BookTour gets $350K for author event directory

April 13, 2009 | Camille Ricketts | Comments | |

BookTour, a web site that aggregates author events like readings, book signings and the like, making them easily searchable, has landed $350,000 in a first round of funding from Amazon.com, among undisclosed others, according to PE Hub. Equally notable is that its chairman is Christopher Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine.

The site lets authors create their own profile pages so they can keep their fans abreast of any updates, events, biographical information, etc. — this, in addition to its database of event information. For example, if you search for David Sedaris, BookTour calls up the books he has written, providing links to purchase them on Amazon or find a local retailer that offers them. It also lists his confirmed appearances for April in Tampa and St. Louis.

A few other neat features: You can find authors based in your local area, contact some of them directly, and request them to attend an event of your own with one click. BookTour, now in beta, says its purpose is to connect authors and their audiences, and it will probably succeed if it can convince more authors to establish a presence. With all the potential the site holds for promoting their names and books, it seems like this shouldn’t be too difficult.

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About the Author, Camille Ricketts

Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

With GreenBeat 2009, VentureBeat's all-star conference on all things Smart Grid, coming up in November, Camille will be expanding coverage of this exciting space. Stay up to date by following @greenbeat2009 on Twitter or by becoming a fan of the event on Facebook here.

  • i think BookTour is a great new website that i should try. this is cool. thanks for this info..
  • Steve
    Reminds me on www.Klatcher.com
  • It's good to see simple, but compelling original ventures like this still being developed.

    Good luck guys.
  • daffner
    Simply put, Booktour is great. My own book signings are listed, and also I can learn about book signings in my area.

    Diana Daffner
    Author: http://www.TantraforBusyCouples.com