According to Publishers Weekly, Penguin launched a beta version of a website called Book Country. It’s an online community that provides a space for genre fiction writers to upload their work and get criticism, and it already boasts over 500 members. Editors, publishers, and fellow writers are obliged to take a peek, leave feedback, and potentially find new authors to sign. Book Country, as a place for genre fiction, is a home for romance, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, and various contemporary hybrid genres (paranormal romance). Penguin intends, eventually, to provide self-publishing services that, for a fee, will help authors produce printed and e-book editions of their work.

Molly Barton, director of business development at Penguin and developer of Book Country said “I wanted to find a way to harness the Internet in a better way to support writers.” “(Writers now have a chance to) prove us wrong when they get rejected. They can show us there’s an audience for their work. Book Country …fosters an atmosphere of encouragement and creativity.”

This could be a great opportunity for ambitious writers to get some eyes on their work without being in a classroom. The only catch is, in order to post one’s own work, users must first leave comments on three other stories. This ensures that all users will, at least in some capacity, keep the exchange of new stories and new comments in healthy order.

Penguin is only the latest big publisher to start a website like this. HarperCollins has two such sites, Authonomy and InkPop, for teens. MacMillan’s newly unveiled site, for crime and mystery fiction, is called CriminalElement.

These sites want your work and your feedback! Here are their links:
http://www.authonomy.com/
http://bookcountry.com/
http://www.criminalelement.com/