Authonomy: Read for the Top

Authonomy is a website designed for unpublished writers to showcase their work, critique others, and try get voted into the top 5 for a review from one of HarperCollins’ editors. The voting system is based on fundamental game theory with three possible outcomes. 1) I don’t vote for you, you don’t vote for me. We both lose. 2) You vote for me, I don’t vote for you. I win in the short term, but when other members figure out how stingy I am. . . 3) I vote for you, you vote for me. We both win, a little bit, as our books move up the ranks together.

Of course someone comes along every now and then and finds a new way into the top five that riles the community. One guy walked in with a fan base of over a 1000 and shot straight to the top. Personally, this didn’t upset me. I have believed from the beginning that authonomy’s first big success story will be when a book goes viral and HarperCollins sees an audience too big to ignore. In this context, even a 1000+ shelves is still too small a number. It’s going to take at least 10 000 for this strategy to work.

That exception aside, the system is designed in such a way that the most active readers and shelvers rise to the top. Simple as that. Any outsider would likely wonder whether or not a system like this will produce the five most accomplished texts in any given month. To the best of my knowledge, none of the top 5 winners have been offered a publishing contract from HC--infer from that what you will. So if making it to the top 5 is a time consuming process that offers a minuscule chance at a contract, is it worth it to participate even if you have better things to do with your time?

I would offer a qualified yes. These are the primary reasons why I remain involved with authonomy:

1) I have met some talented authors on the site whose books I will buy and read with pleasure when published. These books will likely come from small presses and I never would have heard of them but for authonomy.

2) There are a lot of good books on the site. A lot. It forces each writer to ask themselves, “What’s so special about mine?” The ability to find an answer to that question is a gift in itself.

3) I have used feedback from readers to change and improve my manuscript--though not always in the ways suggested.

4) It is one way of raising awareness of the novel and my own name. Even though my parents taught me to be humble, I have learned that if people don’t recognize your name, they won’t buy your book. Incorporating my name into my website and blog ain’t vanity, it’s just a response to that reality.

5) There isn’t much to keep a writer occupied during the 6-8 weeks it takes to receive a rejection letter for a traditional paper submission. Participating in authonomy allows a measure of control that is enough to keep me from becoming a needy writer hounding a publisher for the status of my submission. (Agents and editors everywhere should be grateful to authonomy for keeping unpublished writers occupied on their forums and out of their hair.)

If you plan to join authonomy as a writer, or in that rarest and most precious role, solely as a reader looking for new talent, my only advice is to find your own reason for participating, stick to it, and ignore the elements that don’t work for you (the anarchic forum perhaps?). Whether or not you join, there is a useful tips page from HarperCollins writers and editors that you might want to have a look at.