Penguin Launches Bookish Dating Site

by Staff
8.26.08

Penguin U.K. has teamed up with Match.com to introduce a dating Web site for book lovers, or for anyone, according to the publisher, who has "ever wished real life could be as romantic as a novel." The PenguinDating site, available only to residents in the United Kingdom, hopes to offer readers "a place to meet and indulge in the age-old art of writing love letters."

"At Penguin we believe that the books we cherish and read over and over, those that we feel a deep emotional connection with, say something defining about us and the type of people we are," Anna Rafferty, the publisher’s online marketing manager, told the Bookseller. Members of the site are asked to name the last book they read, and also have the option to list a favorite book by which other members can search for them.

PenguinDating will feature articles by Penguin authors such as Julia Llewellyn and Adele Parks. Kate Taylor, a relationship advisor for Match.com who has also been published by Penguin, will contribute regularly with tips and answers to frequently asked questions about online dating.

U.K. book lovers can test out the site for free, but must pay for a subscription if they wish to contact fellow readers.