Where book clubs can sponsor books and readers can talk to authors

Website launched to allow readers to discuss books with their authors and for book clubs to sponsor the publication of new books.

Night Publishing has just launched the Night Reading site, open to all readers and all writers, to encourage the publication of all books which have a willing audience and the online discussion of books between readers and authors.

On the site, authors are encouraged to load up the first chapters of their books for readers to browse and comment upon. Books may either be already published or awaiting publication. For unpublished books, any book club can sponsor the publication of the book by ordering ten copies. The Night Reading site will then set about negotiating the publication of that book with the author and the author's availability to discuss the book with club members as they prepare for their meeting.

Additionally, each month Night Reading itself will sponsor the publication of one book as voted for by readers entering the site. The poll takes place between the 25th of each month and midnight of the 1st of the next month. Ten books are selected to participate in the poll. Half are selected automatically based on their Ning popularity score, half are selected by a panel of judges.

The ultimate aim of the site is that every book should find its appropriate audience and then be published in whatever formats are most suitable.

Within days, over 40 new novels and collections of poetry were being showcased on the site, with many more promised.