Amazon bets on BookTour

Amazon.com is among the investors in BookTour, an online directory of author events. The San Francisco startup raised $350,000 in Series A funding, according to PEHub, which cited a regulatory filing. BookTour lets authors publicize their upcoming talks and appearances.

BookTour was founded by Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and author of "The Long Tail." The startup describes its services this way:

Readers can invite faraway authors to their town, or get in touch with authors already scheduled to appear locally to address additional groups, from company speaker series to book group meetings.

For authors, BookTour.com serves as a one-stop tool for book promotion, allowing authors at all levels of their careers to locate receptive live audiences.

The BookTour website gives users a way to see if authors of books they've bought on Amazon are coming to their area.

Valleywag noticed BookTour back in early 2008, calling it the "wonkiest website ever" designed for "bespectacled novelist groupies."

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