Macmillan has sponsored a new book blog, The Daily Reader, the goal of which is “to help you discover great reads while connecting the dots between books and current events.” For example, on a day when some people in congress can’t come together to forestall the nation’s financial ruin, the blog recommended some books about negotiations, and compromise.
The blogger in charge of the operation, Amanda Hirsch, who previously worked as editorial director of PBS.org, promises that the blog will be more than an advertising vehicle for the backlists of Macmillan’s imprints: “I won’t be piloting this ship alone,” Ms. Hirsch wrote in her first post. “The staff at Macmillan will help me flesh out story ideas and research books related to the topics of the day (we’ll feature books from a range of publishers, not just theirs).”
But maybe we did not really believe her. We were wrong! The Daily Reader launched a week ago, and although the blog has only had three posts in its first week it has recommended books by Random House, Penguin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Holt and even indie publisher Westholme.
There’s a lot of competition here — BookForum‘s Omnivore is a particular favorite and then there’s Bookish, the mysterious collaborative bookstore/web site involving Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Hachette Book Group that is supposed to be open for business this fall.
