Newmarket’s Mike Friskney helped create Juicespot.ca, a website to help book lover find their next favourite novel.
Newmarket
May 15, 2008 09:13 PM
By: Sean Pearce
A new website is up and running to help book lovers find that next great read.
The idea evolved out of the fact it can sometimes be surprisingly difficult to figure out what book to read next, website’s co-creator, Newmarket resident Mike Friskney, said.
The website — www.juicespot.ca — allows bibliophiles a chance to read user comments before making that next big book purchase, Mr. Friskney said.
“Book lovers get a better read on what to read next,” he said.
“When you’ve just read a book, you just want to get into the next one.”
The website is free to join and hundreds have logged in and posted comments about books.
The swift success of the site might be owed to its user-friendliness, Mr. Friskney said.
“It’s really about streamlining the book buying process,” he said. “If I’m looking for a new book and I don’t necessarily want to go down every aisle in Chapters, I can go here first.”
Apart from reviews, Juicespot also allows members a chance to win the latest books. Up for grabs at the moment are three copies of Duma Key, the latest novel from Stephen King.
It’s clear users like the concept, but what about the publishing industry?
So far, Mr. Friskney said, the website is getting big reviews on that end, as well.
“The response and support from the publishing community has been great,” he said.
“They’ve embraced the concept and are excited about the possibility of promoting authors by providing members with access to advance copies of new releases.”
Other features readers might enjoy include a way to add books to a “gotta read list”, along with links to websites where you can place orders for new titles.
“Juicespot.ca makes it quick and easy to find that next great read,” Mr. Friskney said.
“When you’ve finished an amazing book and you just have to tell people about it, this website is the fun way to spread the word.”
Mr. Friskney said he’s hoping the website’s concept will catch on and even turn into a money-maker through online advertising.
For now, however, he’s just enjoying seeing the fruits of his labour.