I would love direct messaging. More categories, that goes without saying. I don’t know if it’s possible, but is there a way to include illustrated books?

How about a permanent thread dedicated to promos, our best shot at luring readers? I don’t shop for a read by category. I make my to-do list on the basis of the authors’ voices in the discussions.

Some type of ganged dust jacket copy / best bit would be helpful and, potentially, very entertaining in and of itself. Rummage through it, as with a box of chocolates, do you snag the cherry-center or the chewy nougat (which I don't care for)? If you can't shine here, that doesn't speak well of the whole. 

A bulletin board: barter services, advertise for dedicated critique partners, arrange regional meet-ups, any number of things. Chat rooms, date and topic announced here: Publishing professional Q&A, an hour of chat with so-and-so of such-and-such agency, questions submitted in advance for Brandi and company to sort through and choose from, additional impromptu discussion.

Can that horizontal scroll for reads be changed to a vertical one, so we are not having to bump the type size up or down in order to make every line readable?

A whole page of boxed newly-posted discussions. You see immediately what's up, and are able to add to your follows. Easy-easy-easy.

Book Country coffee cups. Bumper stickers. Maybe even T-shirts.

I found out about Book Country through a mention on Salon, I think it was. Or Daily Beast. I've not seen it written up anywhere else that wasn't a specialized writer/publishing site.

Get the word out to the general public. I bet there are many who would be interested. Put us to work as walking, talking billboards. I would be delighted to recommend you.

WoW there are some great ideas already posted! Inter-personal messaging, Book Country Contests, Saved Draft option for reviews & comments, Book Country T-shirts
 -I want it all!

How about keeping this door open? Maybe, a permanent "Suggestion Box" thread where the posts get sent directly to you, Nevena. You  can scan the posts & pass on what seems feasable. At the very least, it will keep you aware of what the users are thinking about the web site.

@TPNiedermann: I couldn't agree more. And there is this: writing is one thing, critiquing another. Those of us (most of us?) working two or more jobs just to stay afloat have limited reserves of energy with which to write and read. Expending that energy on the work of another is fraught with potential disaster: You may alienate another writer, make a fool of yourself with unfounded/inexpert criticisms and/or waste time better spent working on your own writing.

Take your own book, for instance: I’ve read the opening chapters. Excellent writing. 4-5 stars in just about every category. Nevertheless there were a couple of stylistic things I considered commenting on. Now, do I waste hours formatting up a review when I read in your bio that you’ve taught writing at Yale and McGill? Only to have you turn to my own bio and thunder, after a quick eyeball of the particulars there (channeling Nabokov): “Who is this presumptuous, jumped-up little bourgeoise sales clerk who dares to pronounce on the quality of my writing?”

Or take another example: A stranger reviews my writing. They are not a fan. They post a critical (but constructive) review. I consider their criticisms as carefully and objectively as I can, respond cordially and then go on to read their own fiction on the site. Uh-oh: 2-3 star territory. Do I post the review? Only to have that writer read my review with a jaundiced eye, the while thinking to themselves: “I get it—retaliation. That’s all this hit-piece is; retaliation, plain and simple.”

So who gets reviewed? Writers I trust. Writers I like. Writers I feel are professional, talented and thick-skinned enough to hear what I am saying about their posted work and are capable of responding: (a) thanks; I missed that (b) hmmm . . . not sure I agree; I’ll have to think about it, and (c) you’re dead wrong and here’s why, bucko . . .

If this sounds like a highly idiosyncratic, helter-skelter and inexact method for finding writers to review on Book Country, I plead guilty—but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I follow writers in the discussion threads—the more they contribute, the more likely I am to review their work. But if I don’t get around to reviewing every writer I’d like to it isn’t because I find their work fundamentally flawed but rather that I’ve weighed the time-expenditure of half-a-day spent reading and reviewing work (which could disappear as soon as I post a review) versus doing something else. Sadly, it's oftentimes “something else” that wins out.

I don’t want any of my reviewers feeling pressure to read and critique new work by me and I, in return, reserve the right to reserve my critical writing for when and where “the spirit moves me.”

The randomness, free-wheeling dialogue and sublime serendipitous moments of found synchronicity and shared camaraderie are part-and-parcel of Book Country’s unique charm.             

@Brandi: That's a very good question! (How do we get new members to figure out who to review?)

I think (like most of here on Book Country) that new members will automatically gravitate towards the genres they like reading and writing most. Book Country's "Waiting To Be Discovered" section helps pull eyeballs to un-reviewed texts; perhaps a "Needs Further Reviews" section could flag those texts that don’t yet have, say, a dozen reviews.

You might also think about creating a point-weighted scoring system towards unlocking some kind of intra-site reward: free professionally-designed book covers for your BC published texts, for instance; the underwriting (in partial or full) of self-publishing costs, etc.

For the truly hesitant and unschooled a brief “How To Give Constructive Criticism” exercise might ease reviewers into the waters. Example: BC creates a sample “target text”; the new reviewer could elect to review this text and then have a BC staff member review their review and award points toward full membership and posting privileges.

Perhaps one out of every five (or six, or eight, or ten) reviews given could be made anonymously? (Though more points and unlocking privileges would be given for self-identified reviews.)

Create a high-scoring, ranked-in-order, top-100 “Most Trusted & Helpful Reviewers on Book Country” table.

Just spit-balling here . . .

Re: Brandi's question, "How do we help people who don't have your knowledge?"

Maybe we could have a way to communicate directly with new members. Nothing beats a personal touch.

1. Is there a review category for Language? By this I mean over use of modifiers/adverbs, Tom Swifties, etc. Too frequent use of words or phases which become distracting. Sentence flow and structure. Did I make my point clear, I ask pointedly? 

2. It might just be my browser (Safari on Mac), but the location of the cursor in the reviewing box is not apparent, and the box doesn't always show the location in which I am typing. I have finally figured out that the only way to write a coherent review is in notepad/textedit and then to cut and paste. With apologies to the three whose works I have reviewed to date, since those reviews were written in the little boxes and were rather incomplete, and perhaps even curt.

3. Could BC establish a policy of eliminating/banning spammy sales posts masquerading as books in need of critique? Posts in which the last lines of text read something like: "If you liked this sample, you can buy the full book on Amazon." WTF. Yes, I critiqued anyway, just to get my crit count over the minimum threshold, but …. arrg.

TTFN