You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Simon and Schuster Children’s Books has launched a new YA community, Hashtag Reads, aimed at older readers who are “notoriously difficult to reach via traditional media channels”.
The community, hosted on blog platform Tumblr and with Twitter and Facebook accounts, has the tagline "books worth talking about" and will showcase upcoming titles from the publisher aimed at teenagers and young adults and encourage interaction.
The site will focus on two new titles each month, which will be highlighted through author interviews and guest posts, behind-the-scenes features and exclusives.
January’s titles are Defy the Stars by Sophie McKenzie, the fourth in a series exploring first love, and Find Me by Romily Bernard, a debut thriller following a computer hacker who discovers a dead schoolmate’s diary with the message "FIND ME" written inside.
Content will also include classic reads and backlist titles, regular features such as themed book reviews and top five lists, videos and event round-ups.
Kat McKenna, senior marketing and publicity executive at Simon and Schuster, said: “We want to get as much feedback as we can, so the conversational element of this project is key for us.
“We’ll be looking at how users respond to the content we offer and will tailor future posts accordingly, so we can build a loyal fan base and find out much more about what our readers want – and in turn give them exciting content they will share with their own communities and social networks.”