In my July 17 blog on Sneak Peeks, I referred to the different promotional tools — some provided through the Internet — that are available to authors. A new website that was recently highlighted in my local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, takes an approach to book promotion that is unlike any other I have seen.

The goal of Hometown Reads is to make readers aware of the authors living near them and the books they have written. “Quite often, authors are hidden and don’t have chances to meet readers,” said Becky Robinson, founder of the website. “You could have an author in your neighborhood and not know about it.”

Fourteen municipalities are currently represented on Hometown Reads. Several large cities, such as Chicago and Atlanta are included, but so are some smaller ones like Fenton, Michigan. To access a particular city’s “hometown reads,” a reader clicks on a link that features a lovely nighttime photo of that city’s skyline (the one for Columbus accompanies this blog).

A few weeks ago, Ms. Robinson was kind enough to accept Fast-Pitch Love onto the Hometown Reads website. If you go to http://hometownreads.com/books/fast-pitch-love, you’ll see a cover of the novel along with a summary of the plot, a brief bio of me, and a link that will take you to the Amazon address where Fast-Pitch Love can be purchased. Clicking on “Learn More” will take you to my website and this blog.

Two central Ohio writers I know also have books on Hometown Reads. Charles O’Donnell has The Girlfriend Experience posted. This high-tech thriller centers on a codebreaker who is pursued by both Chinese agents and the NSA. Sandy Latimer’s Newsroom Buddies, which she co-authored with John Kady, tells of the long friendship between the two journalists which began when he was bureau manager for United Press International and she was a UPI writer and reporter.

As of the date of this blog, there are 17 books in the Columbus section of Hometown Reads. They cover a variety of genres with romance novels and animal stories being especially well represented. A sidebar allows a reader to find books according to genre rather than the location of the author’s home. Click on “romance” and find out more about Zebra Crossing by Chicago’s Lolah Lace or click on “business” to learn about Remarkable Leadership authored by Kevin Eikenberry of Indianapolis.

I appreciate the service Becky and her colleague Kayla Giovanoli are providing to writers. I suspect over time more authors from more hometowns will appear on their website, and more readers will benefit. If you have a question or comment for Becky about the website or the books it features, visit http://hometownreads.com/contact.

Note: The featured image is used with permission of Hometown Reads.

Tags: Columbus, hometown, local, promotion