Binge Books with AI: Your Next Read is Here

The recent pandemic has presented significant challenges for numerous industries, yet the book market has experienced an unusual period of growth during what has been a difficult decade. With more time spent at home and a greater need for connection, people have turned to books and characters like never before.

This renewed interest in reading has also sparked innovation, with entrepreneurs exploring new ways to enhance the reading experience. We recently highlighted BookClub, based in Salt Lake City, which focuses on creating book clubs led by authors to foster shared reading experiences. Similarly, platforms like Radish, specializing in serialized fiction, have secured substantial funding as reading gains momentum.

However, before joining a book club, the initial question remains: how do you choose your next read and discover compelling books? (Aside from the TechCrunch list of 2020’s best books, as recommended by writers and venture capitalists – a source who wished to remain anonymous assured me it’s the only ‘best books’ list worth considering).

This is where BingeBooks enters the picture. BingeBooks aims to be the go-to platform for book lovers, functioning much like Netflix for discovering your next great read based on your previous preferences.

While this concept might appear similar to Goodreads, the established leader in the field, BingeBooks offers a more comprehensive approach. It was created by Authors A.I., a company founded by novelists and machine learning specialists, who developed an AI-powered editor named Marlowe. Marlowe provides authors with valuable feedback on their manuscripts, focusing on elements like pacing and character consistency.

The Authors A.I. team realized that the technology used to analyze and evaluate books for authors could also be applied to identify connections between different books and offer personalized recommendations to readers.

BingeBooks launched shortly before Thanksgiving last month and currently features titles from major publishers such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan, alongside over 7,000 independently published works.

“BingeBooks is primarily centered around reader discovery,” explained Alessandra Torre, president and co-founder of Authors A.I. “We’re striving to create a welcoming community where readers and authors can connect, and that’s what we’re building.” Torre, a bestselling author with 23 books to her name, noted that over 120 authors were involved as early supporters of the BingeBooks platform.

Discoverability is a challenge for readers, but it’s equally significant for authors. Independent authors, lacking the extensive marketing resources of larger publishing houses, often struggle to reach a wider audience. Exceptional writing may go unnoticed if potential readers are unaware of its existence. BingeBooks seeks to address this issue, improving the experience for both readers and authors.

Torre is joined by JD Lasica, a veteran author, and Matthew Jockers, author of The Bestseller Code and a professor of English at Washington State University, specializing in the computational analysis of text.

BingeBooks and Authors A.I. have been funded through self-investment, and Lasica indicated they are exploring future fundraising options now that their products are available. He suggested that crowdfunding might be a suitable approach, given the platform’s community focus and their desire to involve more potential users. The product is in its early stages, and the team plans to enhance its community features in early 2021.

Will we be limited to endlessly scrolling through short-form videos, or can the algorithms that have revolutionized video streaming be successfully applied to the world of reading? BingeBooks is attempting to answer this question and, hopefully, provide a solution.