Real Readers
Connect your book with genuine readers who enjoy discovering new authors and stories.
A Private Reader Community
Stories Unite Us
Real Readers. Real Books. Real Conversations.
Connecting authors with real readers who love discovering books, sharing experiences, and starting meaningful conversations.
Why Stories Unite Us
Books do more than tell stories
A book is rarely a solitary thing. It travels between people. It gets recommended across a kitchen table, argued about in a group chat, pressed into someone's hands with the words “you have to read this.”
Books connect people. They create conversations, introduce new ideas, and allow readers to experience worlds beyond their own — other lives, other decades, other ways of thinking.
Stories Unite Us exists in that space between an author who has written something and a reader who might love it. We make the introduction. What happens next belongs to the reader.
Why Authors Work With Us
A community built around readers, not numbers
Thoughtful Reading
Readers choose books that genuinely interest them and spend real time engaging with the material.
Authentic Feedback
Readers are encouraged to form and express their own honest opinions.
Human Connection
Our focus is on creating meaningful connections between books, authors, and readers.
How It Works
From a finished book to a real reader
- 01
Submit Your Book
Authors provide their book information and tell us about the readers they hope to reach.
- 02
We Introduce Your Book
Suitable books are introduced to members of our private reader community.
- 03
Readers Choose
Interested readers decide whether they want to read the book.
- 04
Readers Read
Readers spend their own time reading and engaging with the book.
- 05
Readers Share Their Thoughts
Readers may share their honest opinions and experiences.
$25Reader
Appreciation
Appreciation
Reader Appreciation
Because A Reader's Time Matters
Our readers give something incredibly valuable: their time. To thank participating readers for taking the time to read a book, we offer a $25 reader appreciation tip. Think of it as treating them to a cup of coffee while they're reading.
- The $25 appreciation is for the reader's time and participation.
- It is not payment for a positive review.
- Readers are never required to provide a favorable opinion.
- Readers remain free to share their genuine thoughts.
Important: Reader appreciation is not payment for a positive review. Readers remain independent and are free to express their honest opinions.
Our Belief
Why We Appreciate Our Readers
“Reading takes time. A reader may spend several hours getting to know an author's characters, ideas, experiences, or story. We believe that time deserves appreciation. Our $25 reader appreciation tip is simply a way of saying thank you for giving a book your time and attention, or, as we like to think of it, treating you to a cup of coffee while you're reading.”
Books Bring People Together
A story finishes on the last page. The conversation it starts can last far longer.
Every book that finds the right reader creates something new between two people who may never meet: understanding, disagreement, recognition, a conversation worth having.
Meet The Curators
The people behind the community
Stories Unite Us is run by two curators who read submissions, talk with authors, and look after the readers in our community.
Lori Lizotte
Community Director
At Stories Unite Us, Lori Lizotte plays a central leadership role in helping shape the community and its relationship with both authors and readers.
As Community Director, Lori helps oversee the direction of the reader community, supports the work of the curators, and helps ensure that the experience remains welcoming, organized, and focused on meaningful connections between books and readers.
Lori represents the heart of the community: bringing people together around books, encouraging discovery, and helping create an environment where authors and readers can connect in a genuine and respectful way.
Maureen Watz
Community Curator
For Maureen Watz, Stories Unite Us is about more than simply getting books into readers' hands. It is about creating the kind of connection that happens when someone discovers a book that speaks to them and takes the time to truly experience it.
As a Community Curator, Maureen helps bring authors and readers together, introduces new books to the community, and helps create opportunities for genuine conversations around reading.
She believes every book has a story worth discovering and every reader has a perspective worth hearing.
At Stories Unite Us, Maureen helps keep the community focused on what matters most: books, people, curiosity, and authentic reader experiences.
Amy Deshler
Community Curator
Amy Deshler is one of the curators behind Stories Unite Us, helping create meaningful connections between authors and readers. As a Community Curator, Amy helps introduce books to readers, supports the reading community, and contributes to an environment where people can discover new stories and share their genuine reading experiences. Her role is centered on people, books, and conversation, helping make the experience welcoming for both authors and readers.
Real Conversations
Reading is better when it's shared
Our readers are ordinary people with full lives and long to-be-read piles. When they choose a book, they choose it because something about it interested them — and their reaction is entirely their own.
For Authors
Have A Book You'd Love Real Readers To Discover?
Tell us about your book and let's see how it could connect with readers who love discovering new stories.
Submit Your Book