The public loved attending author events, then being able to buy the books direct from the publishers' stands at trade prices.
He described the site as "a way of having a more direct conversation with consumers", who will have the chance to compete for prizes from rare proof copies to attending author events.
Bookstores, including some of the most prominent around the country, have begun selling tickets or requiring a book purchase of customers who attend author readings and signings, a practice once considered unthinkable.
Find them by attending author readings and literary festivals.
People who read poetry are the unsung customer base for independent bookstores: they are avid readers, they love books as physical objects, they will religiously attend author readings, they read books on a variety of subjects, and they buy more books annually than anyone else I know.
Attending authors at the Irrawaddy literary festival include Timothy Garton Ash, William Dalrymple, Jung Chang, and the festival's patron Aung Sang Suu Kyi.
Both attending authors and the audience have been protesting the alleged threat to Mr Rushdie's attendance on social media as well as at the festival venue.
In the past, I occasionally had enough gumption as a festival punter to introduce myself to writers (which resulted in everything from a bear hug from the late Dorothy Porter, to raised eyebrows from Ian McEwan), but now as a guest of a festival, interaction with other attending authors is – joyfully, terrifyingly – unavoidable.
We thank Dr. Thibaut Jombart and Prof. Christophe Fraser for helpful comments, and attending authors are grateful for the opportunity to discuss the project at the PERMAFROST workshop.
Live streamed to schools, the event was attended by authors and 300 child judges.
