# Submit your book to the Book Matching Website!! It matches Readers and Books!



## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Steven has been awesome enough to create a website to match books and readers. But the website needs more books!

http://www.bookmatchers.com/

Go on over and submit your book! Do it today!


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

I submitted mine!


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Would this work if you swing both ways (digital and paper   )?


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## Quiss (Aug 21, 2012)

Oh, you mean creating an engine that actually allows people to efficiently FIND the kind of books they like, rather than just picking "romance" from a half-baked menu and then having to wade through 2000 pages of tiny cover images?

Geepers, wouldn't it be a fine thing if Sony, Kobo and Apple had such a crazy idea!


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

I would like a pirate memory game book. Nothing too pirate-y though.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Quiss said:


> Oh, you mean creating an engine that actually allows people to efficiently FIND the kind of books they like, rather than just picking "romance" from a half-baked menu and then having to wade through 2000 pages of tiny cover images?
> 
> Geepers, wouldn't it be a fine thing if Sony, Kobo and Apple had such a crazy idea!


Yeah! You got it. You caught my vision. 

And Saul - very clever!


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

I'm loving this idea.  
The algos to produce likely matches would be a fun fun fun exercise to design.


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## Scarlett_R (Sep 30, 2011)

My Search Engine refinements

Books about mental asylums
creepiness
2 main characters- 1 male/1 female
with death
But not total death- possibly revived
Also a dog in there somewhere.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

I'll be a beta tester!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

What a "novel" concept! I have a lot of experience with database design and web development, so I'd be willing to give this a try. We'll need to develop a strong list of questions to ask of both authors and readers in order to make better recommendations.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> What a "novel" concept! I have a lot of experience with database design and web development, so I'd be willing to give this a try. We'll need to develop a strong list of questions to ask of both authors and readers in order to make better recommendations.


You're my hero!

Okay, everyone think of questions to ask so people can find books they like.  Things like how bloody you like your books...how sexy...how political... put your thinking caps on everyone.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

To help get things started, here are some examples of the kind of things we'd need to consider. I'm thinking that it might be better to provide a different form for each major genre, and here are some examples of some questions that might be asked:

Provide a different questionnaire for each major genre.

*Science Fiction	*
How much "science" or "technology" do you prefer?	
1) None	2) Some 3) A lot

What settings do you prefer?	
1) Known planets	2) New planets in known galaxies 3) Completely made up

How important is it that you can easily pronounce names?	
1) Not important	2) Slightly important 3) Very important

*Horror	*
How much blood and gore would you prefer?	
1) A little 2) Some 3) A lot

How graphic would you like your story to be?	
1) Not very 2) Somewhat 3) More the better

How much sex will you tolerate in your story?	
1) None	2) Some, as long as it is tasteful 3) Lots


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## amishromanceauthor (Sep 27, 2012)

Looks like someone's working on it:

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/booksai-wants-to-help-you-discover-new-books-through-artificial-intelligence/


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

That's an interesting tool, but I don't believe it is quite the same. Booksai asks you to paste an actual writing sample and then it analyzes that sample to make a comparison with other books in their database. If I'm reading a book on my Kindle, I don't have a way to get a sample of the text unless I want to type it in, and they say it works better with at least 4000 words. The approach I think is being suggested here is to provide readers with a list of options that they can use to rate their preferences, and then use an algorithm to find the best match for the kind of book the reader is looking for.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> That's an interesting tool, but I don't believe it is quite the same. Booksai asks you to paste an actual writing sample and then it analyzes that sample to make a comparison with other books in their database. If I'm reading a book on my Kindle, I don't have a way to get a sample of the text unless I want to type it in, and they say it works better with at least 4000 words. The approach I think is being suggested here is to provide readers with a list of options that they can use to rate their preferences, and then use an algorithm to find the best match for the kind of book the reader is looking for.


Yes, you're totally reading my mind. Love the test questions you've got. I totally think you're on the right track. I would SO love a website like this.


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## philstern (Mar 14, 2011)

I think it's a great idea.


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

Allreaders.com attempted this a long long time ago. The site is still up. I was one of the beta testers and had a bunch of reviews there long before I started writing.

It worked because readers input information about their favorite books, drilling down to very specific elements about the plot and characters so that you could eventually find books with specific topics like Romance Between Lawyers or Murder of a Mayor.

Might be something to look at as you try to code an engine.

http://www.allreaders.com/booksearcha.asp


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

Great idea!

Don't forget options like "doesn't matter" and/or "I don't know."  

Rue


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

Did you try this?
http://www.tastekid.com/

It provides recommendations and help you discover new music, movies, shows, books, authors or games, based on what you like.


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## Lexi Revellian (May 31, 2010)

If only Mark Coker had done this on Smashwords...

Lexi


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

TexasGirl said:


> Allreaders.com attempted this a long long time ago. The site is still up. I was one of the beta testers and had a bunch of reviews there long before I started writing.
> 
> It worked because readers input information about their favorite books, drilling down to very specific elements about the plot and characters so that you could eventually find books with specific topics like Romance Between Lawyers or Murder of a Mayor.
> 
> ...


Wow! I had never heard of this site, but it is very impressive. There are a couple of problems I see with it, though. For a site that has been around for ten years, it appears to have a very limited list of authors to recommend. Another issue was the user interface, which seems to be pretty complex. I'm not sure that your typical reader is going to want to fill in that much information, and even though it is all optional, it seems a bit daunting.

I do like the concept they used, and some of the search options and questions would definitely be helpful in trying to mput something new together. Thanks for suggesting it!



Nathalie Hamidi said:


> Did you try this?
> http://www.tastekid.com/
> 
> It provides recommendations and help you discover new music, movies, shows, books, authors or games, based on what you like.


This site seems to be fairly limited as well, and I'm not sure what kind of criteria they use for their recommendations. I typed in "Stephen R. Donaldson", and it recognized the name and even prefilled the remainder when I got to the first letter of the last name. However, it didn't find any suggestions at all, which was disappointing.

Please don't take it to mean that I am criticizing either of these sites. Anything we put together is going to be equally limited as well. I don't see myself sitting down and going through and entering every book I've ever read into the database. Frankly, I don't have the time to do that. I anticipate having the authors provide the information themselves, because they have the most to gain.

This site will only be as complete as the authors make it. The more books you have cataloged, the easier it will be to recommend someone that a reader may never have heard of or considered before. The problem with asking readers to rpovide the information is that they usually don't want to be bothered with having to do something like that. We've all experienced the reluctance of readers to even provide reviews! The authors have a vested interest in making sure that their titles are listed, so it is to their benefit to provide as much information as possible.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Only if theirs no unprotected match ups. A girl can't be too careful these days.

Edward C. Patterson
(You know you're a woman if you made it into the binder)


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## Doctor Barbara (Aug 17, 2010)

Victorine, you've got the ball rolling and Steven's on the right track.  Some good ideas here as well as informative sites.  

The seed's been planted....

As a reader, I'd sure use something like this.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Great idea.  And as a reader I would totally use it.  I have definite particulars I look for in a book.

You should call it something similiar to the dating sites out three...

ebookharmony

Book Life

Book Match


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

This is an awesome idea! I do like Vivi's BookMatch as a name, too. 



Steven R. Drennon said:


> Please don't take it to mean that I am criticizing either of these sites. Anything we put together is going to be equally limited as well. I don't see myself sitting down and going through and entering every book I've ever read into the database. Frankly, I don't have the time to do that. I anticipate having the authors provide the information themselves, because they have the most to gain.


I think there's value to allowing readers to update entries too. They can have very different ideas about books than the authors. The hard part would be figuring out how to allow them to update without letting them change the meat. Maybe some kind of rating system tied to the matching questions after they've read the book? "Did you think this book matched your interests?" kind of thing.


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## Janet Michelson (Jun 20, 2012)

Dalya said:


> I would like a pirate memory game book. Nothing too pirate-y though.


Dalya- you're always good for a laugh.  Do you write comedy?

I love--love--love any idea that helps readers *quickly and efficiently* wade through the mass of published material and get *consistent reliable* results from their search. I predict that the days of random searches will come to an end as readers weary of the process.

Remember internet searches before Google? Dark, dark days.


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## MLKatz (Sep 8, 2012)

I love this idea too. Besides, just because something has been done before does not mean you cannot do it better. (i.e. Facebook vs Myspace). 

I would love to see a function that asked for big name authors, and then matched up Indy books with similar themes/genres.


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## Megan Duncan (Dec 28, 2010)

I think that's a super fun idea! I'm in!


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## eBooksHabit (Mar 5, 2012)

eBookHarmony... clever.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

MLKatz said:


> I would love to see a function that asked for big name authors, and then matched up Indy books with similar themes/genres.


I agree that it would be great to be able to do this, but it probably won't happen right away. The only way we can do that is to get some entries for the big name authors that we could compare against. Maybe we can get some volunteers along the way to input some of those books they have read and that could give us some comparison points.

I liked the suggestion for eBookHarmony as well, but when I went to check on the avilability of the domain name, it was registered already, just yesterday as a matter of fact!


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

eBooksHabit said:


> eBookHarmony... clever.


I misread your post at first and was all excited about a dating site that weeded out applicants based upon what books they like. I can think of a few books that I use to weed out people, already (says the girl who dumped a guy because he didn't know who Katherine was in "Taming of the Shrew").


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Love the concept. Count me in as a beta tester.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I agree that it would be great to be able to do this, but it probably won't happen right away. The only way we can do that is to get some entries for the big name authors that we could compare against. Maybe we can get some volunteers along the way to input some of those books they have read and that could give us some comparison points.
> 
> I liked the suggestion for eBookHarmony as well, but when I went to check on the avilability of the domain name, it was registered already, just yesterday as a matter of fact!


I'm thinking maybe a spot for authors to put in other authors that they are similar to. That way if a reader is looking for books similar to Dan Brown, those authors who write in a similar genre would come up. That wouldn't be so difficult, we'd just have to make sure authors weren't putting in every author known to man to come up more in the searches. In fact, you'll probably want to limit the answers for this very reason.

I'm so excited that you're really thinking of doing this. What a great website this will be.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Okay, here is a link to the prototype I am working on. I don't have the database set up yet, but I'll probably get to it this weekend. The main thing I'd like people to check out is the "For Readers" tab, and more specifically, the "Science Fiction" page beneath it. This is the first search form I have created, and I'd like some feedback on the options in the dropdown menus. If you feel that something should be added or removed, just use the Comment box at the bottom of the page to send me your suggestions.

I will be creating a separate page for each major genre, and the options in each box will be different based on the genre. I'll be asking for feedback on those as I move along. There will also be separate pages for the authors to use to enter their information for their books. This information will get added to the database and will be the data that is used to make the recommendations for the readers.

I have limited the number of search options to twelve because I figured that was a good round number and hopefully wouldn't prove to be so overwhelming for the readers. If anyone has suggestions on wording for any of the questions or if you feel there should be different or more questions, then once again, please use the Comment box at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Great start, Steven! I love how you can specify certain things, but leave others blank no preference if you don't want to.

Will people be able to create accounts, like on a real dating service? Then if someone new adds a book that matches their preferences, could it send them an email? I'm just so good at thinking up work for you, aren't I?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Hmmm. I like the idea of the user accounts and sending updates when new books are added, but that will have to come later. I'm glad you suggested it now, because it will be easier to plan for that in the database design when I start working on it this weekend. I'll have to give people the option of saving their search criteria so that we know when to notify them, but it should be possible to make that happen.

In the meantime, I have added separate pages for Fantasy, Mystery-Suspense, and Romance. Some of the options in those dropdowns will be different, so if anyone sees anything that they would like to see added or changed, please use the Comment box. Thanks!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Victorine said:


> Okay, here's my brilliant idea for this evening.
> 
> Someone should create an ebook "dating" website that matches up people to books. You put in your "ideal" book information, and it suggests books you'd like. (More than just genre.)
> 
> ...


I found a book blog that sort of does that. Or well, it's supposed to. I'm still waiting for my perfect match. lol. It's called http://cleareyesfullshelves.com/


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Vivi_Anna said:


> Great idea. And as a reader I would totally use it. I have definite particulars I look for in a book.
> 
> You should call it something similiar to the dating sites out three...
> 
> ...


I vote for eBookHarmony. Sounds like a great idea. I would love to put my stuff on there and use it to find books. I've tried to find books to read for fun on my Kindle fire and it's really exasperating. I usually get tired of searching and end up buying nothing. Sounds good so far.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Very good idea.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

eBookHarmony is really cute! 

I love this idea a lot! With as many books that are being published these days, both indie and traditional, I think this could really take off.

I'd be willing to offer suggestions for a Contemporary/Women's Fiction category when you're ready for it. Just let me know where to send them.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Great idea - hope no one suggests asking: 'which do you prefer - Indie or Trad?'  

An idea for a question.

Plot-driven or character-driven stories?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Laura Rae Amos said:


> I'd be willing to offer suggestions for a Contemporary/Women's Fiction category when you're ready for it. Just let me know where to send them.


Absolutely! You can either post your suggestions here or you can send them to me through e-mail or personal message using the links beneath my picture. Thanks!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> An idea for a question.
> 
> Plot-driven or character-driven stories?


Interesting suggestion! I'm going to put that one up for a vote. I was just thinking of my own books and trying to figure out which category they would fall under, and I think my fantasy novels could be considered both. We would need to figure out how to help authors differentiate, or they would just automatically select both and thereby void the question, because their book would then match every type of request for that question.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

The "e" in the name implies digital only, which may/may not be your intent. How about "BookCompatible"?


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## jvin248 (Jan 31, 2012)

Are you sure you don't really want a site like Pandora (radio) or Netflix (movies) or Goodreads (books) where you rate a pile of things and then the algorithm starts to weed for you with nudges (I like all these romance books but I'm feeling like SF this weekend).


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

I'd love to be able to check some boxes, type in books like  Hunger Games, Blood Red Road, and voila get 5-6 recs for books with similar plot lines and violence levels, romance levels, heroine and hero traits


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## B Sheridan (Dec 5, 2011)

I went ahead and left a comment on the romance page--hope that was the right place to offer my suggestions.

I think this is such a cool idea, at least the way in which I'm envisioning it. Like instead of getting recs from goodreads based on what I've like in the past, this site would allow me to find a romance containing enemies to lovers, family feud, a bad boy, open bedroom door, and a pet lizard set in a small town if that's what I'm in the mood for. Or to find a romance similar to that if I just read one like that and I loved it. If someone's entered them in the database, that is.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Saul Tanpepper said:


> The "e" in the name implies digital only, which may/may not be your intent. How about "BookCompatible"?


I'm not anywhere close to deciding a name, but I appreciate the suggestions. I'll be asking for more feedback on that later! (BTW - eBookHarmony was already taken anyway!)



jvin248 said:


> Are you sure you don't really want a site like Pandora (radio) or Netflix (movies) or Goodreads (books) where you rate a pile of things and then the algorithm starts to weed for you with nudges (I like all these romance books but I'm feeling like SF this weekend).


I'm really not sure where we'll ultimately end up going with this, but that is definitely another possibility. I don't want to try to take on too much right up front, but there is always the possibility for the site to evolve to more than whatever we start with.



Vivi_Anna said:


> I'd love to be able to check some boxes, type in books like Hunger Games, Blood Red Road, and voila get 5-6 recs for books with similar plot lines and violence levels, romance levels, heroine and hero traits


Great suggestion, and ultimately I'd like to be able to get there as well. As I mentioned before, though, the problem with doing that is that we will need to enter all that information into the database for those books that people might want to compare with, and that is going to take time. If we can get enough volunteers who are willing to help with that, then we can certainly use that information to make the site more robust.



Blake Sheridan said:


> I went ahead and left a comment on the romance page--hope that was the right place to offer my suggestions.


That was the perfect place! I appreciate all your suggestions and the time you took to go into detail. That is exactly the type of feedback that I was hoping for, and I believe that is the kind of feedback that can ultimately make this more successful. Thanks so much! 

I'll be working on the site some tonight and will be doing more this weekend as well. My goal is to have that database design completed this weekend so that we can start collecting information on books. If anyone would like to drop by and offer some suggestions or feedback, please use the Comments form at the bottom of the genre page that you would like to suggest changes for. I appreciate all the great ideas and suggestions!


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

You are full of awesomesauce Steve!!!


And my hand is up to volunteer for data entry.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Vivi_Anna said:


> You are full of awesomesauce Steve!!!
> 
> And my hand is up to volunteer for data entry.


Awww shucks!  I'll definitley let you know when we're ready for the data entry part, and I appreciate the feedback you left at the site. I suspect there will be a separate erotica section, and I'd appreciate any feedback you can provide for that as well.

Keep the ideas coming folks! I haven't really gotten any feedback on the Fantasy or Mystery-Suspense sections. I would also appreciate any suggestions for additional primary genres that we should feature. I'll be working on the main database design this weekend, so the sooner I can get your fedback the better! Thanks again to everyone for all the kind words and support!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have added three new pages: Paranormal, Women's - Contemporary, and Erotica. I would appreciate some feedback on these pages if anyone could make the time. I am nearly done with the database design and will be putting the input forms for authors out there starting this afternoon. Once these forms are ready then we can have authors start adding their titles.

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi,
Thanks for doing this. Looks like a mammoth job .

I've answered the questions about Women's - Contemporary. I'd like *Family Saga *to be a separate genre as this has always been popular.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Thank you for adding a Women's/Contemporary category! I added some of my ideas to the comments on that page.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

John Gordon-Davis (_Hold My Hand I'm Dying_) recommended that books have plenty of URST - Unresolved Sexual Tension. The TV series 'Moonlighting' was a good example of this. I don't know if you could add this, but it is a good ingredient in most stories .


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Would love to see a YA category.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I've answered the questions about Women's - Contemporary. I'd like *Family Saga *to be a separate genre as this has always been popular.


Are you suggesting Family Saga as one of the options under Story Elements, or as a stand-alone category/genre?



Laura Rae Amos said:


> Thank you for adding a Women's/Contemporary category! I added some of my ideas to the comments on that page.


And a fine BUNCH of comments they were! Thank you, that was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> John Gordon-Davis (_Hold My Hand I'm Dying_) recommended that books have plenty of URST - Unresolved Sexual Tension. The TV series 'Moonlighting' was a good example of this. I don't know if you could add this, but it is a good ingredient in most stories .


Excellent suggestion! I'll be adding that to the Story Elements option for more than a couple of the pages.



Vivi_Anna said:


> Would love to see a YA category.


I am planning that one next, but I need a LOT of help there! I am not very familiar with this category/genre, so maing up ideas for Story Elements has intimidated me.

My thanks for all the feedback I've been receiving through the Comments forms. I am going to be incorporating a lot of the suggestions and recommended changes. Please drop by if you get a chance and give me your feedback. I especially need some help for Erotica and YA pages!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

My series would fall under a number categories, Family Sagas and URST being two. How about elements like Conspiracy Theories, Mythology, Medieval History, Spiritual Evolution, Mystical Creatures or am I way off track? These would be under the story elements, right?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Brendan Carroll said:


> My series would fall under a number categories, Family Sagas and URST being two. How about elements like Conspiracy Theories, Mythology, Medieval History, Spiritual Evolution, Mystical Creatures or am I way off track? These would be under the story elements, right?


Those would all be good additions to the Story Elements options for the Fantasy page. I'll get them added today.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Okay, the first form for authors has been completed. If you have a Romance title that you would like to list, then select the "Authors - Romance" link under the "For Authors" tab. Thanks!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## Zoe Cannon (Sep 2, 2012)

Just popping in to say I love this idea 

Adding my vote for a YA category.


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

I love this idea and can't wait to use it! Now I may be being crazy here but I actually think that for a system like this that breaking down to narrow categories is really limiting. There are so many books out there that straddle categories. Why limit a search to one small category? Instead of having YA as a category, maybe have a "what age range do you like your characters?" option, and pacing and adult themes options define the rest? Why not just have one search page do I can find a romance set on a planet in our solar system instead of having to go to sci-fi? If it's too much for just one search, I'm sure you could at least just do much higher level categories- speculative fiction instead of paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, etc etc. 
Otherwise I'd worry I'm missing out on books because I'm looking in the wrong category or the category I'm looking in doesn't have the options I want to specify. 
Just my opinion of course.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Zoe Cannon said:


> Adding my vote for a YA category.


Thanks Zoe! I have added a new page to collect search criteria for Young Adult books, but I need a lot of help with it. I basically just copied the Romance page, so we'll need to figure out what needs to be added or removed on that page to make it more specific to Young Adult. Below is the link to the new page. If I could get some folks to drop by and use the Comment form at the bottom of the page to help reshape the content, I'd really appreciate it.

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/?page_id=53



Selina Fenech said:


> I love this idea and can't wait to use it! Now I may be being crazy here but I actually think that for a system like this that breaking down to narrow categories is really limiting. There are so many books out there that straddle categories. Why limit a search to one small category? Instead of having YA as a category, maybe have a "what age range do you like your characters?" option, and pacing and adult themes options define the rest? Why not just have one search page do I can find a romance set on a planet in our solar system instead of having to go to sci-fi? If it's too much for just one search, I'm sure you could at least just do much higher level categories- speculative fiction instead of paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, etc etc.
> Otherwise I'd worry I'm missing out on books because I'm looking in the wrong category or the category I'm looking in doesn't have the options I want to specify.
> Just my opinion of course.


Actually, these are all good suggestions, and ultimately I intend to have just a general search form that will allow you to do just that without focusing on a specific Story Theme or Genre. However, I first need to collect the data for each genre so that we can have enough information to use to start building and testing some of those types of criteria.

To that end, I could really use everyone's help with starting to get some data put into the database. I have completed the input forms for new book enrtries for the following categories: Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Women's - Contemporary. If you have a book in any of those categories, then please go to the "For Authors" tab and select the form that best fits your book. Once your form is submitted it will be reviewed and approved. At that time, there will be a page dedicated to your book which visitors can use to get more information. On top of that, all the supporting data will be available to the search engine to start building comparisons. It's all about the data, so please keep it accurate, and don't hesitate to give me any feedback using the Comment form. Thanks!

I also still need feedback for the following categories to make sure we are collecting the right kind of information: Mystery - Suspense, Paranormal, Young Adult, Erotica. If you have a book in any of those categories, then please go to the "For Readers" tab and select the category most specific to your book. Look over the fields and let me know if you see anything that needs to be changed in any way. Use the Comment form at the bottom of the page to give me your feedback.

Thanks to everyone who has already helped. This has been a true community effort, and I can't do this without you guys!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Are you suggesting Family Saga as one of the options under Story Elements, or as a stand-alone category/genre?


It is usually a genre on its own, but can be a sub-genre of historical.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Thank you! We're about to head out of the house right now, but I'll input my book later tonight! 

A couple nitpicks though for the Contemporary/Women's fiction page, if I may. Would it be possible to enter two tones for the "what kind of tone would best describe the story?" Or at least pick a secondary tone? For my book, I would love to pick both sensitive/emotional and comedic, because both are equally important to the book. 

Also, not for this current book, but my next couple of releases: for "main characters" could you add something like "romantically linked"? I'm thinking of a few of my WIPs that feature two or three narrators who are husband/wife, or husband/wife/lover, lol!

Everything else looks wonderful! Thanks so much for all your hard work!


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Hey this is really cool! I'm adding my books now!


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Clever idea. Thanks Vicki and Steven!

I commented on the mystery/suspense category.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Laura Rae Amos said:


> Would it be possible to enter two tones for the "what kind of tone would best describe the story?" Or at least pick a secondary tone? For my book, I would love to pick both sensitive/emotional and comedic, because both are equally important to the book.
> 
> Also, not for this current book, but my next couple of releases: for "main characters" could you add something like "romantically linked"? I'm thinking of a few of my WIPs that feature two or three narrators who are husband/wife, or husband/wife/lover, lol!


I'm going to hold off on adding a second option for tone. The search queries are already going to be extremely complex, so I'd rather get the ones we have right now working before trying to add more. As for adding "Romantically Linked" to the Main Characters drop-down, that has now been done.



ToniD said:


> Clever idea. Thanks Vicki and Steven!
> I commented on the mystery/suspense category.


Got your comments and will be acting on those soon. Thanks for your feedback!

I still need a lot more feedback, and the input forms are ready for some of you to start entering your books if you'd like. We have only one book that has been entered so far. You can go to the bottom of the home page and see a link under "Recent Posts" or "Categories". Either one will take you to the latest entry that we have approved. This will give you an idea of what your book's page will look like if someone clicks on the title when your book comes back in their search results.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Have added my bits of feedback...will probably do more soon.  Procrastination is eating my day!


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## heavycat (Feb 14, 2011)

Kickstarter this.   

One suggestion (since I'm also a programmer) is to weight the categories of each book with points or percentages.  That will make it possible to program the evaluation system with numerical tolerances instead of ambigious descriptive language.  e.g. this book is 60% action 35% adventure and 5% aliens.

My $0.02


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Something I've been wondering about.

I get that many people feel strongly about characters and places with unpronounceable names in books - I do myself! - but presumably for this category to have meaning, writers will have to check "my book has characters with unpronounceable names" or some such thing?  

And they probably wont check that option, even if their books match it - either because they don't consider their own character names to be weird, or because they twig that people don't go for names like that? 

Or have I misunderstood how this will work?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

heavycat said:


> One suggestion (since I'm also a programmer) is to weight the categories of each book with points or percentages. That will make it possible to program the evaluation system with numerical tolerances instead of ambigious descriptive language. e.g. this book is 60% action 35% adventure and 5% aliens.


I'm way ahead of you on that!  It looks like I am ultimately going to have 15 questions, and each one will have it's own weight. The options that people select and how they match with each book will also be weighted to allow a little more flexibility in providing matches.



Masha du Toit said:


> Something I've been wondering about.
> 
> I get that many people feel strongly about characters and places with unpronounceable names in books - I do myself! - but presumably for this category to have meaning, writers will have to check "my book has characters with unpronounceable names" or some such thing?
> 
> ...


Actually, I'm planning on removing that search citeria. It was only really relevant for Fantasy and Sci-Fi, and I figure most fans in either of those aren't going to be put off too much by that. Also, I got all your other comments on the site and replied to them there. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have made a number of new changes on the site. The biggest one is the merging of all the separate forms into one common form. If you go to the "For Authors" page you will now find the form that can be used for submitting your book information. Please start using this to enter your books! So far there have been only two people who have submitted books, and they are going to have to be submitted again to make sure that they are cataloged the same as the ones using the new form. (Sorry ladies!)

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/

I am going to be working on the search form next, and I hope to have it ready by this weekend. However, I need some books to be entered into the database so that we can test everything out and make sure that it is working properly. I have also added a "Site Updates" page where you can go to receive the latest information on what has been done and what is being worked on.

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-updates/

My thanks go out to all of you who have provided your feedback and suggestions. There is still a lot to be done, but I wouldn't be anywhere near this far along if it hadn't been for your help. Now go enter your books!


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## NotActive (Jan 24, 2011)

content


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Matthew W. Grant said:


> This is a great idea and it's exciting to have an opportunity to be part of it from the launch.
> 
> Couple questions...
> 
> ...


Excellent questions/comments! For now the authors can include affiliate links if they like, but yes, I ultimately will be replacing those with affiliate links for the site itself. A guy's gotta pay the bills somehow!

As for editing an entry, right now you will have to send me an e-mail and I will have to manually update it. In the future I will have it set up so that each author will create a personal account which will give them the ability to edit their own entries. Not sure when that will be ready, but it is in the works.

I have Kobo and Smashwords just to provide more options. More and more authors are going to Kobo directly without going through Smashwords, and that is why I listed both. If an author doesn't use any of the four options there, then they can just leave it blank and that particular link simply won't show up for their book. Right now I don't plan to add any other outlets, but that may change in the future. As I mentioned before, I'm following the 80/20 rule right now, and I'm pretty confident that those four outlets (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords) will easily cover 80% of all readers.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I have made a number of new changes on the site. The biggest one is the merging of all the separate forms into one common form. If you go to the "For Authors" page you will now find the form that can be used for submitting your book information. Please start using this to enter your books! So far there have been only two people who have submitted books, and they are going to have to be submitted again to make sure that they are cataloged the same as the ones using the new form. (Sorry ladies!)
> 
> http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/
> 
> ...


Hi,
The drop-down list of genres isn't working for me . But the sub-list is working.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Hi,
> The drop-down list of genres isn't working for me . But the sub-list is working.


Oops! Wrong setting on my end. It's fixed now. Sorry!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Oops! Wrong setting on my end. It's fixed now. Sorry!


Thanks. 

The genre is listed as 'history' which is more non-fiction. For fiction I think it should be 'historical' as this is what readers will look for under fiction.

You've got 'family saga', 'historical' and 'historical fiction' under story elements. I think these are genres and sub-genres rather than story elements, but see what others think.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks.
> 
> The genre is listed as 'history' which is more non-fiction. For fiction I think it should be 'historical' as this is what readers will look for under fiction.
> 
> You've got 'family saga', 'historical' and 'historical fiction' under story elements. I think these are genres and sub-genres rather than story elements, but see what others think.


I tried to keep the Genres consistent with what they have as the primary genres at Amazon and B&N. I have added Family Saga, Historical, and Historical Fiction as Sub-Genres. They may be listed in a different grouping, but the search algorithm I am putting together won't make any distinction in that regard. As far as it is concerned, Historical Fiction is Historical Fiction, whether it's grouped under Romance or Literary Fiction. I hope that helps!

I haven't had a chance to review and approve your submission yet, so if you'd like to add anything to it then you can PM me or send me an e-mail. Thanks for your feedback!

I'm still looking for more book entries! Right now I have about three (two of them mine) that have been approved, and I believe three others waiting to be reviewed. I'd like to have a lot more so that I can start testing the search function by this weekend!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm going to try submit this afternoon...must write now!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I was going to list another novel but there is no humorous fiction, or humor/humour genre.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have added Humor to the Genre list, so it is now available as well. We have had a couple more people submit their books, but we still have less than a dozen. If anyone is interested, then please come and submit your book so we can get it added to the listing!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Latest Update:

I have started testing the search algorithm and putting together the different pieces of the formula. You can now start seeing some preliminary results based on your selections for Genre, Sub-Genre, and Story Elements. The scores for the other components are being worked on right now and should be added into the calculation by this weekend. I still need more entires to help test, so please submit your books using the link below! The more items we have in the directory, the better I can test the search results to make sure the formula is working as expected.

Also, I am still looking for suggestions for a site name, so please post your suggestions here. One of the main criteria is going to be the avilability of the url, so names like MatchBook and eBookHarmony are out because those domains are taken.

This has been an interesting experience, but I still have a lot to get done. My main needs right now are new book entries and a name for the site. I'm happy to provide this service for free for all authors, but I need your help!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/


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## Zoe Cannon (Sep 2, 2012)

I have a question about subgenres - do you need to pick one of the subgenres listed under your main genre, or can you pick anything from the subgenre list? For example, if you've written a YA fantasy novel, could you choose your main genre as "Fantasy" and your subgenre as "Young Adult," or would you need to pick one of the fantasy subgenres (Anthologies, Arthurian, Epic Fantasy, Medieval, or Magic/Sorcery)?

Also, could you add "Dystopian" as a subgenre under YA and/or Science Fiction? "Contemporary" would also be a good subgenre to add under YA.


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## Hildred (Sep 9, 2012)

I added my one current novel to the site and had a few comments, so what I put below is just a C&P so others can see it.

I had a hard time deciding how to classify everything once I saw the available choices. I consider my story romance first, erotica second but I couldn't put it in that way, I had to do erotica -> romance. Also, I struggled with the antagonist section, as the conflict of the story comes from the main characters themselves and not really any one  outside source. (I guess you could say their society is the antagonist, but it's not a "rise against your culture" type of story. More of learning how to deal with it.) I also feel that a driving plot focus of my story is LGBT elements, but there was no way to distinguish that aside from the fact my MCs are in  a same-sex relationship. (While not all stories with gay characters are about how they are gay and how that affects their lives, it is for my story.) Thanks for the opportunity!


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## BlankPage (Sep 23, 2012)

_Comment removed due to VS TOS 25/9/2018_


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> This has been an interesting experience, but I still have a lot to get done. My main needs right now are new book entries and a name for the site. I'm happy to provide this service for free for all authors, but I need your help!
> 
> http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/


It seems that the books will be fiction, so could we call the website something like FICTION FINDER.
We could also use NOVELmatch or STORYmatch. 
FindYourFavouriteFiction.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Zoe Cannon said:


> I have a question about subgenres - do you need to pick one of the subgenres listed under your main genre, or can you pick anything from the subgenre list? For example, if you've written a YA fantasy novel, could you choose your main genre as "Fantasy" and your subgenre as "Young Adult," or would you need to pick one of the fantasy subgenres (Anthologies, Arthurian, Epic Fantasy, Medieval, or Magic/Sorcery)?
> 
> Also, could you add "Dystopian" as a subgenre under YA and/or Science Fiction? "Contemporary" would also be a good subgenre to add under YA.


I intentionally repeated all the Genres as Sub-Genres, so you can select Fantasy - Young Adult just as you described. If you need to change what you selected then just drop me a line and I'll do it for you. I have also added Dystopian and Contemporary as Sub Genres under Young Adult. Thanks for the suggestions!



Hildred said:


> I had a hard time deciding how to classify everything once I saw the available choices. I consider my story romance first, erotica second but I couldn't put it in that way, I had to do erotica -> romance. Also, I struggled with the antagonist section, as the conflict of the story comes from the main characters themselves and not really any one outside source. (I guess you could say their society is the antagonist, but it's not a "rise against your culture" type of story. More of learning how to deal with it.) I also feel that a driving plot focus of my story is LGBT elements, but there was no way to distinguish that aside from the fact my MCs are in a same-sex relationship. (While not all stories with gay characters are about how they are gay and how that affects their lives, it is for my story.) Thanks for the opportunity!


I intentionally set it up this way so that I could make a point of singling out Erotica novels. I wouldn't want to surprise a 15 year old girl by having a top recommendation be a MM gay erotica novel. The way I originally set it up is that the only way a person would get an erotica novel in their recommendations is if they actually select that as the Genre. Given your suggestion, I will be expanding that to include Erotica as a Sub-Genre, but I will still only display those as recommendations if either the Genre or Sub-Genre selected by the site visitors was actually Erotica. If you would like me to change yours so that the Genre is Romance and the Sub is Erotica, just let me know. As far as LGBT being a driving plot focus, I don't think that will be a major issue given the way I have set up the weighting scores for certain Genres.  Thanks for the feedback!



Estelle Ryan said:


> An amazing job, Steven! I listed my book, but don't know if it went through. Maybe an acknowledgement page after submissions? I also had a few comments which I will add here:
> _The story elements and subgenres are rather limited for the mystery genre. If I could suggest anything: cozy mystery, caper (heist), police procedural, private detective, female detective, series, noir/hard-boiled, women sleuths. For the relationship choices between the main characters and adversaries, I would suggest making 'other' a choice on its own. My main characters and adversaries do not fit in any of those listed categories, so I didn't mark anything. Thanks!_


Thanks for the kind words!  As far as the acknowledgement, you should have been sent back to the For Authors page where you should have seen a message that indicated that your book would need to be reviewed and approved before it would be displayed on the site. If you didn't receive that then please let me know. Also, I have programmed the form to send an e-mail notification with the same message, so if you provided a valid e-mail address you should have received that as well. If you didn't then please let me know so I can research it and make sure it is working properly.

I like your suggestions for Sub-Genres, so I will get them added today. If you would like to change your book to make use of any one of those then just let me know and I will get it updated. I will probable put "Series" at the top of the Sub-Genre list, because that is something that I see as being a good candidate for basically all genres. Thanks for the suggestions!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> It seems that the books will be fiction, so could we call the website something like FICTION FINDER.
> We could also use NOVELmatch or STORYmatch.
> FindYourFavouriteFiction.


Actually, I didn't realize it until I read this message, but I did indeed leave out Non-Fiction as a Genre. I have plenty of Sub-Genres that would definitely be non-fiction, but it was an absolute oversight on my part to not include Non-Fiction as a Genre, so I will get that corrected. I like the suggestions for names for the site. I'm hoping to get some more suggestions and then I'll put it up for a vote.

I have received about twenty new e-book submissions since Friday, and I will work on getting them all approved and displayed on the site by the end of day today. I am also very close to completing the search algorithm formula, and I will be working on that throughout the day as well. If you happen to try the search form and encounter strange results or an error message, then please wait and try agina a few minutes later. I sometimes accidentally leave out a sem-colon or a quote here and there and the code I am using is very unforgiving! 

Thanks for all the great feedback, and please keep sending your suggestions for a site name and please keep submitting your books!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## NotActive (Jan 24, 2011)

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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Matthew W. Grant said:


> Hi Steven,
> 
> I just entered 5 books. Here are some things I noticed or thought of as I went through the process:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to address all your points here, but I can't promise I'll provide a satisfactory one! 

1) It truly is the nature of the beast. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am trying to follow the 80-20 rule, which means satisfying at least 80% of the requirements with the hopes of addressing the other 20% later. I suspect Fiction will far outsell Non-Fiction, and that is why the primary focus on the supporting questions has been slanted towards Fiction.

2) I had originally provided an option box to select Short Story, Novella, Novel, and Epic Novel. I decided to remove it because of the concern regarding the interpretation of those terms. I may decide to add it back in, but I'm still on the fence over this issue.

3) Actually, Anthologies is an option under the Fantasy Sub-Genre. I followed Amazon's directory structure, which is why it is listed there. However, even if an Anthology is not Fantasy by nature, the serach algorithm will only be looking at the word "Anthologies". I will be adding an option for "Collection" which will appear at the top of the list next to "Series".

4) Thanks for letting me know about this issue. I will work on correcting that to make sure people have a better confimration message. That's why we do the beta testing! I hope that you received the e-mail notification so that we can at least know that one of the points of contact is working. I should be able to get this fixed in the next day or so.

BTW - I noticed the issue with your title and fixed it before it was approved. That's one of the reasons why I don't automatically create the book entry. I manually review and verify every single one of them to make sure that things like that aren't happening. I also look at the cover immage to make sure it is appropriate and won't create any controversy. I won't be able to read through every word on every entry, but at least they are getting a cursory glance before they get approved.

For everyone else, there have been a LOT of changes made this weekend, and almost all of them were based on the feedback of authors like yourselves who have already submitted their titles. I have added a number of new Sub-Genres as well as some new Character Classes. If you see anything that you think can be improved upon, then please use the Comments box at the bottom of the page or leave a post here so that I can address them.

I have had three people complain about the request for smaller images. I realize that most of you may only have the original image that you used for your e-book cover, which means it is probably at least 1200 pixels wide. I specifically ask for a smaller image of ~200x300 pixels, along with a thumbnail image of ~100x150 pixels. There are a number of reasons for why I do this: 
1) I am hosting all of this on my own personal web site, and I have certain limitations on the amount of storage space I can use. Your 1200x1800 images will take up at least ten times as much space as the two smaller images combined. I want to make sure I have room to accomodate everyone! 
2) I don't need anything as big as your original cover. The actual book page that is created makes use of the 200x300 pixel image to allow site visitors to get their first exposure to your book. My software will only resize one image for each submission, but even if it does that, the larger image still gets saved to my server, and as I mentioned already, I don't have the space for it. (BTW - The image that customers see on your Amazon book page is ~200x300 pixels!)
3) The smaller thumbnail image will be used for the search results page so that people can see more than just the title of your book in their search results. As I mentioned, I can only resize one image automatically, but I don't want to have to do that because it would still mean using up unnecessary storage space for your larger image. (BTW - the thumbnails that Amazon uses are 96x135 pixels!)

If anyone truly does not know how to resize an image, then please send me a Personal Message here or drop me a line using my e-mail address (both listed to the left). I will be happy to walk you through the process to help you get them. Everybody needs to have a smaller image and a thumbnail at some point. If you ever do a book blog or a book sample on someone's web site, they will almost always ask for these sizes on your images!


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Victorine said:


> Okay, here's my brilliant idea for this evening.
> 
> Someone should create an ebook "dating" website that matches up people to books. You put in your "ideal" book information, and it suggests books you'd like. (More than just genre.)
> 
> ...


I LOVE this idea, because... because... because...

I had the idea of starting a book-matching website when I was a newbie here at the KB boards:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,112027.msg1678737.html#msg1678737



> Could this work? (Or does it already exist?)
> 
> A website that matches people to books.
> 
> ...


So two thumbs up from me


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

If I had the investment capital - or were actually a bestselling author - I would totally help make this happen.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Anya, I like the suggestions you had from your original idea. Sorry I didn't notice it back in April! Some of the things you mentioned are on the agenda for future versions, but I haven't decided yet in which order they might be addressed. The main thing right now is getting more books entered into the database so that I can continue to improve the search algortihm. I'm also still looking for suggestions for a name for this site, so anyone is interested in helping with either one, I'd appreciate your feedback!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/

BTW - I have received entries for at least a dozen new books just today, so keep them coming!



balaspa said:


> If I had the investment capital - or were actually a bestselling author - I would totally help make this happen.


Drop by and enter the information for your books! I can't help you raise any investment capital, but if we ever get this thing off the ground then maybe we can help you become a bestselling author! 

(This comment is not intended to indicate or suggest that listing your book with this site will in any way ensure or guarantee that you will become a bestselling author!)


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## Hildred (Sep 9, 2012)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I intentionally set it up this way so that I could make a point of singling out Erotica novels. I wouldn't want to surprise a 15 year old girl by having a top recommendation be a MM gay erotica novel. The way I originally set it up is that the only way a person would get an erotica novel in their recommendations is if they actually select that as the Genre. Given your suggestion, I will be expanding that to include Erotica as a Sub-Genre, but I will still only display those as recommendations if either the Genre or Sub-Genre selected by the site visitors was actually Erotica. If you would like me to change yours so that the Genre is Romance and the Sub is Erotica, just let me know. As far as LGBT being a driving plot focus, I don't think that will be a major issue given the way I have set up the weighting scores for certain Genres.  Thanks for the feedback!


I totally understand! I was just kinda bummed that after choosing romance I couldn't choose erotica.  If you could make that switch once it's feasible, it would be great.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Anya, I like the suggestions you had from your original idea. Sorry I didn't notice it back in April! Some of the things you mentioned are on the agenda for future versions, but I haven't decided yet in which order they might be addressed.


No problem at all, Steven. I posted it at a time not many KB'ers are about. (Being in Australia, I used to mostly post when you guys were asleep - until I wised up to more appropriate times to be on here )

Will have a think on a name


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## Josh St. John (Feb 3, 2012)

Dalya said:


> I would like a pirate memory game book. Nothing too pirate-y though.


Haha! Little Britain fan too?

"I want a picture of a sad horse." 
"How about this one?"
"That one's sad... but it looks like he has a little bit of hope left in him."

(I know I didn't quote that exactly right, but whatever, it's close enough.)


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

Needs more subgenres under Science Fiction. Suggested additions:

- Adventure
- Space Opera
- Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic
- Short Stories


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## NotActive (Jan 24, 2011)

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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Matthew W. Grant said:


> Thanks for your responses on all my points.
> 
> That pesky double title error I made on Sex On Soaps is still showing at the end of the sample.


Oops, I forgot about the title being repeated at the bottom of the page. It's corrected now.


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## NotActive (Jan 24, 2011)

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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi Steven,
Thanks so much for all your hard work 

Might it be an idea to have separate websites for fiction and non-fiction? It is going to be very cumbersome doing both together. Readers are going to find it tiresome if the drop-down lists become unwieldy. I think it's easier to Google a non-fiction book, but the criteria for a fiction book is totally different.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Matthew W. Grant said:


> Steven, not sure of you are ready for us to do some testing as readers searching, but I did a little just testing the first drop down only....
> 
> 1) The concept turned out awesome, as I expected...so much easier to find something than having to stumble upon or search for and then browse lists at retailers.
> 
> ...


I am totally okay with folks going to the site and testing it out. Just keep in mind that there are only about 40 or so books listed, so your chances of finding suitbale matches may be limited! I am still refining the search algorithm, and within the next day or so I will be adding the links to the books that show up on the results page. Now then, to address your other observations:

1) I'm very glad that you were pleased with the way the concept works. It will continue to improve as we get more titles added, but I definitely think it has great potential!

2) Did I mention that I am still working on the search algorithm?  Right now the results is page is showing any book that matches any of the criteria you enter. You should see a rating score to the right, and I suspect that the two books you keep seeing are rated pretty low. When I am finished with the search algorithm, any books that don't meet a certain minimum score will not be included in the results. That should take care of those kinds of situations.

3) Right now the search form is just a very basic form that I am using for testing purposes more than anything else. Once I have it workingn the way I expect, then I will start adding more content, such as the instructions and explanations. I am still debating whether to leave each dropdown with the "Select One" option, or just default to "No Preference". Also, I haven't added any code to identify which fields are required, but that will soon be added as well.

I love the idea of a press release! I'd say we're probably still a couple of weeks away from being able to go live, but once we reach that point I'll certainly take you up on that! Thanks!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Might it be an idea to have separate websites for fiction and non-fiction? It is going to be very cumbersome doing both together.


Actually, I am finding this to be very true. Trying to identify search criteria that can be applied evenly across all forms of Fiction AND Non-Fiction is proving to be very difficult. I will most likely remove the Non-Fiction for now, and then possibly create a separate serach form for it. I think that will be the best way to address this, but I haven't yet figured out what type of criteria to use. The Non-Fiction portion may end up coming much further down the road.

Thanks for all the suggestion, comments, and feedback from everyone! I have been trying to account for al of them, but if I missed anyone or if you would like to add something, please let me know!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I like the idea of a 'no preference'. Perhaps you could add "I'm feeling lucky"   Sometimes serendipity comes up trumps.


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## glennlangohr (Nov 15, 2011)

Fantastic idea!


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

This looks great!

Adding to the YA category...pretty much every genre and subgenre you'll find in adult books you'll also find in YA, so it needs a LOT more than just Contemporary Paranormal Ghost and Dystopian. Specifically, I'd like to add Romance and Mystery, but you should also add Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Amanda Brice said:


> This looks great!
> 
> Adding to the YA category...pretty much every genre and subgenre you'll find in adult books you'll also find in YA, so it needs a LOT more than just Contemporary Paranormal Ghost and Dystopian. Specifically, I'd like to add Romance and Mystery, but you should also add Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror.


Might be easier to use the same categories and just put 'adult' or 'YA' after or before them


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I like the idea of a 'no preference'. Perhaps you could add "I'm feeling lucky"  Sometimes serendipity comes up trumps.


Interesting idea! I could just assign a random number for each time that is selected and then apply that to the algorithm. It might produce some very interesting results!



Amanda Brice said:


> Adding to the YA category...pretty much every genre and subgenre you'll find in adult books you'll also find in YA, so it needs a LOT more than just Contemporary Paranormal Ghost and Dystopian. Specifically, I'd like to add Romance and Mystery, but you should also add Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror.


The items you see listed under Young Adult in the Sub-Genre dropdown are really items that I see as more specific to that particular Genre. If you choose Young Adult as your primary Genre, you can choose anything you like from the Sub-Genre menu, including Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, etc.

If you have a book that has Romance and Mystery and Fantasy and is intended for Young Adults, then you'll need to decide which are the two single most important/relevant components of your book. There was once a time where there were basically only a half dozen different genres, but with people trying to combine so many different elements, it makes it impossible to capture every possible configuration. Just choose the Genre that you think is MOST likely to attract your intended audience, and then select the Sub-Genre that is MOST likely to support that. 

I have added a new survey to the site which I would like everyone to fill out when you get a chance. I have been trying to figure out a name for this site once it goes live, and the issue has been trying to think up one that has a corresponding domain name available. The survey will give you five options to consider, as well as allowing you to suggest something else. Thanks!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> The items you see listed under Young Adult in the Sub-Genre dropdown are really items that I see as more specific to that particular Genre. If you choose Young Adult as your primary Genre, you can choose anything you like from the Sub-Genre menu, including Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, etc.


I'm very confused...so are you saying that Contemporary, Ghost, Paranormal and Dystopian are specific to Young Adult? Because I'd say they aren't. You see those subgenres in adult as well, particularly in the Romance genre.

But as long as the sub-genre menu is separate from the genre menu, so I'd be able to choose YA Mystery as opposed to being limited to just YA Contemporary, then I'm perfectly happy.  Maybe I was just looking in the wrong place.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Okay, these are corny, but I didn't really care for any of the website name suggestions so far.  

All playing on the online dating theme, and all available as far as I can tell: 

LitHarmony.com
Cupid'sBookmark.com
LitConnection.com or TheLitConnection.com
LitCompatibility.com

Feel free to use them if you like! I'll be writing in my favorite.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Amanda Brice said:


> I'm very confused...so are you saying that Contemporary, Ghost, Paranormal and Dystopian are specific to Young Adult? Because I'd say they aren't. You see those subgenres in adult as well, particularly in the Romance genre.
> 
> But as long as the sub-genre menu is separate from the genre menu, so I'd be able to choose YA Mystery as opposed to being limited to just YA Contemporary, then I'm perfectly happy.  Maybe I was just looking in the wrong place.


Actually, I said those were "more" specific to YA, but I didn't mean to imply they were exclussive to YA! I tried to group as many Sub-Genres as I could think of together with a Genre, but you could choose anything you want. The Sub-Genres are only listed in a loose grouping based on what I perceived to be their most common Genre. I debated just putting them all in alphabetical order, but wasn't sure which would be better. I'm open to suggestions!



Laura Rae Amos said:


> All playing on the online dating theme, and all available as far as I can tell:
> 
> LitHarmony.com
> Cupid'sBookmark.com
> ...


I've added these to the list of options. Thanks for the suggestions!

We got a few more books added today, but I'm really looking for a lot more! In the meantime, please at least drop by and vote for a new site name!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

A few name suggestions to throw around. We need a brainstorming on this  . It should preferably be something that all readers can recognise.
.
e-novel match

e-book link

e-fiction link

book-reader link 

e-bookreader link


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> A few name suggestions to throw around. We need a brainstorming on this . It should preferably be something that all readers can recognise.
> .
> e-novel match
> 
> ...


I'll try to check and see if those are available and add them to the list. I may have to just take a big pool of suggestions and ask folks to narrow it down to four or five and then let them vote on those.

I have made several changes to the site to start getting it ready for the rollout of the beta. I have started providing more content and information for users, so I need everyone to please give it a look and let me know what you think. I'm still looking for more people to add their books as well. I only have about 40 books right now, and close to half of them are erotica.  No offense to the erotica writers (who are more than welcome), but I'd really like to see a lot bigger volume of non-erotica!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I feel like we're losing momentum here. The number of visits to the site have dropped considerable each of the last three days, and I only had one new book title added to the database today. I've finished building the search page and the algorithm is in place and ready to be tested, but I still need a lot more books to really get this thing going. It's really kind of hard to get any good testing in when you don't have very many books to recommend!

If you are interested in participating, then please take the time to drop by and enter your books. If you have already done so, then please help spread the word so that we can try to get more participation. I would also appreciate it if anyone could take the time to conduct a few searches and let me know how it goes for you. It's hard for me to remain unbiased because I've done so much to make it work, so having your feedback is really crucial.

It would also help if we could keep this thread close to the top so that more people can see it. If you have already entered your book(s) then please post a response here to let everyone know what you liked or didn't like. I will be happy to change whatever I can for you guys to try to make it easier, but I really need some feedback and more participation! I know it's a holiday week for all of us here in the US, so you may not be around the computer as much this week, but any help or feedback you can provide would be truly appreciated!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Just sent a call-out to my Google+ circle. Hope it helps.

Cheers
Vicki


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Just added my book.
Phew!  Quite a challenge to pick out categories that fit it.  Some were a stretch!
But an interesting project, all the same - looking forward to seeing more book added.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I've posted a link and description of this to my G+ writer's list, urging them to add their books.  Hope that makes a difference

Oh - and maybe somebody could edit the title of this thread so it's more descriptive, to draw more potential submissions?  "Add your book to this book dating site?"  Or start a new thread, if that's allowed?


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I love love love that you're doing this!

I am headed to bed, but I will add my books tomorrow, and I will tweet about it and post on FB and such. Hopefully we can get more books listed. I'm super excited about this!!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I've posted about the website on Goodreads. Hope you get some more books. I'll upload another one of mine.


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## Hildred (Sep 9, 2012)

I signal boosted it on my blog. 200 or so views  a day, and not all of them are other KBers.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I've uploaded another book. 

I think adding 'hobby' or 'hobbies' to the story elements would be useful. Characters often meet through shared hobbies. My MC flys model helicopters and it's an essential part of the plot  .


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Masha du Toit said:


> Or start a new thread, if that's allowed?


I think it would be a good idea to start a new thread with a more appropriate heading, and then ask for them to be merged .


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Tweeted with hashtags, and FB posted. I will also get about 10 of my good friends to add their books if I have to do it by force, lol! Hope it helps!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks for all the support you guys! I appreciate you taking the time to share the news about the site. I have already added about a dozen new titles this morning and there are still about a dozen more waiting in the queue to be reviewed and approved! I have been busy updating the results page and have now added the book thumbnail and the link to the details page for each book that shows up as a recommendation. I apologize if you have recnetly tried to use the search form but got an error when you submitted it. I took it offline for a while so I could finish up some coding changes, but it is back up and working now, so give it a try and let me know what you think. I'm still making a few styling changes, but the form should be working fine now.

I like the suggestion about creating a new thread and merging this one. I will try to do that this afternoon if I get a chance. I am going to be going through the most recent feedback and adding some new character classes and story elements based on some recent comments and suggestions. Keep them coming, and I'll address them as I can. I haven't been getting many votes for site names, so if you have a suggestion for that you can either post it here, send me an e-mail or PM using the links to the left below my picture, or fill out the survey on the site.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Okay, I changed the title of the thread. (Sorry, didn't see the suggestion yesterday.)

I also added one book and will work on adding more. I will tweet and FB the link too.

Looking good so far!

Is there a way for readers to create an account, maybe, and get emails when specific book types get entered? I would love that for myself.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

OH - one more question. If I change my price, how do I change it on the website?  (Or cover image, or join select and need to take out links to other places, etc.)


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Victorine said:


> Is there a way for readers to create an account, maybe, and get emails when specific book types get entered? I would love that for myself.


Don't know how hard that would be to do but that's a fantastic idea.

We need a "for the future" list


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

I added The Silk Code last night, and left a suggestion.  Excellent site.  I'll start Tweeting, G+ing etc about it.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Would it be a good idea to start a separate thread with a poll for the name for the website?  It would useful if we also had input from readers  .


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

This is cool.  I submitted my book


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## CEMartin2 (May 26, 2012)

I can't figure out how to sign up... maybe my work filter is blocking me. Argh.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Click on the "For Authors" tab, then see if you can read the paragraph, and see the form below the explanation part.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Victorine said:


> Is there a way for readers to create an account, maybe, and get emails when specific book types get entered? I would love that for myself.


As a matter of fact, that is going to be one of the next phases I have planned. I will probably be creating Author Accounts first so that you guys can go in and edit your books if necessary. It may be another week or so before I have that working, but after that I will create Reader Accounts so that folks can save their searches or mark certain books as Favorites and come back later to find matches to a specific book. I like the idea of sending an e-mail when a new match is added, so I will plan that as well.

As far as making changes right now, I will have to do those manually. I will add this to the new FAQ page so people will know how to reach me through that as well. In the meantime, if anyone does need to make a change, just drop me an e-mail or PM using the links below my picture to the left.

BTW - Thanks for changing the title of the thread. The number of books in the directory has more than doubled just since this morning!



Masha du Toit said:


> We need a "for the future" list


I totally agree! If anyone would like to make suggestions, you can post them here or use the Comment form at the bottom of any page on the site. I have been adding a LOT of suggestions to my work list and keep going through it every night to make a plan for what to work on next. Any suggestions for additions or changes to the current dropdowns get top priority for now, but everything you guys suggest gets added to the list!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> It would (be) useful if we also had input from readers .


I agree, but I am holding off doing any kind of promotion or announcements until I reach three goals. 1) I would like to have at least 100-150 titles in the database, 2) I would like to be able to spend at least a day or two doing some really heavy testing once I reach the first goal, and 3) I'd like to have a site name and obtain a new domain name to go along with it.

For #1, we are well on the way, and will possibly meet that goal by today, or by the end of the week at the latest. For #2, I have everything in place and ready to test, and if anyone would like to use the Search Form and provide me with your feedback, that would be helpful and very much appreciated! Lastly, the voting for the site name is not going well, but if it comes right down to it I may just make a choice myself and go with it. However, I really would like some input on that as well! 



Chrystalla said:


> Great idea and execution. Added one of mine. Thanks.


Only one?!!!  Just kidding, I really do appreciate it. The response this morning has been great and the number of entries is climbing. You are all welcome to add as many as you like, but even if you list only one, it will help get us off the ground!



CEMartin2 said:


> I can't figure out how to sign up... maybe my work filter is blocking me. Argh.


Did you go to the "For Authors" tab? There is a form there, but it is kind of buried beneath the introductory messages. Sorry I had to add all that, but I felt it needed to be done to help people better understand how to fill out the form. If you still can't get it to work then try from home later and let me know if you still have problems.

My sincere appreciation to all of you who have been tweeting and blogging and pestering others about this! I was getting a bit discouraged last night, but the response today has been amazing and makes me feel much more optimistic. Now I'm going to go run a few errands and then come back and get back to work on this. Thanks again everyone!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

I'm in! Nice idea. The list is a little daunting as a reader. Is it possible to make it more visually "must have" "can skip" - I know there's stars, but I showed it to people at work and all of them glanced at the screen and said something like "too much/time consuming"


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Maybe all it needs is the main section visible, and the optional sections hidden with a button to click that says: More Options.

That way a person can just look for a mystery if they want, or they can click to get more detailed if they want.


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Victorine said:


> Maybe all it needs is the main section visible, and the optional sections hidden with a button to click that says: More Options.
> 
> That way a person can just look for a mystery if they want, or they can click to get more detailed if they want.


Yes! That! That's what we pictured. That would be great 

But, the options are pretty neat!


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

The list may be a bit daunting now, but it will be tweaked I'm sure and be awesome. I really hope this takes off. Because, well, sometimes I just want a funny romance where a female heroine goes back in time, but get's mistaken for a man, and then learns to fight, and saves the entire kingdom before marrying a sexy prince. Oh, and there needs to be lots of graphic sex, cuz, well, just cuz.  

Current search functions just can't do that lol.


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Hmmmm... I think I did something wrong. I signed up this morning and I'm not there yet. Is there a wait for approval or should it be automatic?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Caitie Quinn said:


> I'm in! Nice idea. The list is a little daunting as a reader. Is it possible to make it more visually "must have" "can skip" - I know there's stars, but I showed it to people at work and all of them glanced at the screen and said something like "too much/time consuming"





Victorine said:


> Maybe all it needs is the main section visible, and the optional sections hidden with a button to click that says: More Options.
> That way a person can just look for a mystery if they want, or they can click to get more detailed if they want.


Originally I set out trying to limit the options to only an even dozen, but then I realized that several of the options needed to be broken down even further. There are a couple that carry very little weight (Tone, Setting, Age), so I could remove those or move them closer to the bottom so that people can disregard them if they like. I'll play with the order some and look at splitting it into sections. Maybe that will make it a little less daunting.



MalloryMoutinho said:


> The list may be a bit daunting now, but it will be tweaked I'm sure and be awesome. I really hope this takes off. Because, well, sometimes I just want a funny romance where a female heroine goes back in time, but get's mistaken for a man, and then learns to fight, and saves the entire kingdom before marrying a sexy prince. Oh, and there needs to be lots of graphic sex, cuz, well, just cuz.
> 
> Current search functions just can't do that lol.


Amen to that! If there is a book out there with all those characteristsics, I guarantee we'll recommend it for you! (That is assuming that the author has added it to our database!) 



Caitie Quinn said:


> Hmmmm... I think I did something wrong. I signed up this morning and I'm not there yet. Is there a wait for approval or should it be automatic?


I have about a dozen books in the queue right now waiting to be approved, but I didn't see yours in it. I went back through all the others and didn't see it anywhere. I was doing some work on the database this morning, so it is possible that it didn't get recorded, and if that is the case I truly apologize. I'm getting pretty close to being done with any database changes, so this shouldn't happen again. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to re-enter your information I'll make sure it gets added.

As far as the queue goes, I am reviewing and approving each entry manually. I am checking to make sure the images loaded okay and that they are appropriate for a PG rated site. Then I am checking the links at the bottom of the page to see if any need to be fixed or removed. (If you leave one blank, then I have to remove that line to make sure there isn't a dead link there. I hope to have that automated soon.) Generally your book should go live within a few hours after you send it, but in this case it looks like it got dropped. Sorry!

I have changed the Site Name Survey to provide some new choices and removed others that had not gotten any votes. I also added a tagline for each of the options that remain, so hopefully that will give you an idea of how we might promote the site. Please take the time to stop by and vote for your favorite!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

THANKS - I tried again.

If I may, I'd consider adding "contemporary" under "romance" -- I know it feels like an auto of what romance is, but it truly isn't.

I'm LOVING the site!


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

OK, I put all 3 of my books in.  My only difficulty came when I HAD to include at least one "supporting story element."  There wasn't an option for "Other," and none of those listed really seemed to fit my school-set humor novels.  I went with the one that was closest to the truth -- Mental disabilities...

Oh, and for a site name -- maybe The E-book Hook Up?


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Great idea and great site. I submitted several of my books and will enter the rest tomorrow.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

Learnmegood said:


> OK, I put all 3 of my books in. My only difficulty came when I HAD to include at least one "supporting story element." There wasn't an option for "Other," and none of those listed really seemed to fit my school-set humor novels. I went with the one that was closest to the truth -- Mental disabilities...
> 
> Oh, and for a site name -- maybe The E-book Hook Up?


Ooooh I like that name. Need just the right book to cuddle up with at night? Try The eBook Hook-Up. Good for one night stands or lasting relationships...

...leave me alone...it was funny in my head.


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## RHill (Jun 9, 2012)

Scarlett_R said:


> My Search Engine refinements
> 
> Books about mental asylums
> creepiness
> ...


Hee hee. Have I got a book for you!


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## DCBourone (Sep 10, 2012)

Ebookharmony.  Brilliant.
We can only hope.
So far no substitute for the human factor of textual interpretation.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Is there a way, when I click on a book, to see what the author put in for the answers to some of the questions? Like, for instance, if level of violence is really important to someone, while not as important to someone else, being able to double check what someone put in would be helpful. 

Make sense?


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

Can you submit nonfiction to Match A Book?  I notice the submissions page has what looks like a lot of required entry fields that work only for fiction.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

The title of this thread seems to capture just about everything pretty well. Simple. Direct. Accurate. Easy to understand. Change it a bit to say:

"Find a Book on the Book Matching Website!! It matches Readers and Books"


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## Angela Brown (Nov 16, 2012)

Just went over to enter my novel so just hoping I did it right


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Caitie Quinn said:


> If I may, I'd consider adding "contemporary" under "romance" -- I know it feels like an auto of what romance is, but it truly isn't.


I believe "Contemporary" is already on the Sub-Genre list, but I'll check to make sure. I still wonder if it might not be easier to just list all the Sub-Genres alphabetically rather than grouping them by common Genres. Anybody have an opinion on that?



Learnmegood said:


> OK, I put all 3 of my books in. My only difficulty came when I HAD to include at least one "supporting story element." There wasn't an option for "Other," and none of those listed really seemed to fit my school-set humor novels. I went with the one that was closest to the truth -- Mental disabilities...
> 
> Oh, and for a site name -- maybe The E-book Hook Up?


Thank you for adding your books! I hadn't considered the need for "Other" under Story Elements, but I think I will add that. If you would like to change any of your books to that just let me know through e-mail or PM and I'll fix it for you.

I really liked your suggestion for the name, but the domain wasn't available.  However, ebooklookup is, so I added that to the options on the survey.



MalloryMoutinho said:


> Ooooh I like that name. Need just the right book to cuddle up with at night? Try The eBook Hook-Up. Good for one night stands or lasting relationships...
> 
> ...leave me alone...it was funny in my head.


It's okay Mallory, I thought it was funny too! 



Victorine said:


> Is there a way, when I click on a book, to see what the author put in for the answers to some of the questions? Like, for instance, if level of violence is really important to someone, while not as important to someone else, being able to double check what someone put in would be helpful.
> 
> Make sense?


Hmm, it's possible, but I'm not sure that it would be very easy given the way I have things set up. Also, I'm not sure I like doing that because other authors could use it to try to game the system with the book recommendations. If they start to believe someone is doing particularly well they could just try to copy the settings of the other person's book and try to get on the same list for recommendations. (Not that anyone here would ever try that!) I'll have to think about that one.



Avis Black said:


> Can you submit nonfiction to Match A Book? I notice the submissions page has what looks like a lot of required entry fields that work only for fiction.


Yes, you can submit non-fiction. The Author form has several Sub-Genres tied to specific non-fiction categories, so that shouldn't be a problem. The issue that others have commented on is that some of the follow-up questions really don't pertain to non-fiction books. I have temporarily removed the non-fiction options from the seacrh form until I can figure out a better way to handle the book entries to make them more meaningful. If you have any suggestions on the types of search criteria you think would be common to all non-fiction books then please let me know!



Angela Brown said:


> Just went over to enter my novel so just hoping I did it right


Yes you did, and it has already been reviewed and approved. I was mesmerized by your cover. That single tear rolling down her cheek really grabbed me!

I really appreciate all the support and encouragement I have been getting from you guys. I have been working on this for over a week now, and the busiest day I've had was about a dozen books to review and about 100 site visits. Thanks to your efforts and all the things you have done to help promote the site and raise awarenes, I had about 80 books to review today, and over 1200 site visits! I am totally blown away! I've been getting visitors from at least a dozen different sources, and I know it never would have happened if it hadn't been for you guys here at kindleboards. With Thanksgiving awaiting us tomorrow morning here in the US, I find myself even more thankful for all that you guys have done to really get behind this. I'm sure it will only get better!

Last note for the night: 
I have updated the Site Name Survey once again. Of the previous choices, only four had gotten any votes, and there were three new suggestions. I removed the choices that had gotten no votes and added the three new ones. This weekend I will choose from the three that get the most votes. If there is a clear consensus I will go with that. Otherwise, I will make a choice myself. Either way, by the end of the weekend we will have a new domain name and we will be one step closer to being ready to go live. Woo hoo!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I believe "Contemporary" is already on the Sub-Genre list, but I'll check to make sure. I still wonder if it might not be easier to just list all the Sub-Genres alphabetically rather than grouping them by common Genres. Anybody have an opinion on that?


Yes! That would be better. I found the by common genres grouping very confusing.

Then - and sorry if you already have this - it may be useful to have some kind of "known issues" or "topics noted" list (even a seperate one, google doc or something) so that you don't keep getting the same suggestions.

Maybe there could be a link to it just above the feedback box?


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## Shaun Jeffrey (Jun 17, 2010)

There's no horror category under genre


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Re site name:

Although 'books to readers' is a good name, when I first read it I saw 'bookstore' and wondered why you would choose a name with bookstore in it. Have to be careful of words that can run into each other


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

You've done a fine job there Steven, thank you.

Should there be a confirmation message once a book has been submitted by an author?

Under relationship category you might want to add 'enemy'.

Good luck with it

Joe


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I believe "Contemporary" is already on the Sub-Genre list, but I'll check to make sure. I still wonder if it might not be easier to just list all the Sub-Genres alphabetically rather than grouping them by common Genres. Anybody have an opinion on that?


It wasn't under "romance" so I assumed I could only check what was under "romance" for a sub-genre of romance. "Contemp" would have been my #1 choice. Alphabetical would be so much better -- *ponders with reader hat* Yeah, probably as a reader too.

Are we able to "fix" our books once you're running smoothly? Or do we not have access to what we put in before? Like, will the author have a page she can fix behind the scenes or if we messed up is it something that writers would have to submit an email for assistance? I see a call for volunteers coming as this thing gets big! Which I think it might 

I think this is going to be awesome. I voted on the title last night. A lot of fun choices!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Masha du Toit said:


> . . . it may be useful to have some kind of "known issues" or "topics noted" list (even a seperate one, google doc or something) so that you don't keep getting the same suggestions.


Excellent suggestion! I had been working from a Word document where I was copying and pasting the suggestions I was getting, so I copied it over and added a new page to the site. You should see a tab called "To-Do List", and it shows the things I am planning to work on. Anyone can add suggestions by Commenting on that page. You can also offer a vote for which items you would like to see worked next.



Shaun Jeffrey said:


> There's no horror category under genre


I put that on the list and should have it added by tomorrow. If you have already submitted a book and need it changed just let me know and I can fix it for you.



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Re site name:
> 
> Although 'books to readers' is a good name, when I first read it I saw 'bookstore' and wondered why you would choose a name with bookstore in it. Have to be careful of words that can run into each other


Nice catch! I think I'll remove that from the list!



Steeplechasing said:


> You've done a fine job there Steven, thank you.
> 
> Should there be a confirmation message once a book has been submitted by an author?
> 
> ...


Thanks Joe, and yes, you should have been directed to a confirmation page and you should have received a confirmation e-mail as well. I don't see any of your books in the queue, so I suspect it didn't go through. I was working on the form this morning so it is possible that the database was not available at the time you submitted it. If you don't mind trying again, I'll make sure you get added. Sorry!



Caitie Quinn said:


> Are we able to "fix" our books once you're running smoothly? Or do we not have access to what we put in before? Like, will the author have a page she can fix behind the scenes or if we messed up is it something that writers would have to submit an email for assistance? I see a call for volunteers coming as this thing gets big! Which I think it might


This is one of the big items on the To-Do List, and in fact will be the next big item I work on. For now you will have to contact me directly and I will update it manually. I'll post an update once the Author Editing functionality is under way.

As for volunteers, there have been a number of folks who have already offered to be beta testers and help with data entry, and I'm ready for anyone who would like to do either to step in and help. From a beta tester perspective, I need people to try out the search form and let me know if they get any results that are just inconceivable as a match for their seacrh criteria. This will help me validate the algorithm and see if there is anything that might need to be tweaked.

From a data entry perspective, this is a little more complex/complicated. At some point I would like to have the ability to allow users to select a book they have already read and then search for other books that match that one. The site would search through the database, without the user needing to enter any additional information, and make recommendations based on style of writing and other criteria.

In order to do this, I will need people to volunteer to enter books they have already read, using the same Author input form to add a book. There is a bit of a risk with this, because some people might have a different take on the book, and also it would be possible for someone to sabotage the book by selecting the wrong criteria. Imagine if someone entered "50 Shades of Gray" as a Children's Picture Book! There is also the issue of providing a book sample and the cover image. I'm still on the fence about this and may decide to only accept this type of input from a few trusted volunteers, so if anyone would like to be considered for that then please let me know!


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

This is a good site. I encourage you to put some ads on it and reap the reward. You earned it.


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Steven, depending on when you start testing, I'd totally be willing to give in time!

PM me if you need someone else. This is a great service.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> This is a good site. I encourage you to put some ads on it and reap the reward. You earned it.


Thank you, and I am working on it! A guy has to pay the bills somehow!



Caitie Quinn said:


> Steven, depending on when you start testing, I'd totally be willing to give in time!
> 
> PM me if you need someone else. This is a great service.


Thanks Caitie! Anyone can start testing anytime they like. At the bottom of each page is a Comment box labeled "Leave a Reply". Use that to give me any feedback, good or bad!

In the meantime, I have made several new changes to the site, and I will list the most important ones below. For a complete list of completed changes as well as changes that are currently under way, you can go to my new "To-Do List" for an update.

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/to-do-list/

1) I added several new options for some of the drop-downs. The complete breakdown is on the To-Do List. If you see any that might impact any book(s) that you may have lreadey entered, then send me an e-mail ([email protected]) or leave a Comment letting me know what changes you need to make and I'll get to them as soon as I can.

2) I have added an input box on the Author form where you can now include an iTunes link if you have one and know what it is. If you would like to have this added to your book's details page, just drop me a line.

3) I have removed the request for a separate thumbnail image on the Author form. I am still asking for a smaller image (~200x300), and I will use html code to resize that for the thumbnail image wherever it is needed.

4) I added sidebars to the site for a couple of reasons. The most obvious (as you'll no doubt see) is for the placement of ads, which is how I anticipate generating income to cover the expenses for maintaing and working on this site. Sorry! More importantly, though, I wanted to be able to get the Site Search box and the Site Subscription box up at the top so that they would be more visible and accessible. Before they were at the very bottom, and I don't think anyone knew they were there.

I am still looking for votes on the Site Name Survey also, so if you stop by, please take the time to fill it out and make a choice!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/

A couple of new features I am working on right now are as follows:
1) Adding an option for Authors to identify the type of story they are submitting (Short Story, Novella, Novel, etc.) This is not used in the search algorithm at this time, but I've gotten a lot of feedback from a reader's perspective asking for it. Drop me a line with your book title(s) and the story type and I will update your book's details page.

2) I am reorganizing the Search Form to break it into sections with instructions to the users on how they can get the best use from each section. This is also based on feedback from a reader's perspective.

3) I am going to be removing the Age option from the Search Form and I am reducing the weighting on Tone and Setting. I will have to adjust the search algorithm a bit to account for these changes.

4) I am going to be changing the layout of the Search Results page to make it a table layout instead of a list. This will alow me to show three or four thumbnails in each row and eliminate a lot of the empty white space on the page.

5) I am going to be adding a new page called "Browse by Genre". This page will allow people to select a specific Genre and then see a list of book summaries that they can browse through rather than using the Search Form. This will be something that might be preferable for those folks who want to take their time and peruse the options available.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

This is a great idea! I just submitted my first two books. Will do the other two tomorrow. I love being able to add more details other than the few Amazon allows us to enter. 

Is there a 'Grand Opening' date set?


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## tomwood (Dec 25, 2011)

I think this is a unnecessary service Amazon makes it pretty easy to find all the books you need


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

...need, maybe, but not all the books you want


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## Gayle Miller (Sep 22, 2012)

Looks great but I noticed on the book submission page that it only gives you the option for one author name. Would be great if it also gave the option for co-authors.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

tomwood said:


> I think this is a unnecessary service Amazon makes it pretty easy to find all the books you need


 I think time and readers will determine the necessity of the site. Plus it also will help readers of B&N, apple, Kobo etc, not just Amazon users.

It also offers so many more category choices than Amazon does. Gotta love that!


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## Bravetank (Nov 24, 2012)

I submitted my book Life Shift yesterday. I loved completing the questionnaire!! I think this is a really good & fun idea.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

MaryMcDonald said:


> This is a great idea! I just submitted my first two books. Will do the other two tomorrow. I love being able to add more details other than the few Amazon allows us to enter.
> 
> Is there a 'Grand Opening' date set?


Thanks Mary! I am still making a few minor changes to the search algorithm as I get some feedback from people who have conducted searches. I will continue testing through this next week, and my goal will be to hopefully have it ready to go live on Dec. 1. Ultimately, the more books we have, the better experience the readers will have. Right now if someone fill out the entire Search Form with meaningful choices, some genres are only returning one or two books, if any. It would be great if we could get the book count higher. I know some authors are waiting for the ability to modify their entries, so I am making that a priority. If I can't get that ready by 12/1 then we may have a soft roll-out to try to break it in, and then the full roll-out on 1/1/13.



tomwood said:


> I think this is a unnecessary service Amazon makes it pretty easy to find all the books you need


I would never try to challenege Amazon and the way they do things. This is simply an alternative for readers who want to be more selective about the kind of books they are looking for. Most of the links to actually purchase the book go back to Amazon. I mean let's face it, they truly know how to make the retail model work. We offer the ability for authors to also link to Nook, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords if they have books available there. It may not be your cup of tea, and I can respect that.



Gayle Miller said:


> Looks great but I noticed on the book submission page that it only gives you the option for one author name. Would be great if it also gave the option for co-authors.


You know, you are absolutely right! That was a complete oversight on my part and something that I will add to my To-Do List. Sorry that I didn't think of that right up front! 

I will be doing a lot of work on the site this weekend to try to get some of the heavier coding done. If you happen to submit the Seacrh Form and don't get any results or receive an error message, just go back one page and submit it again. (You can also refresh the page and select "Retry" when it says the information will have to be submitted again.) Any pages I'm working on won't be down for very long, so those types of errors should be minimal.

Also, if you submit the Author Form and do NOT receive a confirmation message on the site, then that means your information did not get entered into the database. Sorry, but since those require actual updates to the database, you can't just refresh and retry. You can try using the Back button to see if it will take you back to the completed form. If it does then you c an resubmit and it should go through.

I am still looking for votes on the Site Name Survey. I have narrowd the options down to three, so get your votes in now! If you know any other authors who might be interested in participating, then pelase tell them about the site. We still need a lot more books! Thanks!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Can we submit books other than our own? For instance, I don't think it would hurt to include some trade published books in there, but the draw back to that is that lack of sample. Of course, in that box, could just say see sample at (amazon, B&N, etc). My reasoning is that it might attract more readers to have a wider selection. I wouldn't expect you guys to do all that work, but if readers and authors wanted to submit one for a book they loved, it might be an added attraction. Just look at the volunteer librarians at Goodreads and the people who make edits on Shelfari. Some people love doing that kind of thing.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

MaryMcDonald said:


> Can we submit books other than our own? For instance, I don't think it would hurt to include some trade published books in there, but the draw back to that is that lack of sample. Of course, in that box, could just say see sample at (amazon, B&N, etc). My reasoning is that it might attract more readers to have a wider selection. I wouldn't expect you guys to do all that work, but if readers and authors wanted to submit one for a book they loved, it might be an added attraction. Just look at the volunteer librarians at Goodreads and the people who make edits on Shelfari. Some people love doing that kind of thing.


Absolutely! If there is a book you have read that you would like to enter, then go right ahead. I emphasize the _you have read_ part because we want to make sure that the options you select to describe the bok is true to the original intent. It may take me longer to approve those because I will want to review them more closely before adding them. Since all the book submissions are reviewed manually by me, I am okay with this. (Please use the comment field at the bottom of the form to let me know that you are entering it instead of the actual author. I don't want to get unnecessarily giddy if I see Stephen King's books start showing up in the queue!)


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I've uploaded another children's book and suggested that you add 'bullying' to the story elements. 

re: site name. Does it matter that people collect matchbooks and might be confused (or will that be serendipity and they end up buying a book


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I've uploaded another children's book and suggested that you add 'bullying' to the story elements.
> 
> re: site name. Does it matter that people collect matchbooks and might be confused (or will that be serendipity and they end up buying a book


I have add Bullying to the Story Elements, and I will get your entry updated this weekend. Getting more votes on the site name, so please keep them coming! We also have plenty of room for more books to be added!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

What a great project! Thanks for all your work on it, Stephen. I just submitted the first book in my series.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

I would dearly love to have my books on this site but the categories don't work well for them.  Drama should be listed as a main category.  It is also historical fiction (which is a sub category and I can use that, but I don't want "history" as main category because that sounds like a history book, not fiction) and a family saga. 

Any chance of adding "Drama" to the main categories? I can forego family saga if I could get "Drama" and sub genre historical fiction, but listing my book as history just does not work and literary fiction makes a lot of people not even look at it.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

This site looks like a great idea!

I've had a look through the form & read through this thread.  I've got a couple of points I'd like to add:

1)  Another vote for 'no antagonist'.  It's not that rare in romance to just have the hero, heroine, a few supporting characters & for most of the tension to come from the interaction between the hero & heroine (or hero/hero, or heroine/heroine) - you might get a brief bit of peril thrown in there, but the people responsible wouldn't quite qualify as antagonists, because they are only passing through - a letch who makes a pass at the heroine at a ball, or bandits, or some such thing.

2) Please don't make tone unimportant!  I would love to be able to select a romance by its tone.  

It's late here - but will try to get my titles submitted in the next day or so.


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## Incognita (Apr 3, 2011)

Zelah Meyer said:


> This site looks like a great idea!
> 
> I've had a look through the form & read through this thread. I've got a couple of points I'd like to add:
> 
> ...


I totally agree with Zelah on this. I had the hardest time entering the data for my book because there really isn't an outside antagonist...it's all about the tension between the two leads.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Caddy said:


> I would dearly love to have my books on this site but the categories don't work well for them. Drama should be listed as a main category. It is also historical fiction (which is a sub category and I can use that, but I don't want "history" as main category because that sounds like a history book, not fiction) and a family saga.
> 
> Any chance of adding "Drama" to the main categories? I can forego family saga if I could get "Drama" and sub genre historical fiction, but listing my book as history just does not work and literary fiction makes a lot of people not even look at it.


I have added Drama as a Primary Genre and also as a Secondary Genre. I thought I already had it either as agenre or a story element, but turns out I didn't. Thanks for suggesting it!



Zelah Meyer said:


> 1) Another vote for 'no antagonist'. It's not that rare in romance to just have the hero, heroine, a few supporting characters & for most of the tension to come from the interaction between the hero & heroine (or hero/hero, or heroine/heroine) - you might get a brief bit of peril thrown in there, but the people responsible wouldn't quite qualify as antagonists, because they are only passing through - a letch who makes a pass at the heroine at a ball, or bandits, or some such thing.
> 
> 2) Please don't make tone unimportant! I would love to be able to select a romance by its tone.


I will add the option for "No Antagonist" to the adversaries dropdown. I probably won't get to it this evening, but I will try to get it done early tomorrow.

As far as Tone and Setting are concerned, I moved them to the bottom of the Search form, which means they will be more likely to be overlooked, but they will still factor into the recommendations. I had considered reducing the impact on the algorithm, but I think I'm going to leave it as it is for both of them. If you would like to suggest any other options for Tone, just let me know. Thanks!

Still looking for votes on the site name. One option is starting to take a fair lead, but it isn't too late to help influence the final name!


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

I submitted my book! This is exciting!


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

Just voted for a name and tweeted about the site.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Thank you so much for adding "Drama"!  I will get my books entered within the next couple of days for sure.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Oops! BUMPed my head on the screen!


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## Kathelm (Sep 27, 2010)

Very interesting site.  I just added one of mine.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I am going to be making some changes to the search results page today, so if you go there and get an error message, please try again. If you get a white page with an obscure error message, you can just refresh the page and select "Retry" when it tells you it needs to resend the information. I usually have those erros fixed within a minute or two, so you should be able to get through.

The rest of the site is humming along nicely, and I don't anticipate working on any of the other pieces right away. If you would like to submit a book or vote for the site name, then you can still do both of those. Today will be the last day to vote on the site name. I plan to register the domain in about 4-5 hours based on the top vote-getter, so if you would like your opinion to count, you need to vote! Thanks!

http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/site-name-survey/


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## GWakeling (Mar 23, 2012)

Thanks for the great opportunity to participate in this new venture, Steven! I've added both Inside Evil and The Tower of Souls to your listings. I don't know whether you're able to add doppelgänger to your list of adversaries, but I suppose they're human too so that will do for now. 

Also, there's a little spelling error on the main page....(and more expereinced ones)....I don't know whether this is your final copy, but I thought I'd just mention.  

All the best with the site, it's looking great so far!

Geoff


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Thank you.  I put all four books on there.  One problem: Although you added "Drama" to the list I could select from, you do not have it listed as a category on the "Browse by Genre" page so no one will find my books unless they already know the name.  Will you be adding "Drama" to that page?


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## Wingpeople (Oct 7, 2011)

Maybe you're in the midst of moving some things around, but I'm not having much luck in getting to the submission page. I looked at it yesterday, decided I needed a bigger block of time to submit our books, and just went back to it today.

a) I get a "page not found" error when I try to go to http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/

b) There is no "For Authors" tab any more. Instead, I see an "Edit Entries" tab, but ...

c) ... I've never created an entry, so I can't edit it.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

GWakeling said:


> I don't know whether you're able to add doppelgänger to your list of adversaries, but I suppose they're human too so that will do for now.
> 
> Also, there's a little spelling error on the main page....(and more expereinced ones)....I don't know whether this is your final copy, but I thought I'd just mention.


I will get Doppelganger added to the Adversaries list, but it may be a couple of days before I get to it. I'm pretty busy with some major updates (see below) and they are taking top priority. Actually, there were a couple more spelling errors as well, but thanks for pointing them out. We're still in the early stages and still testing, but even small things like that need to be fixed! 



Caddy said:


> Thank you. I put all four books on there. One problem: Although you added "Drama" to the list I could select from, you do not have it listed as a category on the "Browse by Genre" page so no one will find my books unless they already know the name. Will you be adding "Drama" to that page?


Done! The site is set up to add the new Categories at the bottom once someone actually uses that Category. However, the "Browse by Genre" page is manual, so I had to go in and add that one, but it is there now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

MAJOR UPDATES!!!!!!
I have been super busy this weekend trying to get some major changes implemented, and I believe I have them all in place and working now (or almost)! Below is a breakdown of these changes:

1) Changed the layout of the results page so that they appear in a grid, and also grouped them together by ratings.

2) Registered the new domain name (bookmatchers.com), and currently changing everything over use the new url and making sure the links all work.

3) Created an Edit Entries page to allow authors to update their own books. (Yay me!)

I'm really very pleased with the new results page and how it is working. I am still going to be making a few tweaks here and there, but structurally it is right where I want it for now. Getting the links changed over for the new domain name is going to be my top priority this evening. Any links you currently have will still work, but I want to make sure that internal links on the site use the new domain name instead my personal domain.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!!!
Because of the registration of the new domain name, I have had to take the Author's form down temporarily. This is because the web site is set up to validate that the form is coming from the current domain, and since that has changed, I still have to get the validation changed over and make sure it is working. If you go there and find the form missing, just check back after a while and it will return!

In order for Authors to be able to edit their own entries, you will need to have a user account set up on the web site. I am going to be creating these for everyone who has already entered at least one book. Once you receive your account validation, you can log in and then go to the Edit Entries page, which will be under the For Authors tab. If you go there and don't see anything, don't panic. I still have to go back and connect your new user account to your entries, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get to everyone tonight. I'm working as fast as I can, but I'm still just one person!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Wingpeople said:


> Maybe you're in the midst of moving some things around, but I'm not having much luck in getting to the submission page. I looked at it yesterday, decided I needed a bigger block of time to submit our books, and just went back to it today.
> 
> a) I get a "page not found" error when I try to go to http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/for-authors/
> 
> ...


I have been making some major changes to the site, including changing the domain name. (See message above for more details.) All the pages for the site are back up now and should be working fine. If you run into any problems you can e-mail me or send me a PM from here using the links below my picture on the left.

BTW - the site name survey has been removed because a winner has been selected. This weekend, Book Matchers had an overwhelming response, obtaining over 85% of the votes. Thanks to all of you who voted!

http://www.bookmatchers.com


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

> Done! The site is set up to add the new Categories at the bottom once someone actually uses that Category. However, the "Browse by Genre" page is manual, so I had to go in and add that one, but it is there now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!


I never in a million years expected this to happen so quickly! Thank you so very much, you are amazing. Too bad you don't work for B&N. Maybe they would actually get some things done to help authors sell books! Or Kobo, for that matter.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> In order for Authors to be able to edit their own entries, you will need to have a user account set up on the web site. I am going to be creating these for everyone who has already entered at least one book. Once you receive your account validation, you can log in and then go to the Edit Entries page, which will be under the For Authors tab. If you go there and don't see anything, don't panic. I still have to go back and connect your new user account to your entries, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get to everyone tonight. I'm working as fast as I can, but I'm still just one person!


Ah, okay - this answers my question then! 

Thank you for doing this, Steven! The site looks amazing! I can't believe how fast you've put this together. You're doing such a great job! I hope it takes off like crazy and you get lots of referral commissions and we get lots of book sales!


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Hm, I just logged in with the user name and pw I received by email. I am not able to edit my book's page yet. Also, I see all the pages, and this freaks me out a little.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Cherise Kelley said:


> Hm, I just logged in with the user name and pw I received by email. I am not able to edit my book's page yet. Also, I see all the pages, and this freaks me out a little.


I haven't connected anyone's user accounts to the entries they have already created yet, so you probably won't see anything when you go to the Edit Entries page. I'm not sure what you mean by "I see all the pages". If you are seeing somebody else's book entries then that is a problem. If you are seeing a blank page, that is okay (for now). I'll post an update once I get everyone's pages connected. I'm expecting it to be a long night!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

All authors who have already entered a book into the directory should now have a user account that has been created for them. If you did not receive an e-mail with your login information, then please check your spam folder to see if it ended up there. In order to submit a new book, you will need to log in using that ID.

For new authors who have not yet added a book, you will now need to create a user account before you will be allowed access to the form. Also, anyone who wants to edit their books will now encounter a login page if you aren't already logged in. I have tied the new user accounts to about half of the books that we have in the directory so far. I'm not sure that I will finish with all of them tonight, but I will be able to get them done some time tomorrow at the latest. If you go to the Edit Entries page and do not see your titles listed there, please check back later. Thanks!

http://www.bookmatchers.com


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> All authors who have already entered a book into the directory should now have a user account that has been created for them. If you did not receive an e-mail with your login information, then please check your spam folder to see if it ended up there. In order to submit a new book, you will need to log in using that ID.
> 
> For new authors who have not yet added a book, you will now need to create a user account before you will be allowed access to the form. Also, anyone who wants to edit their books will now encounter a login page if you aren't already logged in. I have tied the new user accounts to about half of the books that we have in the directory so far. I'm not sure that I will finish with all of them tonight, but I will be able to get them done some time tomorrow at the latest. If you go to the Edit Entries page and do not see your titles listed there, please check back later. Thanks!
> 
> http://www.bookmatchers.com


Thanks. Received the email and have logged in. Looking forward to seeing lots of readers logging in!


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## deanfromaustralia (Mar 24, 2011)

Great concept and on the face of it a great site. However I noticed a lot of typographical errors while I was exploring the site. Now, I was on my smartphone and I don't know if it was a rendering thing- however I suspect not therefore I would be keen to see these errors addressed.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

deanfromaustralia said:


> Great concept and on the face of it a great site. However I noticed a lot of typographical errors while I was exploring the site. Now, I was on my smartphone and I don't know if it was a rendering thing- however I suspect not therefore I would be keen to see these errors addressed.


This site was put together as a proof of concept and has been slowly evolving ever since. Most of the language on the pages is intended more for authors, because right now they are the only ones being told about the site. This coming weekend I will go through all the pages and revise the wording/content to make it more specific to readers. After that we will start trying to reach out to the readers to start getting their involvement and feedback.

If anyone happens to notice any typos, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page to point them out so that I can get them fixed. I'm doing all of this by myself, and my focus has been primarily on coding the back end. If I could get others to help make sure the visible text is clean, I would certainly appreciate it!

(And you thought editing a novel was hard! Psssht!)

BTW - If you are seeing typos on any of the book details pages, those aren't mine! The authors are all entering their own synopses and samples, so any typos found there are strictly from them. Even so, I'm sure they'd appreciate having them pointed out!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Nice  

I am just a reader but I had tried this out earlier in the thread and at that point the results didn't match much of what I put in. 
But I just tried it again and this time it seems to have worked, even though I got 0 results. That just means no authors of that particular subgenre have put their stuff up. 

Obviously the more authors and books you get submitting for the site, the more useful it will be to readers.


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## BJ Whittington (Aug 30, 2011)

Tried to register, it is not sending me the password.

YES I checked my spam and trash folders.


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## Griffin Hayes (Sep 20, 2011)

Uploaded my paranormal thriller Dark Passage yesterday. As the site progresses, it'll be nice to see more options in the drop down menu, in particular for horror and all its sub-genres, but I think it's a great idea. Thanks for doing this!


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

Added Stolen Memories to the site. As a reader this is an awesome idea.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Atunah said:


> Nice
> I am just a reader but I had tried this out earlier in the thread and at that point the results didn't match much of what I put in.
> But I just tried it again and this time it seems to have worked, even though I got 0 results. That just means no authors of that particular subgenre have put their stuff up.
> 
> Obviously the more authors and books you get submitting for the site, the more useful it will be to readers.


Thanks for your feedback! I have made a lot of changes to the search algorithm, so if a reader is very specific then it should give you a pretty good match, assuming any books of that type have been entered, just as you said. I'm hoping that we will continue to grow and add more titles.



BJ Whittington said:


> Tried to register, it is not sending me the password.
> 
> YES I checked my spam and trash folders.


I'll have to look into this later this evening. I am at work right now (lunch break), so I can't get on the server to research it. You might try registering again to see if you can get through now. Sorry!



Griffin Hayes said:


> Uploaded my paranormal thriller Dark Passage yesterday. As the site progresses, it'll be nice to see more options in the drop down menu, in particular for horror and all its sub-genres, but I think it's a great idea. Thanks for doing this!


If you or anyone else out there have any sugestions for additions to any of the dropdown menus, then please share. I am still trying to get everything where it needs to be, and I have a working list of updates to make. I'll be happy to add others as well!



Kristine McKinley said:


> Added Stolen Memories to the site. As a reader this is an awesome idea.


Why thank you! I'm sure that as we add more books it will be even more useful and productive!

Okay, now for an update! I need everyone to know that by creating an account, you are being granted Author privileges for the site itself. However, this does NOT mean that you can create new articles or posts. It also does not mean that you can go in and add tags to your book page or any others. You should use this privilege ONLY to add a new book on the For Authors page or to edit your books on the Edit Entries page. If this becomes a problem I will have to revoke everyone's privileges and find another way to allow you to edit your book entries. I have had five people who have done one or more of the above, and I can't allow this to happen. If you violate these conditions, you will receive a warning, and a repeat will result in your account being suspended. Don't make me get mean!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thanks, Stephen.

I d\signed up and will add my books over the next few days (I've got 20, so it will take a bit of time).

Thanks again
Edward C. Patterson


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

I wanted to edit my book sample on Bookmatchers. However, the highlighted "email me for changes" doesn't click through. I need an opening quotation mark *before* the *first word* in my book sample. It's a little confusing without it. In advance, thank you so much for your help.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

I must note that I had a sale within the hour after my book went live on Bookmatchers.  It could be coincidence, but I don't exactly get a sale every day.  I'm hoping though?!!!!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Sapphire said:


> I wanted to edit my book sample on Bookmatchers. However, the highlighted "email me for changes" doesn't click through. I need an opening quotation mark *before* the *first word* in my book sample. It's a little confusing without it. In advance, thank you so much for your help.


I replied to your Comment on the web site, but just in case others encounter this issue, I thought I should also post the response here.

Depending on when and how your book was created, you may not have it connected to your user account. If you created the user account before you submitted the form, then it should tie them together. If I created the user account and sent you the login information, then your book may not be tied to your account yet. I went in and fixed the quotation mark for you, but if you have any additional problems just let me know.

BTW - I hope we had something to do with that sale, and many more to come!


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## brendajcarlton (Sep 29, 2012)

Thank you so much, Steven, for all the work you've done on this great idea.  I am ready to add my books, but I have a question to ask first.  Would it be possible for you to add a genre for "unconventional story structure" or "experimental" or even "other" in order of my preference.  My biggest problem with trying to market The Accident at 13th and Jefferson is that it does not fit into any of the established genres.  (Dummy me naively thought that uniqueness was a good thing)  Thank you for considering the idea, whichever way you decide.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

brendajcarlton said:


> Thank you so much, Steven, for all the work you've done on this great idea. I am ready to add my books, but I have a question to ask first. Would it be possible for you to add a genre for "unconventional story structure" or "experimental" or even "other" in order of my preference. My biggest problem with trying to market The Accident at 13th and Jefferson is that it does not fit into any of the established genres. (Dummy me naively thought that uniqueness was a good thing) Thank you for considering the idea, whichever way you decide.


Hmmm. I don't see any of those becoming primary genres, but I may consider them as sub-genres. The bad side of that is that your chances of matching up with a reader is if they are specifically looking for that. Of course, it may be a good thing since you'll have little or no competition for those readers who are looking for something "unconventional"!

I will add it to my list, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get to it tonight. I have some other things I need to test out first for some higher priorities. Try checking back tomorrow, though.


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## brendajcarlton (Sep 29, 2012)

Thank you so much.  I'd bake you a homemade blueberry pie, if I could get it to you!!!


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Sapphire said:


> I must note that I had a sale within the hour after my book went live on Bookmatchers. It could be coincidence, but I don't exactly get a sale every day. I'm hoping though?!!!!


That's really great! I wonder how many visitors this site has reached out to already?


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Have to find some time to do this. Posting now so this thread keeps slapping me in the face.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

brendajcarlton said:


> Thank you so much. I'd bake you a homemade blueberry pie, if I could get it to you!!!


Blueberry pie! Yum! 



RM Prioleau said:


> That's really great! I wonder how many visitors this site has reached out to already?


Well, since you asked! I first made this site available for viewing about two weeks ago, and things started off pretty slowly because nobody really knew about it and there wasn't a lot to see or do there. Since then, it has gradually picked up pretty much every single day (except for a dip on Black Friday, hmmm). As of right now, the site has had 3,331 site views and is averaging about 235 visitors per day. Granted, a lot of those are authors, but I know for a fact we have had a few readers (who may have also been authors) who have actually purchased something. I just checked my Amazon affiliate account and found four new sales since yesterday. (Most of the affiliate links weren't in place until Saturday.) I haven't done anything to promote the site myself, but I know some of you are doing a lot to get the word out because I am seeing visitors from Goodreads, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

I would love to add at least another 100 titles by next week, and my intention is to start really making it available to the readers next week (12/1). I will need to change up the contents and such to make it more reader-centric and less author-centric, but that will be happening soon.

From a different perspective, we now have 133 registered authors on the site, and there are 214 titles that have been listed. (That doesn't include the 12 in the queue waiting to be approved.) Of those 214 titles, I still need to associate about 90 of them to their authors so that they will be able to edit them, and I hope to have that completed tonight. I would have had that finished already, but since I neglected my family all weekend, I agreed to spend a couple of hours with them this evening! 

Here is a comment from the site I wanted to share beacuse it will be important to all the authors out there:
_I'm trying to edit my entry, but do not see an "edit" button. I have additional books to add (over the next few days), but I need to add additional material for this first book. I created a login before I made this first entry.
Thanks
Ed Patterson_

I responded to this comment on the site, but for those of you still following the thread, here it is. 
You should see your titles listed there when you go to the Edit Entries page, and the left column should have a link that says "View Entry Details". If you click that, you will be taken to a page that shows your information. At the very, very bottom is a link that says "Edit Entry". That's where you want to be! Sorry it's so hard to find. I'm going to need to put together some instructions!

I know it's not real user friendly, but I am trying to take some shortcuts here and using some third party tools to help provide some of the features I wanted to make available. Trying to code a full solution was going to take too long, and I am not only working full time, but I am also in the process of selling my house, so time is at a premium. (Two of my three kids have moved out, and the third is a college freshman who will be moving soon. I just don't need a five bedroom house anymore!)

Anyway, there will be more updates coming later. In the meantime, keep the comments flowing, and be sure to tell all your author friends to come and join the party!


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Those are some great stats! I'm glad to see that the site is doing well


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I'm experiencing some problems with the Edit Entries functionality. I'm making that my top priority, but if you go to that page and find that you can't edit your information, please be patient. I'll try to get it working as soon as I can.


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

You guys need to submit more books because there aren't books to fit my very specific tastes. I want a YA Fantasy where Enemies become Lovers in a Major US city! With demonstrated romantic emotion! 

But seriously I'm going to spread the word because this is an awesome idea. Thanks for putting it on!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Actually, that makes me think. You could probably use this as a tool to gather info about what readers want. General trends. That kind of thing.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

emilyward said:


> You guys need to submit more books because there aren't books to fit my very specific tastes. I want a YA Fantasy where Enemies become Lovers in a Major US city! With demonstrated romantic emotion!
> 
> But seriously I'm going to spread the word because this is an awesome idea. Thanks for putting it on!


I gonna write me one of them thar Ya Frenenemy Urban Fantasies.  Do you want it with or without vampires. Zombies are extra and they come in seven shades of gray.

Edward C. Patterson


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Not sure if this was asked already or not, but I noticed after doing a search, my newest book came up as a '3-star recommendation'. But I don't have any reviews on that book, so where did the 3 stars come from?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

emilyward said:


> You guys need to submit more books because there aren't books to fit my very specific tastes. I want a YA Fantasy where Enemies become Lovers in a Major US city! With demonstrated romantic emotion!
> 
> But seriously I'm going to spread the word because this is an awesome idea. Thanks for putting it on!


Thanks for spreading the word! If any of you are involved in any other author groups, critique groups, or anything of that nature, then please share the word. The more books we get, the more likely we are to end up with a "YA Fantasy where Enemies become Lovers in a Major US city! With demonstrated romantic emotion!" The worlde definitely needs more of those, and we need to help them find them!



Masha du Toit said:


> Actually, that makes me think. You could probably use this as a tool to gather info about what readers want. General trends. That kind of thing.


Excellent thought, and I had originally started out planning to capture that information for future use. However, because of the way I had to set up the coding to do the evaluations and calculations for the search algorithm, I had to back off. Otherwise it would have taken far too long to load the page, and it's kinda slow now as it is. I definitely have that in mind for the next phase, and I'll be happy to share that information when I do!



Edward C. Patterson said:


> I gonna write me one of them thar Ya Frenenemy Urban Fantasies.  Do you want it with or without vampires. Zombies are extra and they come in seven shades of gray.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Frenenemy? Should that be aded to the Relationships or the Character Class? 



RM Prioleau said:


> Not sure if this was asked already or not, but I noticed after doing a search, my newest book came up as a '3-star recommendation'. But I don't have any reviews on that book, so where did the 3 stars come from?


Excellent question! Actually, that three star rating is a rating of how well your book matched the criteria that was submitted in the search form. If a book gets a score of 90 or above it gets 5 stars, 80 - 89 gets 4 stars, and 70 - 79 gets 3 stars.

It's important to note that the score does not relate to the percentage of likeliness that your book matches. Instead, it is a specific score based on the weight of importance applied to different criteria. Furthermore, the weighting will change based on the genre selected. For example, a Fantasy novel might have a max score of 8 points for Magic, while a Women's Contemporary novel might only have a max score of 1. Likewise, a Mystery novel might have a max score of 8 for Violence, while a Romance novel might only have a max score of 1.

The weights for each genre are determined by a combination of the other options selected and will generally change with each new search. The scoring ranges may result in the same books being recommended even when certain criteria are changed, but the more dramatic the change, the bigger the impact on the final score.

Believe me, I had a LOT of fun thinking up these formulas, but the real fun was doing the coding for the calculations. I'm still tweaking them a bit from time to time, but eventually they will evolve to something that should be pretty accurate at identifying books that match a reader's interests.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Oops! BUMPed into the keyboard again!


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Excellent question! Actually, that three star rating is a rating of how well your book matched the criteria that was submitted in the search form. If a book gets a score of 90 or above it gets 5 stars, 80 - 89 gets 4 stars, and 70 - 79 gets 3 stars.
> 
> It's important to note that the score does not relate to the percentage of likeliness that your book matches. Instead, it is a specific score based on the weight of importance applied to different criteria. Furthermore, the weighting will change based on the genre selected. For example, a Fantasy novel might have a max score of 8 points for Magic, while a Women's Contemporary novel might only have a max score of 1. Likewise, a Mystery novel might have a max score of 8 for Violence, while a Romance novel might only have a max score of 1.
> 
> ...


Would it not be better to have some other way to separate the search relevance rather than stars? This may be misleading to potential readers who may see a '1-star recommendation' and think the book got bad reviews or something.
How about something like: 
'These books match the closest to your search criteria'
'These books match close to your search criteria'
'These books match some of your search criteria'
'These books are related to some of your search criteria'
etc...


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## GWakeling (Mar 23, 2012)

RM Prioleau said:


> Would it not be better to have some other way to separate the search relevance rather than stars? This may be misleading to potential readers who may see a '1-star recommendation' and think the book got bad reviews or something.
> How about something like:
> 'These books match the closest to your search criteria'
> 'These books match close to your search criteria'
> ...


I agree. I did a search myself, and when the star ratings came up was confused. It took a few moments for it to click into place. I was thinking 'are these Amazon star ratings? And if so, why are so many books that I know to have over 4 stars only listed as 2/3 stars here'.

Another way of listing them would be a good idea, or to embolden the guide at the top of the page as I completely missed it.

Geoff


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

You could just say "Match Score 1" or "Match Score 4" etc.  Or use A-B-C-D, or hearts instead of stars.


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Just a couple of suggestions. There was no category for parallel realities in the settings section and the only category for made-up species is 'alien' which might turn fantasy readers off a work of fantasy which contained made up species. 

Cheers

MTM


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

RM Prioleau said:


> Would it not be better to have some other way to separate the search relevance rather than stars? This may be misleading to potential readers who may see a '1-star recommendation' and think the book got bad reviews or something.





GWakeling said:


> I agree. I did a search myself, and when the star ratings came up was confused. It took a few moments for it to click into place. I was thinking 'are these Amazon star ratings? And if so, why are so many books that I know to have over 4 stars only listed as 2/3 stars here'.
> 
> Another way of listing them would be a good idea, or to embolden the guide at the top of the page as I completely missed it.





Sapphire said:


> You could just say "Match Score 1" or "Match Score 4" etc. Or use A-B-C-D, or hearts instead of stars.


You guys make a good point, so I am going to get that changed later this evening. I am finishing up a couple of other changes first, but that is next on my agenda!



M T McGuire said:


> Just a couple of suggestions. There was no category for parallel realities in the settings section and the only category for made-up species is 'alien' which might turn fantasy readers off a work of fantasy which contained made up species.


I appreciate the suggestions, but I can't promise they will make it into the final mix. I will consider "Parallel Realities", but "Made-Up Species" is not going to be there. Sorry!

I have gotten so many suggestions from all of you wonderful folks, and I am trying to accomodate as many as possible. Please keep in mind that even though I have provided an abundance of options, there has to be a limit to everything. I've had people leaving comments asking how they can possibly list their book that is set on the western frontier of a far-away planet where fairies do battle with magic dragons as a heart-throbbing prince makes mad, passionate love to a mermaid while they stand over the body of a murdered dwarf. If your book is so far out there that the current options can't cover it, then just ask yourself one question: "How would I list it on Amazon"? 

On a more serious note, I am still working on getting the Edit Entries function working, and I think I have found a solution. It isn't the most glamorous choice, but given what I have I think it will work. Please keep in mind that this set out to be a prototype or a proof of concept, and you guys have helped me verify that this really can be done. Over time this will evolve into something more streamlined and elegant and powerful, but we're still going through some growing pains. I'm getting there, but it may be slow going at times.

I am going to have to create an explanatory document or a user's guide to help everyone figure out how to edit their own entries, but by this weekend that will be fully functional and you should be able to do that. In the meantime, if anyone has any others suggestions, just keep them coming. I may not get to them right away, but they'll get added to the list!


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

I must be an idiot, but I can't find the "edit entry" button at the very bottom of the page.  Where is it? Before or after the comments?  Left, right or center?  Am I blind?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Caddy said:


> I can't find the "edit entry" button at the very bottom of the page. Where is it? Before or after the comments? Left, right or center? Am I blind?


I'm sorry, but I am in the process of making some changes regarding the way I am going to handle the editing. I hope to have that back online within the next day or two. I am going to be putting a new page on the site either tonight or tomorrow to explain to everyone some of the steps involved, and then within a day or so after that the editing feature should be restored. Thanks for your patience!


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## Susanne O (Feb 8, 2010)

Sorry, but I can't even get into the site now. It says 'not found'. I was going to add all my 9 books...


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I appreciate the suggestions, but I can't promise they will make it into the final mix. I will consider "Parallel Realities", but "Made-Up Species" is not going to be there. Sorry!
> 
> I have gotten so many suggestions ....just ask yourself one question: "How would I list it on Amazon"?


Mwah ha ha hargh! I wasn't really asking that and there isn't a species category on Amazon so it's difficult to apply Amazon to that bit. I was thinking more New, Unknown Species like the New, Unknown Planet one. I've called mine 'aliens' for the moment but I'm wondering if it makes me look slightly less of a stray mentalist to look at it this way:

If I was Tolkein, what category would I put Hobbits under?
Or if I was Ricky Gervais trying to categorise Flanimals what would I call them?

Neither of those are strictly 'aliens' because most people reading 'alien' think little green men... or the blue ladies Captain Kirk always got to snog on StarTrek. Maybe it's just a case of a slightly more all-encompassing word where aliens is at the moment ;-)

Just thought of something else, too... it took me a while to work it out (the foreign city category gave it away) but I think I'm right in saying your site is American. Would it be worth having some kind of British/World spelling warning for any Brit/South African and Australasian book that might end up on there?

Cheers

MTM


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Susanne OLeary said:


> Sorry, but I can't even get into the site now. It says 'not found'. I was going to add all my 9 books...


If you are using one of the original links that pointed to my personal web site, they won't work anymore. We have moved the site to its new domain, which is listed below. Also, if anyone else happens to experience this, you should be able to click on the Book Matchers title at the top of the "Not Found" page and I believe that will take you to the new site. Sorry for the confusion!

http://www.bookmatchers.com


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

I meant to do it last night because those darn network people at my day job are blocking the site.   Will have to remember to do it tonight.


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## lewaters (Jun 25, 2011)

Thanks for creating such a fantastic site for authors and readers. I can't wait to explore it!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

M T McGuire said:


> Mwah ha ha hargh! I wasn't really asking that and there isn't a species category on Amazon so it's difficult to apply Amazon to that bit. I was thinking more New, Unknown Species like the New, Unknown Planet one. I've called mine 'aliens' for the moment but I'm wondering if it makes me look slightly less of a stray mentalist to look at it this way:
> 
> If I was Tolkein, what category would I put Hobbits under?
> Or if I was Ricky Gervais trying to categorise Flanimals what would I call them?
> ...


You make some good points, and before I forget, the suggestion to ask yourself how you would enter it on Amazon wasn't directed towards your request. You left out the part where I started discussing other requests, including other genres and such, and that was where the Amazon comment was directed! 

I kinda like the suggestion of "Unknown Species", so I will keep that in mind. The main point I would like everyone to keep in mind is that I am trying to keep these questions relevant for readers. Before Tolkien came along, nobody would have thought to ask for a book about Hobbits. Using the same logic, I can't claim to know how to anticipate every type of character that may be or has been created. Because of that, I would recommend selecting the closest match available and then offer a suggestion for an addition, just as you have done.

I am not adding anything new to any of the dropdowns right now, but I hope to be able to make updates to them by the end of the week. Right now my priority is getting the editing functionality working so authors can update their entries. That way if and when I do make changes to any of the dropdowns, everyone wil be able to go in and update their book information.

Your assessment of the site being "American" was correct. I tend to be a little prejudiced in that regard, having never lived outside the US. As much as I'd like to be all things to all people, there really have to be some limits. I'll be happy to post a message on the form indicating that all questions are asked from the perspective of someone living inside the US, but I pefer to think that most folks will figure it out.

I really do appreciate your feedback, and I encourage everyone to continue providing your suggestions and feedback. I just ask that everyone be receptive to the possibility that I may not be able to implement them all! Everyone can keep track of the things I am working on by going to the to-do list. I don't have everything listed there, and I'm not working everything in the order in which it appears, but it will give you an idea of the volume of work I still have left to do. If anyone wants to see something added, please leave a comment or come post it here, and I'll get it added to the list for future consideration. Thanks!

http://www.bookmatchers.com/to-do-list/


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## Susanne O (Feb 8, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> If you are using one of the original links that pointed to my personal web site, they won't work anymore. We have moved the site to its new domain, which is listed below. Also, if anyone else happens to experience this, you should be able to click on the Book Matchers title at the top of the "Not Found" page and I believe that will take you to the new site. Sorry for the confusion!
> 
> http://www.bookmatchers.com


Thanks! I put three of my books there and they are up! (six more to come) Noticed a few more sales already. I am tweeting and sharing this very actively, as I think this is a fabulous incentive. I really appreciate all the work that has gone into this. I hope it will grow and grow.


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## Susanne O (Feb 8, 2010)

I would love to see 'chick-lit' or 'romantic comedy' among the genres, sub genres or categories though. This is sadly missing from Amazon but it needs to be there as it is something many readers are looking for and don't find, which can result in buying a book that is not quite what you were looking for...


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> You make some good points, and before I forget, the suggestion to ask yourself how you would enter it on Amazon wasn't directed towards your request. You left out the part where I started discussing other requests, including other genres and such, and that was where the Amazon comment was directed!


Doh, my bad, sorry about that.



Steven R. Drennon said:


> I kinda like the suggestion of "Unknown Species", so I will keep that in mind. The main point I would like everyone to keep in mind is that I am trying to keep these questions relevant for readers. Before Tolkien came along, nobody would have thought to ask for a book about Hobbits. Using the same logic, I can't claim to know how to anticipate every type of character that may be or has been created. Because of that, I would recommend selecting the closest match available and then offer a suggestion for an addition, just as you have done.
> 
> I am not adding anything new to any of the dropdowns right now, but I hope to be able to make updates to them by the end of the week. Right now my priority is getting the editing functionality working so authors can update their entries. That way if and when I do make changes to any of the dropdowns, everyone wil be able to go in and update their book information.


That sounds eminently sensible to me... and I used to work in a software house so I know how manic this feedback thing can get. ;-) Thank you for listening. I really appreciate it. I should think all of us do!



Steven R. Drennon said:


> Your assessment of the site being "American" was correct. I tend to be a little prejudiced in that regard, having never lived outside the US. As much as I'd like to be all things to all people, there really have to be some limits. I'll be happy to post a message on the form indicating that all questions are asked from the perspective of someone living inside the US, but I pefer to think that most folks will figure it out.


No worries, it's more so I know and can pitch things accordingly. I've done all my prices in £sterling... doh!



Steven R. Drennon said:


> I really do appreciate your feedback, and I encourage everyone to continue providing your suggestions and feedback. I just ask that everyone be receptive to the possibility that I may not be able to implement them all! Everyone can keep track of the things I am working on by going to the to-do list. I don't have everything listed there, and I'm not working everything in the order in which it appears, but it will give you an idea of the volume of work I still have left to do. If anyone wants to see something added, please leave a comment or come post it here, and I'll get it added to the list for future consideration. Thanks!
> 
> http://www.bookmatchers.com/to-do-list/


I think you're very brave running anything by us at all! I really like the concept of your site, I think you're doing something pretty groundbreaking and if it works I think it could turn everything on its head. I reckon only about 6% of the reading market will like my books but if I have any chance of finding them, it's through sites like yours. Seriously it's a top, top job you're doing here. So, thanks.

Cheers

MTM


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Susanne OLeary said:


> Thanks! I put three of my books there and they are up! (six more to come) Noticed a few more sales already. I am tweeting and sharing this very actively, as I think this is a fabulous incentive. I really appreciate all the work that has gone into this. I hope it will grow and grow.


Thanks for sharing news about the site. We still have a ways to go before it's fully functional, but I'm happy to get new visitors anytime! Also, I'd like to take credit for your sales, but I'm betting that was just coincidence! 



Susanne OLeary said:


> I would love to see 'chick-lit' or 'romantic comedy' among the genres, sub genres or categories though. This is sadly missing from Amazon but it needs to be there as it is something many readers are looking for and don't find, which can result in buying a book that is not quite what you were looking for...


Excellent suggestions! I will add them to the list and try to have them available within the next day or so.



M T McGuire said:


> I think you're very brave running anything by us at all! I really like the concept of your site, I think you're doing something pretty groundbreaking and if it works I think it could turn everything on its head.


Brave? Crazy? It all seems the same to me right now!  I hope you're right about turning everything on it's head. Vivki had the vision, and I'm happy to be able to provide the service. Let's hope it works! 

UPDATE
I have turned over the Edit Entry issue to someone else, so that will free me up to get back to some of the other things that need to be done. In the meantime, I'm going to take advantage of the break to create a new page for all our author friends to explain how this all going to work and how it's being set up. Some of you who got in on the early round have some insight, but we've added over 50 authors in the last three days, so I think it's time to do this. I'll be back in a bit to add the page link.


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## RHill (Jun 9, 2012)

Victorine said:


> Steven has been awesome enough to create a website to match books and readers. But the website needs more books!
> 
> http://www.drennon.com/bookmatch/
> 
> Go on over and submit your book! Do it today!


Is this dead? I tried and got a "website not found" after three tries....


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## whatdanwrote (Oct 18, 2012)

Submitted my book!  Thanks for the opportunity to get it out there.

Dan


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

RHill said:


> Is this dead? I tried and got a "website not found" after three tries....


If you are using one of the original links that pointed to my personal web site, they won't work anymore. We have moved the site to its new domain, which is listed below. Also, if anyone else happens to experience this, you should be able to click on the Book Matchers title at the top of the "Not Found" page and I believe that will take you to the new site. Sorry for the confusion! 

http://www.bookmatchers.com

All Authors, Please Read:
I have changed some of the pages on the site, but the most important thing for each of you is that you need to check out the For Authors page. I have provided some information that explains how you can update the information that the readers will see. It is VERY important that everybody read the entire page. If you have any questions or do not understand any part of it, then please use the Comment form at the bottom of the page or post a response here and I will get to it as soon as I can.

http://www.bookmatchers.com/for-authors/


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Here's a brief summary from the new "For Authors" page to explain how to make updates to your content.

If you need to edit your information, there are two different components. When you submit the form for your book, there are two things that are created. The first is a Post on the site, which is what the readers will see as your Book Details page. The second is a data collection that is used for the back end processing with the search algorithm.

If you need to change any information that the readers will see, you can do that by logging on and going to the Posts link in the admin section. Any changes you make will be submitted for review, and once they are approved they will be visible for all to see.

If you need to change the back end data, that is still being worked on. Once I have it working I will post an update here. I hope this helps!


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> we've added over 50 authors in the last three days....


The awesome power of Kindleboards, clearly! ;-) I'd lay bets each one of us spreading the word...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> If you are using one of the original links that pointed to my personal web site, they won't work anymore. We have moved the site to its new domain, which is listed below. Also, if anyone else happens to experience this, you should be able to click on the Book Matchers title at the top of the "Not Found" page and I believe that will take you to the new site. Sorry for the confusion!
> 
> http://www.bookmatchers.com
> 
> ...


Thanks . I've uploaded a profile.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have changed the way the results page is set up and modified the style of it a little as well. I took out the stars that were being used to identify how well each book matched the search criteria. I'm not sure this will be the final version, but I think it looks better than it did before. I'd appreciate any feedback on that if anyone gets a chance to test it out.

http://www.bookmatchers.com/search_form/

I'm going to be changing the wording on the pages in the next couple of days to start setting up the content to be more directed towards the readers. I have had most of the information on the site directed towards authors as we tried to build up the number of books, but now we are close to making the site available to readers. We now have about 300 titles on the site, but we need a lot more! If you haven't entered your information yet, then please try to do it soon! Also, please share the link with all your friends so we can get their books in there too!

Thanks!


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I've joined and put up my novel, and plan to get the rest up soon. I'm going to blog about the site, also, because I think this is a great idea.

The novel is under a pen name, while the short stories are under my name, so is it safe to assume that they will be listed by author, and not all under the account name (my real name)?


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Yay!
I managed to update my profile.  The site is looking good.


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

Questions

Can an author post their book if the book is currently in the 90 Kindle Select Program?

And as for the graphic sexual content- er..... my one novella has a kind of 'slap and tickle' scene that takes up one page and everyone keeps their clothing on and that's the only scene in the book.... can I still post the book in the paranormal genre?


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## btsc99 (Oct 12, 2012)

FrankZubek said:


> and everyone keeps their clothing on


But the lights are off, I trust?


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

Bt....

There's a lamp on against a far wall so the room is dimly lit ( grin)

I'm just trying to not get my hand slapped since the scene COULD be seen as graphic to a small amount of readers  although the bulk of the book is a about an everyday detective getting through the day dealing with people who have paranormal problems

so just one little page of sexuality- not erotica


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Sheila_Guthrie said:


> I've joined and put up my novel, and plan to get the rest up soon. I'm going to blog about the site, also, because I think this is a great idea.
> 
> The novel is under a pen name, while the short stories are under my name, so is it safe to assume that they will be listed by author, and not all under the account name (my real name)?


That is an excellent question! Actually, the only thing that the public will see is the name you provide as the author. (i.e. Book Title by Author Name) The name you use for your personal account is not displayed to the public anywhere, UNLESS you update your profile page with a Bio. In that case, your Bio will show up at the bottom of all of your book pages, regardless of the Author name you used. I am probably going to remove that feature, but I haven't decided yet.



Masha du Toit said:


> Yay!
> I managed to update my profile. The site is looking good.


Excellent, glad you like it! I have had a few people contact me asking about how to do that. If you scroll to the bottom of any page you will see a link on the left side that says "Admin". Just click on that link. If you are already logged in, you will see an admin screen with a link on the left that says Profile. If you aren't logged in, it will show up once you log in.



FrankZubek said:


> Can an author post their book if the book is currently in the Kindle Select Program?
> 
> And as for the graphic sexual content- er..... my one novella has a kind of 'slap and tickle' scene that takes up one page and everyone keeps their clothing on and that's the only scene in the book.... can I still post the book in the paranormal genre?


More excellent questions! Listing your book(s) on this site would not violate the terms for the Kindle Select program. Basically, this is the same as doing a blog post or sharing a link to your site. As long as you do not include any links to other places where people may buy your book, you should be fine.

As far as "graphic sexual content", I would consider that to be anything that is highly sexually suggestive, or more importantly, anything that is highly descriptive. Anything that depicts or descibes a detailed sexual encounter would be considered graphic. What you described would not fall into that interpretation.

--------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE!
I have moved a couple of pages around in the last day or so as I get ready to roll the site out to the general public. I believe the page locations are now fixed and probably won't be changing. I have updated the To-Do List, so I would suggest scrolling all the way to the bottom to see the most recent tasks that have been completed. I have updated all of the dropdowns with your suggestions, and I believe I have covered pretty much every single suggestion in one way or another. If anyone would like to make more suggestions then leave a post here or leave a comment on the site.

http://www.bookmatchers.com/for-authors/to-do-list/

EDIT ENTRIES IS WORKING!!!!!!!!!!
I have FINALLY fixed the problem with the Edit Entries feature, so now Authors can not only edit the front-end information that is shown to the readers, but also the back-end data that is used in the search algorithm. If you want to edit your data collection, just use the Edit Entries link under the For Authors tab. This will take you to a page that should list all your titles. If you see any that do not belong to you, or if you are missing any, then please let me know right away. I had to guess on some as I was linking everything together.

If you click on the link for "View Entry Details" on any title, you will be taken to a page that shows ALL of the information you entered. If you would like to edit any of this information, then scroll all the way to the bottom and you should see a link that says "Edit Entry". If you click on that link you will be able to update any of your information. Keep in mind that any information you change on that page will NOT update the book's details page, which is what the readers will see. That information will have to be updated using the Post link in the admin section. (See above for how to get there.)

Sorry about making you go to two different places, but that's the best I could do on such short notice. If things start to take off I will be redesigning and redeveloping the entire web interface to make better use of the database. That would mean things would be a lot smoother for you guys. I ask that you be patient and tolerant for now, and if we can demonstrate that this is really going to work like I hope it will, I promise it will only get better!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven you are doing an excellent job  .

May I suggest that each of the drop down menus has a 'skip this' at the top. I think there will be readers who perhaps won't understand what is meant by 'tone' etc. or who won't really care. This would make the process less time-consuming (and some people can be very impatient). What do others think?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Steven you are doing an excellent job .
> 
> May I suggest that each of the drop down menus has a 'skip this' at the top. I think there will be readers who perhaps won't understand what is meant by 'tone' etc. or who won't really care. This would make the process less time-consuming (and some people can be very impatient). What do others think?


Aww, shucks! Thanks for the kind words! 

Actually, once you get past the first four questions on the search form, I changed each of the drop-down menus so that they default to "No Preference". Hopefully that will serve the same purpose. I also added some text instructions at the top of the search form to inform folks that once they get beyond the first four, everything else is really optional.

I would like some more feedback on how the search form is set up. I understand it, but I need fresh eyes looking at it to help determine if I need to add more instructions, change what's there, or leave it the same. Thanks!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

We have an issue with being able to edit the Genre of your book using the editing page for the back-end data collection. If you need to change the Genre that will be used by the search algorithm you can send it to me or PM me using the links to the left below my picture. Thanks!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have been getting some good questions from the site, so I thought I'd share some of them here along with the responses in case others had the same questions.

_I have a very useful book on Elizabethan social history, but there doesn't seem to be any way to list it. You have a category for Non-Fiction, but all the other fiction-related selectors are still required. What can I do?_

Non-Fiction right now is something that I am working on improving for the site. It's really hard to try to use the same questions for non-fiction as it is for fiction. However, when you look at the sub-genre list, there are a lot of different non-fiction categories that are grouped together by topic at the very bottom of the list. I have added Elizabethan and Victorian to the History group, so hopefully that will help. In the near future I am going to be changing a lot of things about the data I collect for non-fiction books, but I'm struggling with that right now. I'm trying to identify about a dozen questions that are generic enough to address all forms of non-fiction, so if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

_Do I have to make separate entries for the e-book and paperback versions?_

I would recommend just listing one, and make sure that it is the lowest priced one. The site doesn't make any distinction on whether your book is an e-book or a paperback. We simply provide the synopsis and the story sample and then the readers can decide if they want it. I believe any retailer that you link to will have an alternate link to the paperback on the same page as the e-book, so it should be okay to use that.

_It was impossible to give a location for my fantasy novel, because it involves time travel and our heroes wind up in several quite different points of history, as well as in Faerie. Could there be a category for "multi" or something. Multi-era is common in historical fiction. Speaking of which, many people would probably like to specify a particular era--you sort of stop at Medieval. Just a thought. Thanks so much for providing this service. I've passed the word on my Facebook page and in a number of writers groups as well today._

If it helps any, the Setting does not factor heavily into the search algorithm. Having said that, I can add Multi-Era as an option for the setting. Also, there is an option under Story Element for Time Travel, and since you get four choice there you might want to consider using that as one of them. As far as providing more specific era for the Setting, I'm afraid that would only dilute the impact for Setting even more than it already is. I want it to have at least some influence, but since it is weighted lower than most of the other options, having more choices would lower the impact.

I also appreciate you sharing word about the site. It's going to take a lot of word of mouth to help spread the news, but I'm sure that before long we'll start to see a lot of benefit from it. I would really appreciate it if everyone would start sharing news about the site. I believe it is pretty much ready to go, so now we need to start getting the readers to come and check it out. Anything you can do to help spread the word will be appreciated.

Also, keep the questions and suggestions coming! You guys are great!


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## LT Ville (Apr 17, 2011)

I haven't joined yet, but it sounds like a good idea. I have bookmarked the site and I will definitely check it out later.


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

Just popped in To Save the Realm. Thanks for setting up this site, Steven.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I submitted one book and will submit others. Also tweeted the site and will do so again. I think it's a great idea. Thanks for all your hard work.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I have 6 of my 20 books up. Peckng away a little at a time. Then I'll promote the hell out of tje site a la Patterson.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

I edited all of my books and noticed that I have two of Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny in there. Can you please delete the one that is #264?  PLEASE DO NOT delete #263. That is the updated one.  I have no clue how I got 2 in there...


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## K. Zolnoski (Oct 2, 2012)

Wow am I glad to have stumbled upon this.  Thank you very much.  I just submitted my first book and look forward to submitting my second book when I have it finished and published.  This idea of yours is awesome and I think it will help everyone, authors and readers.

Also I'm linking to your site from my blog.  I think this is a great idea.
K.


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## JGrover (Aug 10, 2011)

I've tried to register and it said a confirmation link was sent to my email. I'm still waiting. It's been about 30 minutes and no email from the site.
Does it take a while to arrive?

Thanks,
John


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

First of all, great site, Steven. I entered all of my English language books. However, while I did receive my author account and password from you a while back and can log into my account, I cannot edit any of my entries except the most recent one. My other books appear in the search and in the listings, but I cannot edit the entries.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Caddy said:


> I edited all of my books and noticed that I have two of Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny in there. Can you please delete the one that is #264? PLEASE DO NOT delete #263. That is the updated one. I have no clue how I got 2 in there...


Done! I had caught that on the book details page, but I didn't think to go back and remove the duplicate on the data collection section. I have seen that happen to a couple of other people as well. I think you may have inadvertently clicked the Submit button twice, and both instances got added to the database.



JGrover said:


> I've tried to register and it said a confirmation link was sent to my email. I'm still waiting. It's been about 30 minutes and no email from the site.
> Does it take a while to arrive?


You should have received your confirmation within fifteen minutes. I have had a few people tell me that the message got redirected into their junk mail or spam folder, so you may want to check there. If you don't find it there, then send me a PM and I'll generate a new one and send it to you. (Please include the login ID you used to create your account.)



CoraBuhlert said:


> First of all, great site, Steven. I entered all of my English language books. However, while I did receive my author account and password from you a while back and can log into my account, I cannot edit any of my entries except the most recent one. My other books appear in the search and in the listings, but I cannot edit the entries.


Sorry, that was a mistake on my part, but it is corrected now. You should be able to get to all of your books, but if not, just let me know!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to submit your books and especially for sharing news about the site! The site continues to grow, and I continue to make changes based on your feedback, so please keep it coming! Below are some more questions that came directly from the site.

_For the list price, which edition should be listed? Ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio..? Or, perhaps, you could have a radio selector so we could indicate which edition we're listing..?_

I would recommend putting in the price for your e-book. We ask you to provide us with links to your Kindle, Kobo, Nook, or Smashwords versions. Since all of those are essentially e-books, that would make the most sense. My assumption would be that the other formats will be accessible from the e-book pages, and I would expect most people to be looking for the cheapest version. I will work on modifying the content for the readers to make it clear that we are focusing on e-book matching.

_There are many cross-genres, as already pointed out above. e.g. history/paranormal, romantic thriller. Could you make room for these?_
(This was a comment left on the Browse by Genre page.)
The "Browse by Genre" page is intended to give people a chance to look for one specific genre. I understand that many books are cross-genre, but ultimately there should be one that stands out above the other(s), and that is what you should list as your primary genre. On the Search Form, people can choose a Sub-Genre to add to their search criteria, and that is where you have the opportunity to draw their attention. The focus of this site is to encourage the readers to use the Search Form. The Browse by Genre page is only provided as an alternative for those who might prefer to just browse.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Thanks, Steven!


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Thanks, Steven. Now I can go back and add in my Barnes & Noble links, now I finally have them.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Thanks, Steven. Not that the pen name is a secret -- it's in my signature, and all over my blog, after all -- but it would cause less confusion to have books listed by the name on the cover.  

I'll blog about the site today, now that you have things pretty much sorted out to your satisfaction.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Sheila_Guthrie said:


> Thanks, Steven. Not that the pen name is a secret -- it's in my signature, and all over my blog, after all -- but it would cause less confusion to have books listed by the name on the cover.
> 
> I'll blog about the site today, now that you have things pretty much sorted out to your satisfaction.


Actually, as long as you don't update your Profile, then the only thing that the site visitors will see is the title and the author name that you provide. You can use as many pen names as you like, and as long as you create each entry with the same account, you will be able to edit them all using that same account. You won't have to worry about people seeing your real name tied to your pen name that way. Sorry if I confused matters on that!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Went to the site yesterday and couldn't find a book to read. So hurry up, you guys. Post those books ASAP. (note to self to do the same)


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

I've given you a shout on facebook and twitter. I doubt much'll happen but... it's there!

Cheers

MTM


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Well, Gertie, I'm trying   But you've read all of mine (I think).   

In any event, I haved 15 of my 20 up there now. Only the 2 non-fiction and the 2 poetry books to go. Manana. (I have one book which is a compilation of 3 novellas, already up there separately. So I'll hold that back as a redundancy).

Edward C. Patterson


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Well, Gertie, I'm trying  But you've read all of mine (I think).
> 
> In any event, I haved 15 of my 20 up there now. Only the 2 non-fiction and the 2 poetry books to go. Manana. (I have one book which is a compilation of 3 novellas, already up there separately. So I'll hold that back as a redundancy).
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


You know i'm not reading the poetry.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I'llnlet you know when the poetry is up ll


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I'll let you know when the poetry is up ll


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I've been seeing a lot of new books being submitted with tiny images of only 100x150 pixels. The upload form specifically asks for 200x300. I had been sending out e-mails to those who used the wrong size images, but it has gotten to where that is taking WAY too much of my time. I have to save the image to my computer, then I have to go in and change the post, change the link on the data collection, and then publish the post. That doesn't include the time I spend having to look up the author's e-mail address and typing out a message. 

Of the first 300 books that were submitted, I had maybe four authors that I had to contact. Of the last 50, there have been fourteen authors! Sorry folks, but you're only hurting yourselves by providing images that are too small to read or get severely pixelated when I try to resize using code. If you have made this mistake and want to send me a larger image, I'll try to fix it when I can, but it won't be my top priority.


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I've been seeing a lot of new books being submitted with tiny images of only 100x150 pixels. The upload form specifically asks for 200x300. I had been sending out e-mails to those who used the wrong size images, but it has gotten to where that is taking WAY too much of my time. I have to save the image to my computer, then I have to go in and change the post, change the link on the data collection, and then publish the post. That doesn't include the time I spend having to look up the author's e-mail address and typing out a message.
> 
> Of the first 300 books that were submitted, I had maybe four authors that I had to contact. Of the last 50, there have been fourteen authors! Sorry folks, but you're only hurting yourselves by providing images that are too small to read or get severely pixelated when I try to resize using code. If you have made this mistake and want to send me a larger image, I'll try to fix it when I can, but it won't be my top priority.


Now you've got me wondering if I did that... I suspect a lot of authors may be reading the 200x300 as the maximum file size rather than a specific requirement. I'm not sure... It may be that you've said on here but that the people who have come in from elsewhere are reading it differently.

Cheers

MTM


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

M T McGuire said:


> Now you've got me wondering if I did that... I suspect a lot of authors may be reading the 200x300 as the maximum file size rather than a specific requirement. I'm not sure... It may be that you've said on here but that the people who have come in from elsewhere are reading it differently.


No, yours are fine. I believe most of the authors who are doing this have come from a Facebook group that I mentioned the site on. I'm trying to focus most of my attention on providing a better way to handle the non-fiction titles so that they don't get processed the same way as fiction. I'm still working on identifying about a dozen or so questions that would be common across all forms of non-fiction, so if anybody has any suggestions please let me know!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have just finished adding a couple of new things to the site that will be for the benefit of non-fiction authors. It didn't seem fair to try to describe a non-fiction book or search for a non-fiction book using the same characteristics that were being used for a fiction book. Because of this, I have added a separate form for non-fiction authors to use for submitting their books. The questions on this form are much more specific to non-fiction and should help provide much more relevant matches for readers.

If you have already submitted a non-fiction story, I would like to ask that you please resubmit your book(s) using this particular form. This will help to ensure that your intended readers will have an easier time getting matched up with your book. As always, I would like to ask that you please provide me with any feedback or suggestions as you go through this form. If you feel there is something that should be added before you finish the form, just let me know and I'll get it added as soon as possible.

http://www.bookmatchers.com/for-authors/book-submissions-non-fiction/

In addition to this, there is a separate Edit Entries page that is specific to non-fiction authors. The reason for this is that the data for the non-fiction books is being stored in a separate table, so it was easier to just create a separate page rather than trying to modify the existing one. All of these changes will now be visible underneath the For Authors tab.

I am still in the process of creating the separate Search Form for non-fiction books. I hope to have that completed this evening. In the meantime, all you non-fiction authors can get your books added in and have them already there for when readers start looking for you. (It will also help me to have some data here so that I can have something to test with!) 

Thanks for everyone's fedback and support. I have noticed a slight decline in the number of authors who are submitting books, so please share the news with all your friends and encourage them to come add their books!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I have just finished adding a couple of new things to the site that will be for the benefit of non-fiction authors. It didn't seem fair to try to describe a non-fiction book or search for a non-fiction book using the same characteristics that were being used for a fiction book. Because of this, I have added a separate form for non-fiction authors to use for submitting their books. The questions on this form are much more specific to non-fiction and should help provide much more relevant matches for readers.
> 
> If you have already submitted a non-fiction story, I would like to ask that you please resubmit your book(s) using this particular form. This will help to ensure that your intended readers will have an easier time getting matched up with your book. As always, I would like to ask that you please provide me with any feedback or suggestions as you go through this form. If you feel there is something that should be added before you finish the form, just let me know and I'll get it added as soon as possible.
> 
> ...


I'm glad I held off with my two non-fiction books. They and my two poetry books will go up soon.

Ed Patterson


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Sorry. I'm falling behind with everything. I'll try to get the rest of my books submitted this weekend.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have finished the creation of the new non-fiction search form, and now I need to finish the coding for the search algorithm that it will use. It will most likely be this weekend before it is ready to be turned on and tried out by the general public, so now is a good time to get your non-fiction books submitted! We have just gone over 400 titles, but we still need more! If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, then please bookmark this page so you can find it. Also, we really need everyone to keep sharing the word. Let's get that title count over 1000! 

http://www.bookmatchers.com/


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I have finished the creation of the new non-fiction search form, and now I need to finish the coding for the search algorithm that it will use. It will most likely be this weekend before it is ready to be turned on and tried out by the general public, so now is a good time to get your non-fiction books submitted! We have just gone over 400 titles, but we still need more! If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, then please bookmark this page so you can find it. Also, we really need everyone to keep sharing the word. Let's get that title count over 1000!
> 
> http://www.bookmatchers.com/


Great news. I've roped in a few more writers on an Amazon forum. They seem to be impressed .


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

I was wondering about the weighting of genre vs. sub-genre. I just went through and searched for my own book, matching everything apart from swapping the main genre and sub-genre (meaning my book is listed women's fic first, literary second, and I searched for literary first, women's fic second). My book came up in the results, but it didn't rank very well at all. 

Considering I matched everything else, I would expect a better result than my book got. It was at the absolute bottom of the list. Not even in "good" but in "other".

Would it be possible to weight the sub-genre a little more? I suppose the way I'm using it is more cross-genre than sub-genre. I would really like my book to rank well for both genre results, if that's possible. If one is slightly stronger than the other, that's fine, but I wouldn't expect for it to show up at the bottom of the list, you know? 

Also, when I search for my book matching every question just as it's listed in the database, it only shows up as a "better" result, not "best". I'm sure that's probably not what you intend to happen, so I thought I'd bring it up!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Laura Rae Amos said:


> I was wondering about the weighting of genre vs. sub-genre. I just went through and searched for my own book, matching everything apart from swapping the main genre and sub-genre (meaning my book is listed women's fic first, literary second, and I searched for literary first, women's fic second). My book came up in the results, but it didn't rank very well at all.
> 
> Considering I matched everything else, I would expect a better result than my book got. It was at the absolute bottom of the list. Not even in "good" but in "other".
> 
> ...


And THIS is why we test our product! The issue with your book, and apparently several others, is not with your genre or sub-genre, but the other questions. More specifically, the last few that ask about the comfort level for different factors (romance, violence, magic, etc.). On the Author's form, if you enter "None", it gets assigned a numeric value of 0, while each one after that goes up from there.

When I first started creating the Search Form, I did not have the option for "No Preference", and so the the option of "None" was given a numeric value of 0 there as well. However, later when I started changing the form to account for the option of "No Preference", I assigned it a numeric value of 0 and then adjusted everything else. That means when you chose "None" for your selection on Violence, it was trying to match a numeric value of 1 with the 0 that was applied to your selection of "None" on the Author form. That resulted in your matching points getting reduced for that and the other criteria at the bottom of the page.

I will be working on that today and will get it fixed. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Okay, I have fixed the formulas so that they will calculate correctly. It turned out that there was another issue as well, and it was even bigger than the seacrh algorithm. Any time the genre or sub-genre had an apostrophe, the code on the page was interpreting it incorrectly, and that kept it from making a match. As a result, your genre score wasn't getting added at all, and that is what kept it from scoring higher. I have fixed the code, but I will need to log on to the database later to update your genre settings. This issue should be resolved by this evening. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have made the necessary database updates to make sure that all the search criteria is being processed correctly. The issue where some of the Women's Contemporary and Children's Books were not being ranked properly has been fixed. Now I'm going back to work on finalizing the non-fiction search form!


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

Thank you for fixing it so fast! It's working great now!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Laura Rae Amos said:


> Thank you for fixing it so fast! It's working great now!


I wouldn't have known it needed to be fixed if you hadn't told me about it, so thanks for that! I'm still working on the non-fiction search form and having a few problems with that. I've made that my top priority for now. If anyone would care to review the non-fiction author's form and give me some feedback on the questions there, I would appreciate it!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have finished making the changes for the non-fiction search results and the form should be functioning completely now. For those of you who may have already submitted a non-fiction book using the original form, I would strongly recommend re-entering your information on the new from for non-fiction books. I have changed the search criteria on the fiction form, so people will have a much harder time finding you there.

I would like to ask again that everyone please take the time to share news about the site with your friends, whether they be readers or authors. I've pretty much gotten all the major tasks completed for the first phase, and I'd love to see the site start taking off. The only way that can happen is if we keep the traffic flowing to the site for both readers and authors. 

Thanks to everyone who has helped already with your links, comments, and suggestions!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I was telling a friend about Bookmatchers and someone overheard me and asked for the name of the website and took down the details


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I was telling a friend about Bookmatchers and someone overheard me and asked for the name of the website and took down the details


Excellent! We really need some help getting the word out. I have finished the changes for the non-fiction books, so everything is pretty much ready to go. The traffic on the site has gone from about 250-300 visitors per day down to less than 50. I didn't want to keep bumping this post up myself because it was starting to look like I was dominating all the messages. The site has really stalled over the past week, so I truly appreciate you sharing the news. The only way we can really keep it going and have it turn into something useful is if everybody keeps sharing the news!


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## Windvein (Sep 26, 2012)

I'm sorry, I haven't read all 12 pages so don't know if this had been addressed, but I just submitted a free book to your database. I can understand the need to enter the price in a numeric fashion, but could the database know to spell out FREE as the price $0 so it's clearer when it's displayed to readers? It's displayed now $0, which is fine, but spelling it out is always clearer. Just my two cents, otherwise I found it pretty simple to add my book. When I have time, I'll try to add my others. I suggested adding high school as a setting and/or major obstacle (I think high school is a major obstacle anyway.  

Thanks for setting this up!

P.S. My book is perma free, not a Select timed giveaway if you're worried.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm wondering if the website can also work in reverse. If I want to gift a book to a friend I'd like to be able to check first whether there is a lot of graphic sex or swearing in it. If I typed in the title of the book would I be able to see the checklist?

Thanks for all your work doing this


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Windvein said:


> I'm sorry, I haven't read all 12 pages so don't know if this had been addressed, but I just submitted a free book to your database. I can understand the need to enter the price in a numeric fashion, but could the database know to spell out FREE as the price $0 so it's clearer when it's displayed to readers? It's displayed now $0, which is fine, but spelling it out is always clearer. Just my two cents, otherwise I found it pretty simple to add my book. When I have time, I'll try to add my others. I suggested adding high school as a setting and/or major obstacle (I think high school is a major obstacle anyway.
> 
> Thanks for setting this up!
> 
> P.S. My book is perma free, not a Select timed giveaway if you're worried.


12 pages! Wow, I hadn't really noticed that this thread had gotten so long! I like your suggestion about listing the price as "Free", but I'm not sure about how I could do that. When you submit the form, you create a Post for the book and a data collection for the search algorithm. I can probably set it up so that when the Post gets created, it converts the 0 to the word "Free", but I don't know about the data collection. I'll look into that.

I also like the suggestion about adding High School to a couple of drop down menus, so I'll be adding that to the list. Thanks for the suggestions!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I'm wondering if the website can also work in reverse. If I want to gift a book to a friend I'd like to be able to check first whether there is a lot of graphic sex or swearing in it. If I typed in the title of the book would I be able to see the checklist?
> 
> Thanks for all your work doing this


Hmm, that's an interesting suggestion. First of all, you'd have to determine that the book is in our database, and then we'd have to provide a way to see the settings. I believe Vicki had suggested something similar, so this is actually on the To Do List, but I haven't really looked at designing a means of accomplishing it. I'll have to give that some more thought, but I appreciate the suggestion!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi Steven,
Now that you've added non-fiction to the site, can I suggest that you make one of the genres 'Historical Fiction'. 'History' seems more of a non-fiction genre. Family Saga will then become a sub genre of Historical Fiction.
Thanks   

Will you be able to change the listings of the books so that they appear in turn as the first on the list? As the site grows some books may end up on page 10 or so.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Hi Steven,
> Now that you've added non-fiction to the site, can I suggest that you make one of the genres 'Historical Fiction'. 'History' seems more of a non-fiction genre. Family Saga will then become a sub genre of Historical Fiction.
> Thanks
> 
> Will you be able to change the listings of the books so that they appear in turn as the first on the list? As the site grows some books may end up on page 10 or so.


I'm a little reluctant to change the genres right now, but I'll certainly take this into consideration. Let me look at it and see what kind of an effort it will be.

The order in which a book will appear in the search results is based on the final score it gets from the search algorithm. When I first started this, a score of 90-100 placed you in the top tier, 80-89 the second tier, 70-79 the third tier, and 60-69 in the last one. Because of the increasing volume of books, I have revised that slightly. Now the breakouts are 93-100, 85-92, 78-84, and 70-77. When we get to where we have between 600 and 700 books in the database, I am planning to revise it again. (We currently have about 450 books in the database.) The next breakdown will most likely be 95-100, 90-94, 85-89, and 80-84.

You can already see that the books that were in the bottom tier at the very beginning are no longer going to show up. After the next round, the books that originally would have been in either of the bottom two tiers will no longer show up. This is because the number of matches is going to continue to grow as the number of available books continues to grow.

This scoring algorithm may have to change based on genre, simply because some genres will not have as many books to select from in the first place. (That is another reason why I am reluctant to add more genres!) I want to make sure that the recommendations we provide are as relevant as possible, so my goal is to continue to refine this as we go along. Ideally, I'd like to keep it at a level where we can provide at least a few top tier books and around a dozen or so for each of the other tiers, so that will be another factor in determining the levels of adjustment for each genre.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> I'm a little reluctant to change the genres right now, but I'll certainly take this into consideration. Let me look at it and see what kind of an effort it will be.
> 
> The order in which a book will appear in the search results is based on the final score it gets from the search algorithm. When I first started this, a score of 90-100 placed you in the top tier, 80-89 the second tier, 70-79 the third tier, and 60-69 in the last one. Because of the increasing volume of books, I have revised that slightly. Now the breakouts are 93-100, 85-92, 78-84, and 70-77. When we get to where we have between 600 and 700 books in the database, I am planning to revise it again. (We currently have about 450 books in the database.) The next breakdown will most likely be 95-100, 90-94, 85-89, and 80-84.
> 
> ...


Hi Steven. Thanks. What I meant by the books showing up first is when you just click on a genre e.g. if you're just looking for a YA book, or a humour book it shows a list of books. It seems that the first ones that were added now fall to the bottom of the list, which is ok, but as the list gets longer they will become more invisible. Just an idea


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2012)

I submitted something, but I wanted to check first before sending anything else - is there a minimum or suggested minimum length for works, considering the sample is expected to be around 500 words? That would be about half the whole story for my other two published shorts.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> What I meant by the books showing up first is when you just click on a genre e.g. if you're just looking for a YA book, or a humour book it shows a list of books. It seems that the first ones that were added now fall to the bottom of the list, which is ok, but as the list gets longer they will become more invisible. Just an idea


Ahh, now I see what you're talking about! If someone goes to the "Browse by Genre" pages, all the books are listed in the order in which they are received on the site. I will have to look into that to see if I can make that random. I may not be able to do that this round, but I think that is an excellent idea!



glutton said:


> I submitted something, but I wanted to check first before sending anything else - is there a minimum or suggested minimum length for works, considering the sample is expected to be around 500 words? That would be about half the whole story for my other two published shorts.


The only thing I was trying to do was to make sure that people didn't leave a sample with only a few words, while also making sure people didn't leave a few thousand words! Your sample doesn't have to be the full 500 words, I just used that as an upper range for the sample. Feel free to use less if it suits your story better.

Also, I have noticed a couple of people have edited their book details pages and removed their samples and replaced them with a link to Amazon or B&N. I will not allow that kind of sample on your book's page. I am trying to maintain consistency throughout the site, so you will need to keep your sample on the site. You already have a link to your book's page, so if the reader likes your sample they can go there and get it. Don't make them go searching for the sample!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I submitted all my books a few weeks ago and have been wanting to publicize the site, but a few things have stopped me. 

1. I wasn't sure it was ready. How many books are in the database? Enough to make it worthwhile for readers? I think a number counter of books would be good for everyone. If readers see that that database is constantly increasing--they'll keep coming back to check for new books. If there is nothing there, it looks static.

2. The site itself isn't 'pretty'. Just like we eat with our eyes first, and we select books based on great covers over mediocre covers, a website for books should celebrate the books themselves. The only graphics on the page are ads. I know the site wouldn't want to pick one author's books over another, but maybe there can be generic book covers or--and I have no idea if this is possible--a script that pulls random book covers from the database to scroll across the top of the site or something? I have this vague memory of a site that did that with photos, but it could have been something I just dreamed about.  

3. It should have a grand opening date, where all of us can blog/tweet/facebook etc, the same few days. Collectively, we can reach thousands of readers. I know many of us have our blogs in a feed on Goodreads, so imagine all of us blogging about it on the same day? And leaving that blog post up for several days as the latest blog post.

So anyway, those are my thought on the site. I love the concept and I truly DO appreciate all the hard work Steven has done to create the site. I imagine he has spent many, many hours on this. If I had any skills to help out, I would. As it is, I have paid for a domain name for my website, and still haven't figured out how to get it to work.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

MaryMcDonald said:


> I submitted all my books a few weeks ago and have been wanting to publicize the site, but a few things have stopped me.
> 
> 1. I wasn't sure it was ready. How many books are in the database? Enough to make it worthwhile for readers? I think a number counter of books would be good for everyone. If readers see that that database is constantly increasing--they'll keep coming back to check for new books. If there is nothing there, it looks static.


First of all, thank you for taking the time to submit your books! I know it's a tedious process, but hopefully it will prove to be worth it in time.

Technically, the site is ready, but I haven't wanted to make a big push until we got at least 500 books in the database. Right now there are about 470, so it's getting close. in some genres I have had to change the scoring system to limit the number of recommendations because there were too many. i
In others, we hardly have any at all (particularly non-fiction). I love the idea of having a counter that keeps you updated. I'm going to try to get that added today!



MaryMcDonald said:


> 2. The site itself isn't 'pretty'. Just like we eat with our eyes first, and we select books based on great covers over mediocre covers, a website for books should celebrate the books themselves. The only graphics on the page are ads. I know the site wouldn't want to pick one author's books over another, but maybe there can be generic book covers or--and I have no idea if this is possible--a script that pulls random book covers from the database to scroll across the top of the site or something? I have this vague memory of a site that did that with photos, but it could have been something I just dreamed about.


Thank you for being honest! I myself have not been real happy with the way the site looks, but then design is not my strong point. The whole reason I chose to start with WordPress is because it allowed me to start out with a basic design already in place so that I could concentrate on the database stuff that happens behind the scenes. I would love to have more feedback on this site design, and if someone would like to offer some assistance in sprucing it up I would be totally receptive!

I don't like the way it turned out with the ads, so I am planning to trim those back this weekend as well. I love the idea of having a few random book covers from among those that have been submitted, so I am going to be working on doing something like that to replace the current ads. Thanks for the suggestion!



MaryMcDonald said:


> 3. It should have a grand opening date, where all of us can blog/tweet/facebook etc, the same few days. Collectively, we can reach thousands of readers. I know many of us have our blogs in a feed on Goodreads, so imagine all of us blogging about it on the same day? And leaving that blog post up for several days as the latest blog post.


I am going to try to have everything ready for a big grand opening next weekend (before Christmas). Back before Thanksgiving, I made a comment about how slowly it was going in getting books added to the site. At least a dozen folks from KB started tweeting about the site and posted messages on Facebook and their blogs, and the very next day I got over 1500 site visits, at least 20 new authors, and over 100 new books added to the database. I have every confidence in the world in you guys helping to raise awareness! 

As I mentioned before, I'd like to reach at least 500 books in the database first (and we're VERY close), and I have a few minor changes to work on regarding the design. Be watching for an announcement soon, though, and I'll definitely look forward to you guys helping to raise awareness!



MaryMcDonald said:


> So anyway, those are my thought on the site. I love the concept and I truly DO appreciate all the hard work Steven has done to create the site. I imagine he has spent many, many hours on this. If I had any skills to help out, I would. As it is, I have paid for a domain name for my website, and still haven't figured out how to get it to work.


Thanks for the kind words! It really has been a much bigger effort than I had expected, but I have enjoyed doing it. I've been in need of a good challenge, so when Vicki suggested the idea, I jumped all over it! I hope that it continues to evolve into something that all of us can benefit from and be proud of!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I will once again mention it in some groups I am active in. I think one group has had several authors upload, but not sure about the other group. It's not as tight knit as the first. Also, I'll blog about it tomorrow or Monday. I don't have a super active blog, but maybe some authors will see it, especially when I mention that it is open to anyone, not just indies.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Hmm, now I'm confused (more than usual, I mean ). I was just trying a search that a potential reader might do, and stumbled at the first question, where I wanted to select Historical Fiction as a genre. It's there in the sub-genres, but what should a reader select under genre?

Edited to add:  I tried a search leaving genre blank, and got "Error establishing a database connection". I then selected "Romance" as a genre, and got about 20 repeats of:
Warning: Missing argument 2 for wpdb:repare(), called in /home/firstep3/drennon.com/bookmatch/wp-content/themes/mantra/page_results.php on line 61 and defined in /home/firstep3/drennon.com/bookmatch/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 990
(Line number varied)

It *did* then produce a list of books, including mine.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

MaryMcDonald said:


> I will once again mention it in some groups I am active in. I think one group has had several authors upload, but not sure about the other group. It's not as tight knit as the first. Also, I'll blog about it tomorrow or Monday. I don't have a super active blog, but maybe some authors will see it, especially when I mention that it is open to anyone, not just indies.


I appreciate that! I welcome any actions that any of you guys are willing to take to help spread the word!



Shayne Parkinson said:


> Hmm, now I'm confused (more than usual, I mean ). I was just trying a search that a potential reader might do, and stumbled at the first question, where I wanted to select Historical Fiction as a genre. It's there in the sub-genres, but what should a reader select under genre?
> 
> Edited to add: I tried a search leaving genre blank, and got "Error establishing a database connection".


Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Sony. If you check any of those major retailers, you will see that none of them have Historical Fiction as a primary genre. With all of them. Historical Fiction is a sub-genre. I would suggest using whichever primary genre your readers would go through to find Historical Fiction on any of those sites. I am trying to maintain as much consistency with those sites as possible, because I anticipate that your typical reader is going to be using them as their primary source. As a result, they are much more likely to follow that same hierarchy. Maybe later when we become the first stop for readers we can look at bucking the system. 

The database error was due to an update that I just finished. You should be able to get back to the site now. (You may have to close your browser and open a new window.)


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Re the db error: trust me to try it again just at the wrong time  (I was a DBA in one of my past lives, so I do sympathise).

Historical fiction actually is listed as one of the genres immediately under "Fiction" on Amazon, B&N, Sony, etc, which is why I was puzzled not to see it on BookMatchers. I know that's how many of my readers find my books on those sites.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Shayne Parkinson said:


> Re the db error: trust me to try it again just at the wrong time  (I was a DBA in one of my past lives, so I do sympathise).
> 
> Historical fiction actually is listed as one of the genres immediately under "Fiction" on Amazon, B&N, Sony, etc, which is why I was puzzled not to see it on BookMatchers. I know that's how many of my readers find my books on those sites.


Excellent point! I thought I had included all of the genres listed under their Fiction heading, but I was wrong. I just finished adding it, so it should be available. Sorry about the timing on the database updates. I had to make another change to a couple of tables, so I was messing with it again. I may have to do a couple more things yet this evening, so if you encounter it again, just wait a few minutes. Sorry!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks, Steven, that's great! Time I moved the sheep to another paddock, so I'll leave the db in peace for a while.


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## authoryallen (May 4, 2012)

Very cool idea!! I just submitted my books!!!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

I have added a lot of new updates to the site. I hope you'll take the time to stop by and check them out and let me know what you think of them. Your feedback is very important, so please use the Comment form at the bottom of any page or post a message here. Thanks!

Below is a list of the newest changes:

_Randomized the "Browse by Genre" pages so that readers will see something different each time_
Previously the titles on each genre page were listed in the order in which they were received, with the oldest being at the bottom. Now it is completely random, so that each time a reader visits their favorite genre, they should see a different selection of titles at the top of the page.

_Created an "Add to Favorites" option for readers to keep track of their favorite books for future reference_
Each book's detail page now has an "Add to favorites" link at the very top, directly above the title. If a reader likes that title and wants to have it available to research later, they can click the link and it will be saved for them. Each time they come to the site, their Favorites will be listed in the right hand column at the top so they can get to them quickly and easily.

_Added a randomized book cover rotator in the left column to give selected books more exposure_
Instead of seeing a bunch of ads right off the bat, site visitors will now see a cluster of three separate book covers randomly selected from the titles that are featured on the site. Clicking on any cover will take them to the book's detail page where they can get more information about that title.

_Added a "Browse by Genre" section to the right column with counts for each genre_
Keeping with the intention of limiting the immediate exposure to adds, I have created a section in the right column that provides link to each of the separate "Browse by Genre" pages along with a count of the number of titles in each section. I may choose to remove the "Browse by Genre" tab at the top of the site as a result.

_Added a count of current books featured to home page_
This is in response to the suggestion to add a counter on the main page so that readers can see if the count has changed since their last visit. Ideally, we should be able to add new titles pretty much every day, so if the readers see this number changing, it may encourage them to make repeat visits.

Pretty much all of these new changes have come about in response to suggestions I have gotten from you awesome folks, so keep them coming!


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Excellent updates! I like the randomizer!

I was thinking about the release. I was part of a group who released an anthology recently and we got a special hash tag for it on twitter and searched for it so we could re-tweet each others' tweets etc. I think there was... well... it wasn't a huge buzz because there weren't that many of us but I suspect we upped the profile and sales of the anthology.

Just a thought but I'd be happy but we could have a hash tag like #bookmatchers and then something more generic to do with finding books... I'm not a huge twitter expert but thought I'd share the idea anyway.

Cheers

MTM


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi Steven, 
Thanks so much for the randomizer, and also for adding Historial Fiction. I will now rush off to change _The Breadwinners _ 

Returning to say that on the editing page it asked me what sub-genre I wanted, but I couldn't find the actual genre  I want to put it under 'Historical Fiction' for genre, and 'Family Saga' for sub-genre.


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## Mike Dennis (Apr 26, 2010)

Steven--Great site! Suggestion: How about subdividing the "Mystery and thriller" category? That's extremely broad. It would be like lumping "Horror and Fantasy" in together. Under "Mystery", there are vastly different subgenres, like private eye, police procedural, noir, whodunit, hardboiled, cozy, etc. In fact, the term "Mystery" is almost outdated itself, being a holdover from the days when mysteries equated with "whodunits". Nowadays, "Crime fiction" is a more widely-used label, forming an umbrella over the aforementioned subgenres. IMHO, listing the subgenres will help the reader immeasurably in zeroing in on the type of crime fiction he or she wants, rather than forcing them to plow through books that don't interest them.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

When readers use the "Search by genre" they still don't see "historical fiction".  There is "History" but that sounds like nonfiction, actual history.

Also, when I search as a reader, I don't get books, but "warnings".  I don't fill in everything, some I leave "no preference" because readers will do that, too.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

M T McGuire said:


> Excellent updates! I like the randomizer!
> 
> I was thinking about the release. I was part of a group who released an anthology recently and we got a special hash tag for it on twitter and searched for it so we could re-tweet each others' tweets etc. I think there was... well... it wasn't a huge buzz because there weren't that many of us but I suspect we upped the profile and sales of the anthology.
> 
> Just a thought but I'd be happy but we could have a hash tag like #bookmatchers and then something more generic to do with finding books... I'm not a huge twitter expert but thought I'd share the idea anyway.


Excellent suggestion! I am probably going to send out an e-mail to all the authors who have registered with the site to let them know when we are going to have an "offical" release. I am expecting that to be sometime this week. I will add this to the e-mail so that everyone has the same idea in mind. Thanks!



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks so much for the randomizer, and also for adding Historial Fiction. I will now rush off to change _The Breadwinners _
> 
> Returning to say that on the editing page it asked me what sub-genre I wanted, but I couldn't find the actual genre  I want to put it under 'Historical Fiction' for genre, and 'Family Saga' for sub-genre.


Jan, I edited your Book Details page for _The Breadwinners_ so that it now shows Historical Fiction as the genre. The data collection I will have to update manually. Since there are no other books currently listed with that genre, the database can't find it. Once I get your entry updated you should be able to do it yourself in the future without encountering this problem. Thanks for being the front runner for this new feature! 



Mike Dennis said:


> How about subdividing the "Mystery and thriller" category? That's extremely broad. It would be like lumping "Horror and Fantasy" in together. Under "Mystery", there are vastly different subgenres, like private eye, police procedural, noir, whodunit, hardboiled, cozy, etc. In fact, the term "Mystery" is almost outdated itself, being a holdover from the days when mysteries equated with "whodunits". Nowadays, "Crime fiction" is a more widely-used label, forming an umbrella over the aforementioned subgenres. IMHO, listing the subgenres will help the reader immeasurably in zeroing in on the type of crime fiction he or she wants, rather than forcing them to plow through books that don't interest them.


As I mentioned on a previous post, I am trying to be consistent with how the top online retailers identify their primary genres. I know that Amazon has it listed as "Mystery & Thrillers", and I'm pretty sure the others do as well. Since that is how most readers will be accustomed to seeing titles grouped together at the major retailers, I decided to maintain that consistency. I believe all of the other options you listed are available as sub-genres.



Caddy said:


> When readers use the "Search by genre" they still don't see "historical fiction". There is "History" but that sounds like nonfiction, actual history.
> 
> Also, when I search as a reader, I don't get books, but "warnings". I don't fill in everything, some I leave "no preference" because readers will do that, too.


Until about five minutes ago, there weren't any titles listed under the genre of Historical Fiction, and that is why you couldn't search for that genre or find any titles under it. There is now one title, so the genre is showing up on the Browse by Genre page and the grouping in the right navigation column.

The database issue you identified has been fixed as well. Last night I was making a LOT of changes to the database, and I tested every single change, so when I saw your message I panicked because I thought I had done something wrong! It turns out that WordPress has a new major release, and that got installed on my hosting server last night after I went to bed. One of the new changes introduced by WordPress created this issue, and it turns out there were hundreds of WordPress Themes that got broken as a result. My Theme was actually not one of them, but the unique code I had written was victimized. I'm glad you brought it to my attention, because I wouldn't have known otherwise!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

The site is looking really nice, Steven.

I logged in to change my entry (I wanted to add the historical fiction genre!), but I don't see my book under my profile. Am I looking in the wrong place, or do you need to link it for me manually? I added mine fairly early on, before you had logins.


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## Adriana Ryan (Sep 27, 2011)

I just added my book--what a cool idea!


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Just saw this rule on your site and it rasies huge red flags for both writers and readers:



> If your story has any extreme or graphic sexual situations and is obviously intedned for mature audiences, then you MUST select Erotica as your primary Genre. If you don't, I will move it. I do not want to end up with inappropriate content in the "Browse by Genre" sections


Why is this a problem? Well, readers who are looking for erotica are looking for books that titillate or turn them on. Not all graphic sex is written for that.

Drama and historical fiction both have many instances were there are graphic sexual situations that are in NO WAY a turn on. During periods of history where there was even greater class division, people were used for sex or coerced into it for many reasons...and not many would turn people on.

I am afraid that if you make people classify any book with graphic sex in it as "erotica", those searching for erotica will buy some books that disappoint them A LOT. And readers looking for historical fiction, drama, and some other genres will miss out on some very good books.

My books have graphic sex in them. Some have very disturbing scenes. Although some of these scenes may be erotic, many others are the opposite AND the gist of the novel is NOT about titillation. Classifying something as erotica when that is not the goal,and the main theme is something completely different does writers and readers both a disservice. If I thought it was fair, I would be marketing my books as erotica because Lord knows I would make more money if they truly were! Unfortunately, I would only anger a lot of people who were hoping for something they didn't get.

You already let people choose if they want graphic sex and graphic violence. If they choose graphic sex or graphic violence or say they don't care, they shouldn't complain. I don't see where more "policing" is necessary. They have already said what they will tolerate.

If you still feel this needs to be singled out, how about a place where authors checkmark "Contains graphic adult themes that may disturb some people." I don't like to see "that may be offensive." That sounds like the author is trying to offend people on purpose. I can't speak for others, but I don't write to offend. I do write to tell a story, no holds barred. Characters sometimes do awful things...and some characters use sex to fill a void. Not very erotic, but it can be graphic. I would rather not see a disclaimer at all, since they can select not to have graphic sex or violence, but this is a possible solution.

Making these stories fall under "erotica" is a huge mistake. Would Girl With The Dragon Tattoo have to go under "erotica" because of the rape scene? It is a book intended for mature audiences and has graphic sex...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Jan, I edited your Book Details page for _The Breadwinners_ so that it now shows Historical Fiction as the genre. The data collection I will have to update manually. Since there are no other books currently listed with that genre, the database can't find it. Once I get your entry updated you should be able to do it yourself in the future without encountering this problem. Thanks for being the front runner for this new feature!


Thanks . Good to see it in its proper 'home'


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Shayne Parkinson said:


> I logged in to change my entry (I wanted to add the historical fiction genre!), but I don't see my book under my profile. Am I looking in the wrong place, or do you need to link it for me manually? I added mine fairly early on, before you had logins.


I went in and changed the Book Details page for your title, but not the data collection. The account that is assigned to your book is _shayneparkinsonnz_. If you created a separate account just let me know and I'll reassign it.



Adriana Ryan said:


> I just added my book--what a cool idea!


Excellent! If you participate in any other writing groups or forums, then please spread the word!



Caddy said:


> Just saw this rule on your site and it rasies huge red flags for both writers and readers:


Caddy, you make an excellent point, and because of that I have removed that rule. My primary concern is for those people who "Browse by Genre" and don't have the option for identifying how graphic they want their books to be. I am still going to be monitoring the image, synopsis, and sample to make sure that they are not graphic in any way, because those three elements are going to be presented to readers of all ages. I'm not going to "force" people to select Erotica as the genre just because it contains graphic sex, but it would be helpful if they mentioned that in their synopsis.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Thank you. I don't normally mention it in my synopsis because traditional authors don't mention it on the backs of their books in bookstores.  I feel that if it is not Christian, cozy, YA or children, then you may run into adult themes in a book. 

However, since you have been so wonderful and accommodating, I did add "This series is meant for readers 18 years of age and older. It contains graphic, adult themes." on all 4 of my books. I appreciate you hearing our concerns!


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## AmsterdamAssassin (Oct 21, 2011)

Hi Steven,

Cool idea, I hopes it works out!

I uploaded Reprobate and Locked Room. Peccadillo isn't live on iTunes yet, so I wait until that happens, and then I'll add Peccadillo and Microchip Murder.

I posted some comments on the form about the choices in 'relationship' between main characters and between main characters vs. adversaries. I was thinking about killer vs. victim, assassin vs. client, assassin vs. target, etcetera.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

AmsterdamAssassin said:


> I uploaded Reprobate and Locked Room. Peccadillo isn't live on iTunes yet, so I wait until that happens, and then I'll add Peccadillo and Microchip Murder.
> 
> I posted some comments on the form about the choices in 'relationship' between main characters and between main characters vs. adversaries. I was thinking about killer vs. victim, assassin vs. client, assassin vs. target, etcetera.


Thanks for adding your titles! I'll give some thought to your suggestions for relationships between main characters and adversaries. Frankly, I have so many other things that I am working on right now to get ready for the "grand opening". I don't think I'll be making any adjustments to any of the current pieces for now, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

If there are any artistically minded authors out there who could maybe offer some suggestions on how to give the site some more "pizzazz", I'd appreciate your input! I have gotten so many great suggestions from so many folks here at KB, and I would like your feedback on the layout and design.

http://www.bookmatchers.com


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

We have now reached 495 titles, so we're on track to reach 500 by this weekend. My ultimate goal is to have at least 1000, but for now I'll be happy to reach the first milestone. I've made a couple more changes to the site, so if you get a chance, I'd appreciate your feedback. If you haven't submitted your titles yet, then I hope you'll consider joining us!


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## Guest (Dec 18, 2012)

I submitted everything in my sig... now you have a bunch of stories about indestructible iron women on your site.


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## Closed (Dec 6, 2012)

I tested this site, and wanted to say GREAT WORK!!

I noticed that at least 3 of the books were one's I had noticed here on KB that I had an interest in reading. Which means, it's working.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

LunarEditingandServices said:


> I tested this site, and wanted to say GREAT WORK!!
> 
> I noticed that at least 3 of the books were one's I had noticed here on KB that I had an interest in reading. Which means, it's working.


Exellent! Thanks for the feedback!


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

We just went past 500 titles! Thanks for all the support and suggestions from everyone here at KB. I never would have stuck with this and gotten so far as quickly as we have had it not been for the constant encouragement. Now let's go get the next 500!


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## pjmorse (Dec 7, 2012)

This is so nifty! I made my first successful submission, and it's showing up on the site.

I have one suggestion, probably more for your users than for your site. As I searched around, I noticed that some of the book cover images were downloading slower than others. On the submission form, you tell people submitting books to "Please limit the size of your image to ~200x300 pixels," but you might want to set that image to bold. I uploaded an image that met those standards, but other people might skim right over that, and then visitors with slower Internet connections will miss out on their covers.

And that's it --again, this is such a terrific idea!


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Steven R. Drennon said:


> Excellent point! I thought I had included all of the genres listed under their Fiction heading, but I was wrong. I just finished adding it, so it should be available. Sorry about the timing on the database updates. I had to make another change to a couple of tables, so I was messing with it again. I may have to do a couple more things yet this evening, so if you encounter it again, just wait a few minutes. Sorry!


I noticed that you don't have a War Fiction category.


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## aaronoverfield (Sep 17, 2012)

Dalya said:


> I would like a pirate memory game book. Nothing too pirate-y though.


You win.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

pjmorse said:


> I have one suggestion, probably more for your users than for your site. As I searched around, I noticed that some of the book cover images were downloading slower than others. On the submission form, you tell people submitting books to "Please limit the size of your image to ~200x300 pixels," but you might want to set that image to bold. I uploaded an image that met those standards, but other people might skim right over that, and then visitors with slower Internet connections will miss out on their covers.


Thanks for the suggestion! You make an excellent point, because with some searches there may be a lot of books that end up on the results page, and if people are using larger images than necessary, it will slow down the page. I am trying to make some changes to help speed that up, but it would sure be easier if everyone read the instructions!  I'll get this added to the submission page!



JRTomlin said:


> I noticed that you don't have a War Fiction category.


Sorry, but neither does Amazon. We do, however, have it available as a sub-genre!


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## Adriana Ryan (Sep 27, 2011)

This is really exciting. I submitted my book. Can't wait for this to get huge! By the way, is this the website that was viral on Pinterest for a while? I can't find that link now, but I'm fairly sure it was a book-matching website.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Adriana Ryan said:


> By the way, is this the website that was viral on Pinterest for a while? I can't find that link now, but I'm fairly sure it was a book-matching website.


There was some traffic being sent from Pinterest at the end of November. I had asked some authors to make a push to get others to submit their books, and it worked. We tripled the titles in two days! I'll be asking authors to help out again in a couple of days, but this time directing their efforts towards the readers!



Glynn James said:


> Sorry if this has already been suggested - I couldn't read all the pages. (too many comments!)
> 
> If the site had the asins of all books submitted
> And was plugged into goodreads API & the Amazon API
> ...


Dude, you lost me at API! (Just kidding!) That is a pretty ambitious undertaking, and frankly I have enough on my plate right now. I like the idea, but it would have to go into Phase 2 (or 3). Right now I want to get the site out there and prove that it will work. If that shakes out well, I will most likely sink a lot more time and effort into providing more features like that. I'm always willing to share the work if anyone wants to volunteer their time like I have! 

There really is getting to be a LOT of information here. I hope that people will just take the time to check out the site and use this thread to post comments, suggestions, and feedback. We may have to start another thread to just promote the site, but we'll see.

In the meantime, I'm still trying to get more authors to add their books, so help spread the word!

http://www.bookmatchers.com


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## strath (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks for this opportunity. I submitted mine a few minutes ago.

How long does it take after getting 'confirmed' does it take for my book to appear?


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

strath said:


> Thanks for this opportunity. I submitted mine a few minutes ago.
> 
> How long does it take after getting 'confirmed' does it take for my book to appear?


I have been getting the books reviewed and approved within 24 hours. I should probably include that information somewhere. Once it is approved it will be available immediately.


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## strath (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks, Steven

Much appreciated.


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## Victoria Champion (Jun 6, 2012)

1. Hi, I noticed there is a blank head silhouette icon next to About the Author. When will we be able to personalize that with our own image?

2. I added my ARe (All Romance eBooks), OmniLit, and Nook product page links to my product description. I did not add my affiliate codes so that you could add yours instead. I understand that this is not possible for you to go by hand and edit all the urls in the multitude of descriptions, but if you could add a form for us to input our ARe/OmniLit, and Nook urls to autoadd your affiliate tag like you do for Kobo and Amazon, that would be great. I would go and re-edit my descriptions to accommodate you in this. I believe Kobo and B&N both use Linkshare, and ARe/OmniLit both use their own (ARe-hosted) affiliate program.

I myself was rejected as an affiliate by B&N but am going to re-apply, but perhaps you will have more luck with a site like yours. I guess they think I am too small-time to use their affiliate program.


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## Steven R. Drennon (Mar 12, 2011)

Victoria Champion said:


> 1. Hi, I noticed there is a blank head silhouette icon next to About the Author. When will we be able to personalize that with our own image?
> 
> 2. I added my ARe (All Romance eBooks), OmniLit, and Nook product page links to my product description. I did not add my affiliate codes so that you could add yours instead. I understand that this is not possible for you to go by hand and edit all the urls in the multitude of descriptions, but if you could add a form for us to input our ARe/OmniLit, and Nook urls to autoadd your affiliate tag like you do for Kobo and Amazon, that would be great. I would go and re-edit my descriptions to accommodate you in this. I believe Kobo and B&N both use Linkshare, and ARe/OmniLit both use their own (ARe-hosted) affiliate program.
> 
> I myself was rejected as an affiliate by B&N but am going to re-apply, but perhaps you will have more luck with a site like yours. I guess they think I am too small-time to use their affiliate program.


1. I don't anticipate this happening any time too soon. Doing that with the current setup I have would require opening up more permissions on the site for the authors, but I will keep this in mind for future enhancements.

2. I've tried to be as consistent as possible for all authors, regardless of genre. If I provided an input box for every possible outlet, it just wouldn't be practical. If you'd like to add additional links at the bottom of your book sample, that would be fine. As far as affiliate tags go, I can auto-generate them for the Kindle Link and Smashword Link fields. Kobo and iTunes are generated by LinkShare, but I have to copy and paste each link manually into their generator in order to create an affiliate link, so I have gotten pretty far behind with those.

B&N has been a major pain in regards to their affiliate service. It turns out that they don't provide affiliate service for e-books. Who knew? I would imagine that e-books constitutes a good percentage of their sales, but they won't include them in their affiliate program. Go figure!


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