What is Author Ring?

Author Ring is a reader discovery network built around direct sales. The core problem it solves: authors can build a direct store, but getting readers to find it is the hard part.

What it is:

A network of author websites linked together in genre-specific "rings" — literally a circle of connected stores readers can hop through
A modern take on the old-school 1990s web ring concept, rebuilt for today's direct sales world
Hosted at authorring.net, with a reader-facing browsing experience at demo-readers.authorring.net

How it works for readers:

Browse by genre and sub-genre (Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, and their sub-categories like Paranormal Romance or Dark Fantasy)
Find an author they love, click into their store, then hop to the next author in the ring
No algorithm deciding what they see — just curated, genre-matched authors

How it works for authors:

Join a ring in your genre/sub-genre
A small widget or link on your direct store connects you into the ring
Readers who are already primed to buy direct discover you organically through other ring members

The big idea:

No Amazon. No algorithms. No middleman taking a cut.
Readers who find you through the ring are already looking to buy direct
Authors in the same niche lift each other up instead of competing

In the video demo, the network already had 15 active authors, 16 rings, and 4 genres — small but fully functional and live.

The authors who join early get found first. Author Ring grows with every member. More authors means more readers browsing the ring — and more chances for your books to land in front of someone who's already looking to buy direct. Don't wait for the ring to come to you.