• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, May 6, 2011

Hoping to engage erudite users with smart content across its entire network of sites, the AOL Huffington Post Media Group on Friday announced a partnership with soon-to-launch digital platform Bookish.

Backed by Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group (USA), and Simon & Schuster, Bookish seeks to connect a range of readers with relevant authors and books through original editorial features and social media tools.

While specific sponsors have yet to be named, AOL will also be providing advertising sales support for the new venture.

Led by new media vet Paulo Lemgruber in the role of CEO, Bookish is being positioned as editorially independent -- as a place for readers to find relevant content about books and authors from various publishers.

"Bookish enjoys the support of significant, established players in the publishing and online space," said Lemgruber. "Nobody is more intimately familiar with the multitude of elements that make a book appealing than its publisher."

Designed to answer the question "What should I read next?," Bookish will feature exclusive content covering a selection of titles and formats.

Entering the realm of ecommerce, the site will also allow readers to purchase print and digital books directly or through other retailers.

Editor in Chief Charlie Rogers previously served as editor in chief, Digital Media at NBC Universal, and worked at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and The Paris Review.

Technology efforts will be directed by Bookish Chief Technology Officer Andy Parsons, who previously served as CTO for Outside.in and Digital Railroad, as well as director of software development at Juice Software.

Largely due to lower revenue and restructuring costs, AOL last Wednesday said first-quarter profits plunged 86%. That said, global display revenue grew 4% in the first quarter of the year, while domestic display grew 11% -- or 6% excluding acquisitions.

Year-over-year, AOL reported a profit of $4.7 million, or 4 cents a share, down from $34.7 million, or 32 cents a share. The company blamed reduced earnings on restructuring charges, stock-based compensation and charges related to recent acquisitions -- the most significant of which was its agreement to buy Huffington Post for $315 million.