BookOpinion

Borders along with Court TV and Gather.com has announced a crime and mystery writing contest. ”The Next Great Crime Writer” contest is open to anyone with a completed, but unpublished manuscript. First chapters will be voted up upon by the Gather.com community.

Among the panelists of judges include authors David Baldacci, Sandra Brown and Harlan Coben. Winners will receive a book publishing and distribution contract and an advance.

Complete contest details can be found here.

“Driving quality manuscript submissions is the key to any successful writing contest,” said Borders Group, Inc. Executive Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing, Rob Gruen. “By joining forces with Court TV and Gather.com, we exponentially enhance the quantity and quality of submissions. This puts Borders in a unique position to make a dream come true for an aspiring and deserving writer.”

“We are thrilled to launch yet another groundbreaking marketing initiative, which, for the first time, partners Court TV with Borders and Gather.com,” says Mary Corigliano, senior vice president of marketing for Court TV. “Taking advantage of this multiplatform environment, we are extremely well positioned to lead the search to bring national attention to an unpublished mystery writer primed for his or her big break, while at the same time ultimately driving tune-in to our hit series Murder by the Book.”

Court TV’s “Murder by the Book,” which premieres Monday, November 5, 10 p.m. ET, is a 13-episode, one-hour series featuring best-selling crime authors including David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, and Harlan Coben. Court TV’s promotion for the “Search for the Next Great Crime Writer” Contest will include on-air, Internet and guerilla marketing. Gather.com members and fans of crime fiction will have a unique opportunity to pose questions and interact with the authors via web site postings and interviews.

“Clearly, we are setting a trend here, using our base of loyal members in our strong social network to partner with two leading companies in their respective fields,” says Tom Gerace, founder and CEO of Gather.com. “The Gather.com, Borders and Court TV alliance is a powerful mix of media that delivers a multi-faceted platform to identify, vet and elevate aspiring mystery writers.”

THE COURT TV SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT CRIME WRITER CONTEST TIMELINE
Round 1: October 1 - November 11, 2007
Submission period

Round 2: November 15, 2007 - December 9, 2008:
1st Chapters posted of all eligible entries on Courttv.Gather.com, where the community will help narrow the pool down to 25 semifinalists.

Round 3: December 13, 2007 - January 2, 2008:
The 25 semifinalists will post their second chapters on Courttv.Gather.com, where the community will help narrow the pool down to
5 finalists.

Round 4: January 3, 2008 - January 22, 2008:
The judging panel will select one talented mystery novelist as the Grand Prize Winner.

Winner Announced: February 4, 2008:
The judging panel will announce the mystery novelist as the Grand Prize Winner, the Next Great Crime Writer.