HarperCollins Launches Epic Reads, a Community Reading Site for Teenagers

PaidContent reports that HarperCollins has launched a digital community site for teenagers called Epic Reads. The site serves as an "umbrella" for three "channels": The main epicreads.com site; pitchdark.com, which features “a curated list of titles that appeal to readers of dystopian and paranormal fiction”; and storycrush.com, which focuses on the “romance, realistic and contemporary fiction genre.”

The site allows users to log in with Facebook or Google, share and "Like" content, review titles, post comments, take polls and quizzes, enter contests, and search or browse for specific authors and titles. Each HarperTeen author has their own page, although the content on the pages is currently limited to links to their books and a picture of the author.

HarperCollins will be able to use the postings and activity on the site to build profiles of its readers. There's currently no eCommerce capability on the site and no sales links to external resellers, but its likely that the publisher will add one or both of these capabilities to Epic Reads over time.