Bookish.com, the book recommendation and discovery platform acquired a year ago by NetGalley, has added BookishFirst, a book preview and review platform for consumers.
Designed to foster book discoverability, BookishFirst will deliver pre-publication excerpts and reviews that will give consumers the opportunity to discover new books and authors. BookishFirst will be organized to be an online reading community, and consumers will have an opportunity to enter raffles with the chance to win free books.
Visitors to the site will be able to read excerpts of forthcoming books and submit blurbs and reviews to the raffles for the chance for free books and to have their blurbs and reviews published at book retail sites.
BookishFirst is being marketed to publishers as a promotional site that can expand discoverability, connect with readers and generate prepublication buzz for books. Publishers are being encouraged to donate new books to the raffles and contests. Participating in the launch of BookishFirst are such companies as Disney-Hyperion, Gallery Books, St. Martin’s Press, Harlequin, Sourcebooks Fire, Berkley Publishing Group, and Del Rey.
Lindsey Lochner, NetGallery v-p, marketing engagement , said, “We’re also excited to offer publishers a new platform to capture early reviews and create buzz around their books directly with avid readers. We foresee BookishFirst becoming an important tool for publishers to gain consumer insights, analyze trends, and better understand how to connect directly with readers.”
