News & Reviews

WORD: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster and Gather.com Announce Web-based writing contest
Edited Press Release

Simon & Schuster imprint Touchstone and Gather.com launched a contest on Jan. 11 where authors can submit fiction manuscripts to be evaluated and voted on by a community of readers, writers and aspiring authors at FirstChapters.gather.com. The Gather.com community will select five finalists through three voting rounds, after which a Grand Prize winner will be chosen and awarded a publishing contract with Touchstone Books.

Once public voting ends with five finalists, judges Carolyn K. Reidy, President of the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group and Mark Gompertz, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Touchstone Books, Borders Group CEO George Jones and Gather.com Founder and CEO Tom Gerace will decide the final winner.

The Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $5,000 cash prize from Gather.com and a guaranteed publishing contract with Touchstone, and the winner's book will be available wherever books are sold, Simon & Schuster said in a press release.

"Simon & Schuster is dedicated to finding good writers wherever we can," said Carolyn Reidy. "It's very exciting to begin using the Internet as one of the tools we use to do that."

All First Chapters contestants are required to have completed a manuscript in order to participate in the contest and all manuscripts must be works of commercial fiction. First-time authors who want to enter this contest should check out Gather.com's submission guidelines for further information.

Added Mark Gompertz, Executive Vice President and Publisher, Touchstone: "We believe that out of this impressive and creative membership (at Gather.com) and with the three successive rounds of voting stimulating reader interest prior to publication, that we will find a great new author to bring to the public's attention."

In addition to receiving a guaranteed publishing contract and distribution with Touchstone, the winner's book will receive significant promotion at Border's, which will also promote the First Chapters competition via e-mail to its 15 Million Borders' reward members.

"Amongst the millions of Borders customers there are many exceptionally talented writers, we are excited to give them access to the Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition and to give all of our customers the opportunity to enjoy their talent," said Borders Group Chief Marketing Officer Michael Tam.

GATHER.COM FIRST CHAPTERS WRITING COMPETITION TIMELINE

Round one January 07 -- Submission of chapter one excerpts, voting by Gather.com community

Round two April 07 -- Posting of second chapter excerpts - voting by Gather.com community

Round three May 07 -- Posting of third chapter excerpts - voting by Gather.com community

Finalist Judging May 24 to May 31, 2007 -- Voting on 5 finalists by Grand Prize Judging Panel

Grand prize winner announcement May 31, 2007

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