<p>Penguin views Spinebreakers, the social network, as a crucial part of future-proofing the book industry.Spinebreakers, as a content website, already exists but does not have any tools which allow its users to communicate and interact about their shared pastime. Instead, it is a site where teenagers write about books and authors.<br /><br />Anna Rafferty, managing director of Penguin Digital, who founded the site three years ago, told The Telegraph: “I set up the site as I felt there were fewer and fewer places talking about books in a way which appealed to teenagers."<br /><br />"However, I knew in order for the site to work, it would have to be written and edited by teenagers - which is why we have over 100 deputy editors aged between 14 and 18 looking after the site, and many more contributors of a similar age.<br /><br />“However, they cannot use the site to communicate, which is why I want to transform the site into the first social network dedicated to books within the next six months."<br /><br />She said that the site, which attracts 10,000 to 15,000 unique users each month and is still in beta, was not a commercial venture for Penguin, but was hugely important to the company for “future-proofing the book industry.”Spinebreakers does offer branded promotions on the site, but there is no display advertising, reports the Telegraph.<br /><br />Rafferty also admitted that the company had not "shouted enough" about Spinebreakers, since its launch and would do once it re-launched as a social networking site within in the next six months.<br /><br />Rafferty recently oversaw the release of "The Fry Chronicles", Stephen Fry's new autobiography, which was launched simultaneously as an interactive ebook, hardback novel and iPhone app, called "myFry".<br /></p>
<p>Penguin views Spinebreakers, the social network, as a crucial part of future-proofing the book industry.Spinebreakers, as a content website, already exists but does not have any tools which allow its users to communicate and interact about their shared pastime. Instead, it is a site where teenagers write about books and authors.<br /><br />Anna Rafferty, managing director of Penguin Digital, who founded the site three years ago, told The Telegraph: “I set up the site as I felt there were fewer and fewer places talking about books in a way which appealed to teenagers."<br /><br />"However, I knew in order for the site to work, it would have to be written and edited by teenagers - which is why we have over 100 deputy editors aged between 14 and 18 looking after the site, and many more contributors of a similar age.<br /><br />“However, they cannot use the site to communicate, which is why I want to transform the site into the first social network dedicated to books within the next six months."<br /><br />She said that the site, which attracts 10,000 to 15,000 unique users each month and is still in beta, was not a commercial venture for Penguin, but was hugely important to the company for “future-proofing the book industry.”Spinebreakers does offer branded promotions on the site, but there is no display advertising, reports the Telegraph.<br /><br />Rafferty also admitted that the company had not "shouted enough" about Spinebreakers, since its launch and would do once it re-launched as a social networking site within in the next six months.<br /><br />Rafferty recently oversaw the release of "The Fry Chronicles", Stephen Fry's new autobiography, which was launched simultaneously as an interactive ebook, hardback novel and iPhone app, called "myFry".<br /></p>