Authonomy for Web Apps

Show off your novel or read the works of others

Authonomy is a useful site that allows aspiring writers to upload your unpublished novels to share with a community of writers.

If you've ever wanted to receive constructive feedback on a novel you've written but aren't quite ready to take the leap into the world of publication, Authonomy is a great way to get your work out there in front of a group of publishers and aspiring writers alike.

Authonomy users can upload novels of a variety of genres as long as they're at least 10,000 words in length. From there, you can introduce yourself on the message board forum or start searching out other works that have been posted on the site to get an idea of what other Authonomy users have written. If you like a work, you can back it, which helps improve its ranking on the overall site. If you see books of interest you'd like to read later, Authonomy also lets you add them to your own bookshelf for future reading.

The ultimate draw to Authonomy is the chance of ending up ranked in the top five on the site by the end of the month. If you're one of the lucky few, HarperCollins, the publishing company that created Authonomy, will send your work to the editor's desk where you'll have the opportunity to receive constructive feedback from an actual HarperCollins editor. For novelists with hopes of publishing contracts in their future, this is a great opportunity.

Unfortunately, you're likely to receive a flood of messages requesting you back someone's book in order to receive their backing of yours. In this way, Authonomy's rankings can be gamed to a certain extent. Incessant requests can get annoying quickly as well. The 10,000 word minimum also presents a negative for many writers who want to reveal excerpts of their novel without actually posting a substantial amount on Authonomy.

If you want a platform where your book will get a ready and willing audience, Authonomy is a good way to gain some self-published exposure.