I attended Book Expo America last week (May 24-27) and had a blast! There were so many booths, books, exhibitors and networking opportunities, that I’m just now exhaling enough to start writing about it.

As I was a member of the press, I was fortunate enough to receive information before the expo so I could get a handle on some of the booths I’d like to visit. My eyes got really large when I received an invite to meet the folks from Book Country. Writers are always complaining that there are not enough resources for them to network and get valuable critiques of their work and Book Country is a social network created solely for that purpose. A subsidiary of Penguin Group (USA), Book Country is a genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, thriller, and mystery) community that caters to writers, readers and publishing professionals.

Getting started on the site is free and easy. You can create an account in less than five minutes, but in order to get the most use out of it, you should spend some time completing the full profile which shouldn’t take you more than 15 or 20 minutes.

As you can see on their homepage above there are several options you can exercise in the community:

• Read and review other members work
• Upload and share your writing with others
• Join discussion groups to share and receive information
• Network with other writers and members with similar interests using the genre map
• Grow your knowledge of the publishing industry, enter contests and build your career

What I also like about the community is that you can link your blog, website and other social media pages, list your preferred genre, favorite authors and current reading list right on your profile page so you don’t have to worry about sending links to someone that wants to connect with you. It’s all on one page. Easy access.

A question that most writers would ask is: Do agents, editors and industry professionals visit the site? The answer is YES! One of the key benefits of joining this community is that your work has the chance to be seen by these publishing power players who are looking to identify new talent.

The best way to find out if the community is one that would truly benefit you is to check it out for yourself. Even if you aren’t a genre fiction writer, it would still be a good place to network and perhaps you might even get inspired to branch out and write something new. The site is managed and operated by staff that have a wealth of experience in the industry having worked for publishing entities like Penguin, Viking, Ballantine Books, St. Martin’s Press and more.

I plan on completing my profile and seeing what they have to offer. If you do join, let me know so we can connect further. I embedded the Book Country website earlier in the post, but here it is again and listed below. Want to take a literary mind trip? Explore Book Country!

Happy Reading & Writing!

Book Country Twitter & Website Info:

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