Of the millions of websites online, none could provide the information Donna Feyen sought. So she created her own website that would.
Feyen, an avid reader from Bentonville, said she was disappointed when she happened upon content she found objectionable in some of the books she read. Traditional reviews and synopses on book jackets gave her no warning. If a friend hadn’t read the book first, Feyen had no way of knowing what content she would encounter, she said.
Her website, More Than A Review, posts book reviews, which give books zero to fi ve stars in four categories: sexual content, violence, crude and profane language and drug and alcohol use, in addition to overall quality. The website gives specifi c guidelines for what constitutes each star’s rating for each category.
“I think there’s a lot of us who have been surprised by content in books,” Feyen said, who launched the site in April. She wouldn’t reveal the author or title of the romantic suspense novel that led her to create the website, but she said the offending scene “didn’t add to the storyline.” She added, “I just didn’t want it in my head.”
The site is searchable by anyone, but only those who register can read the category reviews and see their ratings.
Registered users also can tailortheir searches to find books that match their level of comfort with each of the categories. For example, a reader can choose to search for books with three stars for violence, which is “intense or persistent violence or description of violent acts,” and two stars for sexual content, which is “some sensuality is described but is more about feeling and less about body parts,” according to the website.
Reviewers also must register with the website. Registration is free.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Trisha Bell of Pea Ridge, a friend of Feyen’s, said the site helps her make better decisions about which books she and her teenage daughter should read.
“There are things in books I don’t care to read,” Bell said. She won’t knowingly read a book thatinvolves violence to children or animals. She doesn’t want her daughter to read books that have sexual content or use language of which she disapproves, she said.
Bell has skipped entire chapters, and even stopped reading books, because of objectionable content, but she said she won’t have to do that anymore. “It’s not even going to be in the books,” Bell said.
She doesn’t mind an author touching on some topics, such as murder, but she would rather be spared the gory details of a character’s death, she said.
Bell has reviewed about 50 books for the site already and said her daughter, who reads about 100 books a year, plans to review books in the future.
Feyen said authors, especially new ones, can benefit as much as readers from the website because readers of their books will have accurate expectations.
More Than A Review has published more than 500 reviews so far.
“I didn’t really know how often people would be able to put books in,” Feyen said. “I am pleased with the number. Still, there are millions of books out there. I hope to get more to let people find the book they are looking for.” START UP CUP
Feyen’s enterprising attitude has helped More Than A Review reach the Top 7 in the Northwest Arkansas Start Up Cup, a 27-week business model competition. The competition is in its fi rst year in Northwest Arkansas but launched in 2007 in Tulsa, Okla.
Competitors receive coaching and mentoring to hone their business model and bring their idea to reality, according to the Start Up Cup website. The mentors help the competitors puta “laser focus” on the core business and not veer off on a tangent, Feyen said.
She has pitched her business plan twice and will revise it again before her fi nal presentation. The winner will be announced Nov. 15.
Feyen said she was reluctant to enter the competition, but she’s glad she let herself be talked into it.
“It has been the best thing, a great motivator,” she said. “The questions they ask really help you think.”
Life, Pages 6 on 09/26/2012