| Sumario: | Communities have always existed in the book publishing world. Some well known physically-based book publishing communities include book clubs formed by readers with common interests and the tight knit communities of book publishers which exist in large cities such as New York. This paper explores the notion that technological innovations have been the catalysts for the development of new online kinds of communities in the book publishing world. Such online communities use the World Wide Web as well as the mobile platform as enablers. Examples of these communities include online literary salons such as Salon.com; travel forums such as Fodor's online Travel Talk Forum, which is an outgrowth of the publisher's travel books; and www.eHarlequin.com, a new website which provides subscribers with content from Harlequin books on their mobile phones and encourages participants to chat and contribute ideas. For publishers and managers in book publishing firms, online book discussion groups are an important innovation which needs further examination. Overall, online book communities can have a transformative effect on the book publishing industry.
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