When you find an author you absolutely love, you start gobbling up every other book he or she has out there like potato chips. Well, I do anyway.

So then what?

So then you probably try to find other authors with a similar writing style in the same genre. Of course your best source is friends who love the same books you do. But I’ve come across a fun alternative online:

Gnod – The global network of discovery

This “learning” website will recommend authors based on your likes, give you a chance to join discussions about authors (though these tend to be rather lame and not worth anyone’s time), and can create a Map of Literature around any author you wish. Basically Gnod takes your favorite authors and the favorites of others who have visited the site and places their names in a galaxy of writers. The author you enter is at the center and surrounding it are numerous other writers. The names closest to your author are most likely to be read and liked by people who also liked your author.

That doesn’t sound very clear but it is fun to do. You can also click on any author’s name in that galaxy and a new galaxy will form with that writer at its center. The author’s names take some time to settle into place and it’s rather fascinating just to watch.

Want to try it out? Just click here.

Oh, yes. It also does the same thing for music, art, movies, and tech products. I think you’ll enjoy a visit. You might even want to bookmark the site. I did.