The Utility of Authonomy to Identify Publishable Submissions

Registered members of the Authonomy community have been advised that the new rating system will be implemented as of tomorrow. This is how the website Suite101 described the situation with Authonomy just a couple of months ago. 

"The utility of the site to identify publishable submissions is open to question because a top ranking can be achieved by spamming and networking rather than according to the merits of the book being assessed by reviewers.

 Experience in the Authonomy forums demonstrates that being reviewed does not necessarily result in a publishing contract with Harper Collins. Rather the reverse. Some books have been picked up and the authors offered publishing contracts but that seems to come from Harper Collins monitoring the site during the month rather than waiting for the top five to emerge by the backing process.

It appears that if by the time a book has reached the top fifty Harper Collins hasn't contacted the author to express an interest in the book, it won’t.

A few authors have been identified and taken up by outside literary agents but the success stories are few.

What is readily apparent is that with over seven thousand members at any one time Authonomy is attracting a steady membership of aspiring authors and is an active forum for the display of new writers' work."

I wonder if the modification is going to remedy the problems which have been obvious right from the beginning.