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AUTHORSdB

WriterBN

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Anyone use Authorsdb? I searched BR&BC but couldn't find anything on them. It was free, so I decided to try it. I'd be interested to hear from others who have a listing there.
 

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It looks like a display site to me which also sells editing and formatting services. I wasn't terribly impressed with what I saw.

I'll move this from Book Promotion to BR&BC, where it's probably a better fit.
 

Deleted member 42

Yes, it's a display site. Probably well-intentioned, though I'm not sure about that, I am sure that it is a silly idea.

Readers don't find authors or new books by going to a Website they don't know, that isn't curated, and browsing. They find books primarily by a reference from a known fellow reader, whether it's a professional reviewer, a quote from an known author on the back of the book, a recommendation from a friend, book seller, family member or librarian, or from a contact on a site like GoodReads or LibraryThing.

In other words, book purchases tend to grow out of communities of fellow readers; not display sites, and generally, not ads (other than as a notification that the author whose Every Single Book you always buy has released another book).

I'd be wary as well, of a site that has so many issues with English; it doesn't reflect well. They have no TOS, or Privacy statement, and that is of some concern.
 
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WriterBN

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Thanks. I agree that it's probably well-intentioned, but the value it offers remains to be proved. I think the original idea was to make it the IMDb of books. Time will tell.
 

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The site's registered to "Media, Coldwater" (that's how it's listed on the Whois). The address is c/o Network Solutions, the site's registrar. The only Coldwater Media I can find seems to be a producer of documentaries. That site is here - https://coldwatermedia.com Since they have a separate "store" section, I'm not sure why they have the entire site on a secure server, but whatever makes them happy.

Odd, too, that Authorsdb has no "About Us" page; nothing to tell you who they are or what their qualifications might be.

This from their, "Why Authorsdb" page, under the subsection Awards here - http://www.authorsdb.com/why-authorsdb:

TOP100 AUTHORSdB. The more views you receive on your author page, the more you climb to the TOP100 list*. Announced every Friday. @[author name] AUTHORSdB TOP100 & is currently #1 Pls RT [link back to author details]

Sounds like a popularity contest to me.

AUTHOR OF THE WEEK. Each week authors who are in the TOP 50 will be put into randompicker.com and a draw will be awarded for a free banner weekly.

Wow! My book, no matter its quality, is eligible to be picked randomly! For a banner ad that I'm sure might make some subtle, I'm sure, mention of Authorsdb. Do not get me started on, "will be awarded for"; it's making my head hurt.

VIP BLOGGER We appreciate when author's share the word about AUTHORSdB on their blogs. We offer a VIP Blogger Award for bloggers who blog about AUTHORSdB of a free banner drawn weekly for members with listings on AUTHORSdB.com. If your blog is not drawn, you are entered into the following week's draw. Valid as long as your blog post about AUTHORSdB is live. This helps increase your Google page rank. Announced every Friday.

Jeepers! How about if my blog mentions Authorsdb in a negative light? Am I still eligible? And am I reading this right--my blog might "win" the chance to display the "prize" banner from the Author of the Week contest? Wha.....?

FEATURED AUTHORS are random authors selected via our database and shown in the Featured Authors section giving every author equal promotional benefits.

Because random is good! Random means everyone can be a winner, no matter if they wrote drivel or the next great American novel, they're all created equal at Authorsdb!

If I had a vote, I'd vote no on this one.
 
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Deleted member 42

Thanks. I agree that it's probably well-intentioned, but the value it offers remains to be proved. I think the original idea was to make it the IMDb of books. Time will tell.

Given the Open Library catalog, the Library of Congress, World Cat, Library Thing, Good Reads, and Amazon, that's at best short-sighted.
 

nkkingston

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To does make it feel a little underresearched, doesn't it? "Hey, IMDb is neat! Let's do a book one!" without checking to see that there weren't miriad well-established book cataloguing sites.
 

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Agreed. There will probably be less of them after the Goodreads-Amazon merger takes effect. Maybe that will also give Amazon a reason to put Shelfari out of its misery.