and authentic as possible. Publishers, take note!
The site includes reviews of [Penguin-only] books chosen from the full list by a team of 13-18-year-old bookies. They are also working hard to solicit content — writing, design, photography — from the community they’re building.
I was impressed by the design, layout and functionality of the site, as well as by the voice. It sounded pretty real to me. I was also impressed by Penguin’s willingness to get down with non-traditional promotional methods and online/social network marketing tools and just see what happened.
No idea yet how big the “community” really is. The site just launched in September. Time will tell.
Check it out for yourself:
Click here to read Nora Young’s blog on Spinebreakers on the CBC web site.
And click here to go straight to Spinebreakers.