Swoon Reads
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Swoon Reads culls unpublished young adult manuscripts from writers and allows community members to vote on which ones should be published. Readers and writers are encouraged to read the manuscript in full and offer detailed feedback. The best-rated books — the ones that are deemed “Swoonworthy” — go through the publishing process. The final product is published in both eBook and print. It is a small company, based in New York, with a total of 66 published books on the catalog. I would say its most recognizable work is Been here all along, by Sandy Hall, along with two amateur reviews. Teen Librarian Toolbox also references it on an “upcoming” list from 2016.
Swoon Reads is technically an imprint of MacMillan. It did get some buzz in 2014 from NPR as well — this feature includes an interview with the author of Been here all along.
I really love the idea of crowd-sourcing publication material. The community development aspect makes me nostalgic for my Fictionpress and NaNoWriMo days. I am curious about the demographics of the reader community. I am wondering if readers are predominantly teens, or if the ratings are swayed by fervent teachers and librarians.
I like big books and I cannot lie. 